Burj Al Arab
A Burj al Arab tour by boat is the longer end of this coast. The sail-shaped hotel stands on its own island off Jumeirah Beach, past the Palm and past Atlantis, which means only the ninety and hundred-minute listings from the Dubai Marina actually reach it. Seven boats here name it, from $24 to $149. This page says which ones go that far, and what the ride there is made of.
Quick answer
The short answer. The Burj Al Arab is the furthest of the four landmarks from the Dubai Marina, so a Burj al Arab tour by speedboat means a ninety-minute booking or longer. $24 is the least expensive that names it; our top pick is $40, ninety minutes covering Ain Dubai, the Palm, Atlantis and the Burj Al Arab at 4.8 across 11,719 reviews; and $43 is the hundred-minute version. Free cancellation applies to every listing on this site.
The sail
The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island a short way off Jumeirah Beach, shaped like a sail filling with wind, and it is oriented to be seen from the sea. From the beach you see it side-on and at an angle, across water you cannot cross. From a boat you come at it from the front, which is the view the shape was drawn for — and that, in one sentence, is the argument for a Burj al Arab tour.
Getting there is the whole difficulty. From the Dubai Marina a boat must clear the canal, pass JBR, pass Bluewaters with Ain Dubai on it, then run the entire outer arm of Palm Jumeirah to Atlantis before the coast opens again toward Jumeirah Beach and the hotel. That is why the sixty-minute listings on this site stop at Atlantis and why every listing that names the Burj Al Arab is ninety minutes or more.
Seven of the sixteen listings here name it. $40 has it in the title alongside the Marina, Atlantis and the Palm, and its highlights promise a guide explaining the landmarks and stops for photographs. $24 names it among the world-famous sights on its ninety-minute run. $43 carries it in the title with Atlantis. $26 sells it as part of the longer of its two options. $33 passes it at sunset. $149 names it on the self-drive route, and among the yachts $133 lists it with Dubai Marina, Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah and Ain Dubai.
Two honest notes. First, no listing on this site goes ashore or includes entry to the hotel: the boats pass, hold position for photographs and return to the Marina. Second, because the hotel is at the far end of the route, it usually arrives on the way back rather than at the midpoint — which is worth knowing if you are rationing camera battery or attention across ninety minutes.
The listings
Seven of the sixteen listings name the hotel. Five are speedboats built for this coastline, one is a self-drive SeaKart and one is a private yacht. Sorted by what each one is for.
The top pick. $40 is ninety minutes from the Dubai Marina along the coastline to Jumeirah Beach, and it is the only listing here that carries all four landmarks in its title. Its highlights name Dubai Eye, Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab, with a guide on board and stops built in for photographs. 4.8 across 11,719 reviews — more evidence than any other boat on the site has, and the reason it is our top pick.
The least expensive way there. $24 runs the same ninety minutes and names The Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab among its world-famous sights, with set departures from 9:00 to 19:45. 3,770 reviews at 4.7, and the lowest fare of any ninety-minute booking on this site.
The longest and highest-rated. $43 carries Atlantis and the Burj Al Arab in its title and runs a hundred minutes from the Dubai Marina Yacht Club through the key shore-line locations, with a limited number of passengers and a captain and hostess accompanying the whole tour. 4.9 across 202 reviews — the best rating on the site, from a smaller sample.
The flexible one. $26 asks you to choose: sixty minutes through the Marina, JBR and Ain Dubai, or ninety minutes featuring Atlantis and the Burj Al Arab. Only the longer option reaches the hotel, and that is the clearest illustration on this site of what the extra half hour buys. 827 reviews at 4.7, on a rigid inflatable boat with a live guide.
At sunset, and under your own hand. $33 glides past the Burj Al Arab and Atlantis with the Burj Khalifa visible inland, cruises the Palm and stops for photographs, with ice cream on board; 58 reviews at 4.8, the newest listing here. $149 names the Burj Al Arab on its self-drive route alongside The Palm, Royal Atlantis and the World Islands, with an instructor leading and photographing you. Among the yachts, $133 is the fifty-footer whose listing names the Burj Al Arab, Ain Dubai and Atlantis on an unhurried hour with a local guide and skipper.
Every trip, current fare
All sixteen tours on the site, speedboats first. The seven that name the hotel are $40, $24, $43, $26, $33, $149 and $133.
