Boardwalk at The Palm Jumeirah opens to public

Tourists and locals take to the Boardwalk on The Palm Jumeirah, which opened on Monday in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

In what will undoubtedly become one of the world’s great seaside promenades, developer Nakheel on Monday unveiled the 11-kilometre Boardwalk at The Palm Jumeirah to rave reviews from tourists and locals alike.

DUBAI // The Dh150 million Boardwalk at The Palm Jumeirah has officially opened.

Stretching 11 kilometres – the length of the manmade island’s crescent – from the One&Only The Palm hotel on the western edge to the Rixos hotel on the eastern side, passing by The Atlantis, the walkway provides stunning views of the Arabian Gulf, Dubai and the marina. It also features several food vans.

Developer Nakheel hopes it will become popular with tourists and residents alike to enjoy a leisurely walk or run along the edges of the Gulf.

“We are very excited about this project because it will give residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy their leisure time in an area that is safe and attractive,” said Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah.

“The boardwalk is another shining example of how we use creative thinking and innovative engineering to bring more facilities and attractions to Palm Jumeirah.”

Currently, there are five food vans along the walkway with room for 30 in total.

“We have five more concession trucks in the pipeline and hopefully by the end of the year we will get many more,” Mr Lootah said.

Motorists can park in one of the 350 free bays running almost the length of the boardwalk, the second such walkway to open in the city.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, opened the 12km Dubai Canal waterfront promenade two weeks ago.

“It’s already proving a popular spot for jogging, walking and sightseeing. We’re expecting many more visitors as the peak tourist season gets under way,” Mr Lootah said of the Boardwalk.

The new walk’s six-metre-wide promenade was built out over the rocks of the island’s protective breakwater. Although it is large enough, cyclists are not permitted.

Future developments planned for the island include a 1.6km promenade on the Palm’s west beach and promenades along the length either side of the main trunk.

On Monday, curious tourists took the opportunity to check out the boardwalk.

“It’s a very nice area and I can see it becoming very busy in the evenings,” said American Jeff Collins. “I don’t think I’ll be able to walk the full distance but the food trucks have seating areas and it’s a nice place to look out at the sea.”

A few visitors decided to walk the entire boardwalk.

“It’s pretty hot this morning but we felt we should give the full walk a try,” said Canadian Amit Rahul, out walking with his wife Preeti. The Canadian couple were in town visiting family.

“It took us about three and a half hours but we were walking and kept stopping to take photos,” said Mr Rahul.

“It’s really nice but I think they should add some more seating because you can get tired quite quickly, especially when it’s hot.

“It’s good that Dubai is becoming more friendly for walkers because it can get a little frustrating if you can only get to places in a car.”

Palm Jumeirah resident Mustafa Ali welcomed the new addition. “Before we only had Al Ittihad Park as a public open space but now it’s great we’re getting this,” said the Tunisian.

“One thing that I would like to see added is some covering of some kind to provide shade. During the summer months that would be a big help and would encourage people to use it when it’s much hotter.”