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How walkable is Dubai?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Dubai has a walkability score of 72 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the most walkable of the 3 cities ranked in the United Arab Emirates.
What's within walking distance of the centre
2,150 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Dubai. The nearest grocery is about 7 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks and culture & entertainment. It is weakest for schools.
Groceries
- Choithrams, 9 min
- Day to Day Hypermarket Baniyas, 10 min
Restaurants & bars
- Dukkan Burger, 2 min
- Bellamia, 2 min
Shopping
- Al Seef Creek, 5 min
- Adnan Jewellery, 5 min
Coffee
- Coffeöl, 5 min
- Belgium Waffles, 6 min
Banks
- Dubai Islamic Bank, 8 min
- Bank Saderat Iran, 8 min
Parks
- Union Metro Station Park, 9 min
- ساحة الاتحاد, 9 min
Schools
- Circle Time - Al Karama Branch, 19 min
- Kinderville Early Learning Center, 24 min
Books & libraries
- ABU Dhabi Research & Document Center, 14 min
- Emirates Center for Management & Information Tech, 14 min
Culture & entertainment
- Museum Of Illusions., 10 min
- JUMP N FUN, 14 min
Further than usual
- The nearest school is 18 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at 25.2619, 55.3094, the point near Dubai's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 101 street intersections per km², and blocks average 82 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Dubai's score of 72 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 93 within 1 km of the centre, 85 from 1 to 3 km out and 60 from 3 to 5 km out. 22 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 70% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Dubai. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 89 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 93 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 85 | 92% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 60 | 50% |
The most walkable neighbourhoods of Dubai
Each neighbourhood is scored across the area around its centre, so the score describes that part of Dubai rather than the city as a whole.
| # | Neighbourhood | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Karama | 97 |
| 2 | Downtown Dubai | 95 |
| 3 | Al Rigga | 94 |
| 4 | Al Hudaiba | 91 |
| 5 | Bur Dubai | 90 |
Also ranked: Al Wasl, Business Bay.
See all 17 neighbourhoods of Dubai ranked, with how far each is from the centre.
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | 30 km | 61 |
| Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 116 km | 62 |
| Doha, Qatar | 381 km | 65 |
Questions about walking in Dubai
Is Dubai a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Dubai has a walkability score of 72 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 89. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 1st of 3 cities in the United Arab Emirates and joint 255th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in the United Arab Emirates?
Dubai is the most walkable of the 3 cities ranked in the United Arab Emirates, with a score of 72. Abu Dhabi is next, with 62.
How does Dubai compare with nearby cities?
Dubai is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 72, against Sharjah (61, 30 km away), Abu Dhabi (62, 116 km away) and Doha (65, 381 km away).
Which part of Dubai is most walkable?
Al Karama is Dubai's most walkable part, scoring 97 - the highest of its 17 ranked neighbourhoods. Its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, scores 89, and walkability averages 93 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, the city holds up best to the south-west (averaging 86) and falls most to the north (20).
What is the most walkable neighbourhood in Dubai?
Of the 17 Dubai neighbourhoods on How Walkable, the most walkable are Al Karama (97), Downtown Dubai (95) and Al Rigga (94). The least walkable is Arabian Ranches, with 30.
How is Dubai's walkability score calculated?
For Dubai it is the average of 69 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 48 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
Ask about walking anywhere in ChatGPT with the How Walkable app, for example "How walkable is Dubai?"