| Tour | Length | Price | What is included | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marina, Atlantis, Palm & Burj Al Arab Speedboat TourOur top pick — all four landmarks | 90 min | $40 | Marina, Ain Dubai, Palm, Atlantis, Burj Al Arab, photo stops | $26.67 | 4.8 · 11,719 |
| 1.5-Hour Atlantis Sightseeing Speedboat TourNinety minutes to Atlantis | 90 min | $24 | Marina departure, Palm Jumeirah, Atlantis, set departure times | $16.00 | 4.7 · 3,770 |
| Guided Sightseeing Tour by SpeedboatGuided RIB boat from the Marina | 99 min | $26 | RIB boat, Marina, Yacht Club, Palm, Atlantis, guide | $15.76 | 4.8 · 1,920 |
| Sightseeing Speedboat Tour with Live Tour GuideLive guide, 60 or 90 minutes | 90 min | $26 | RIB boat, live guide, 60 or 90 minutes, Palm Lagoon | $17.33 | 4.7 · 827 |
| 1-Hour Luxury Sightseeing Speedboat TourLowest fare on the site | 60 min | $20 | Marina, JBR, Ain Dubai, Atlantis, guide on board | $20.00 | 4.8 · 375 |
| 100-Min Speed Boat Tour, Atlantis & Burj Al Arab ViewThe longest speedboat run here | 100 min | $43 | Marina Yacht Club start, captain and hostess, photo stops | $25.80 | 4.9 · 202 |
| Guided Speedboat Tour with City Sights & Ice Cream.Sunset hour with ice cream | 60 min | $33 | Sunset run, Burj Al Arab, Atlantis, the Palm, ice cream | $33.00 | 4.8 · 58 |
| Luxury Yacht Tour with Breakfast or BBQ OptionMost reviewed listing on the site | 3 h | $25 | Yacht, guide, breakfast or BBQ, upper deck and lounge | $8.33 | 4.7 · 22,156 |
| Luxury Superyacht Tour with Live DJ, Swim & Open BarSuperyacht with a swim stop | 3 h | $126 | Superyacht, live DJ, swim stop, lunch or dinner, drinks | $42.00 | 4.8 · 4,054 |
| Private Self-Drive SeaKart Jet Ski Boat TourDrive it yourself | 30 min | $149 | Drive your own SeaKart, instructor leading, 30 to 120 min | $298.00 | 4.9 · 598 |
| Marina Private Luxury Yacht TourPrivate yacht, up to four hours | 4 h | $270 | Private yacht from the Marina, 2 or 3 hours, swim stop | $67.50 | 4.9 · 362 |
| Private Sea Escape Cruise - Swim, Tan & SightseePrivate, with a swim stop | 3 h | $150 | Private cruise, JBR, Ain Dubai, Atlantis, swim stop | $50.00 | 4.9 · 660 |
| Private Yacht Cruise for Unforgettable MemoriesPrivate yacht at sunset | 60 min | $153 | Private yacht, sunset skyline, water and music on board | $153.00 | 5.0 · 619 |
| Private Luxury Everest Yacht Cruise from Dubai MarinaPrivate, up to eight hours | 8 h | $170 | Private yacht and skipper, sundeck, swim stop, World Islands | $21.25 | 4.7 · 519 |
| Marina Private Boat Tour & Palm Jumeirah SightseeingPrivate boat around the Palm | 60 min | $196 | Private boat, Palm Jumeirah, Ain Dubai, three tour lengths | $196.00 | 4.7 · 802 |
| Private Luxury Yacht Tour on a 50-Foot YachtPrivate 50-foot yacht | 60 min | $133 | 50-foot yacht, local guide and skipper, drink on board | $133.00 | 4.9 · 765 |
The verdict
Seven listings, one hotel, and the only real variable is how much coast you cover on the way to it.
If you want all four landmarks in one ride, book $40. Ninety minutes, a guide, photo stops, and the Marina, Atlantis, the Palm and the Burj Al Arab named in the listing. 4.8 across 11,719 reviews. It is our top pick and the booking that leaves least out of this coastline.
If the fare decides it, book $24. The same ninety minutes at the lowest fare of any ninety-minute listing here, with the Burj Al Arab and The Palm Jumeirah both named, and the widest choice of departure times on the site. 3,770 reviews at 4.7.
If you want the most time on the water, book $43. A hundred minutes, a limited number of passengers, a captain and hostess, and the highest rating of the seven at 4.9 — from 202 reviews, which is a smaller sample than our top pick and worth saying out loud.
If you are going at the end of the day, book $33. An hour built around sunset that passes the Burj Al Arab and Atlantis, cruises the Palm and takes in the Burj Khalifa from the sea. It is the newest listing on the site at 58 reviews, rated 4.8.
If you want your own boat, book $149 or $133. The first is a private self-drive SeaKart with an instructor leading, four lengths from thirty to a hundred and twenty minutes, at 4.9 across 598 reviews. The second is an unhurried private hour on a fifty-foot yacht with a local guide and skipper, at 4.9 across 765 reviews. Two entirely different hours on the same water.
The distance
The hotel is the furthest of the four landmarks from the Marina pier, which is the one fact that shapes every Burj al Arab tour on this site. This is what stands between them.
| Leg | Roughly | What happens | Which boats |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Marina canalidle speed both ways | First minutes | Towers, the Yacht Club, and the briefing before the boat reaches open water | All seven listings |
| JBR and Bluewatersthe coast opens | Minutes 5–15 | Jumeirah Beach Residence, then Ain Dubai standing over Bluewaters Island | $26, $40 |
| The whole outer arm of the Palmthe long stretch | The middle of the ride | Minutes alongside the island — the reason a sixty-minute booking cannot get to the hotel | $24, $43 |
| Atlantis and Royal Atlantisthe head of the Palm | Around the turn | The two hotels, and a photo stop on most listings | All seven listings |
| Out toward Jumeirah Beachthe last leg out | The far end of the route | Open coast, with the sail coming up ahead | $40, $33, $149 |
| The Burj Al Arabon its own island | The furthest point | The front of the hotel from the water, and the photographs everyone comes back with | All seven listings |
| Back to the pierthe Marina again | The way home | Which is why every listing that reaches it is booked at 90 minutes or more | All seven listings |
Book direct
Four ways to book a Burj al Arab tour: the top pick with all four landmarks, the least expensive ninety minutes, the longest run on the site, and the sunset hour.
★ 4.8 · 11,719 reviews
★ 4.7 · 3,770 reviews
★ 4.9 · 202 reviews
★ 4.8 · 58 reviews
When to go
The hotel faces the open sea to the west, so the hour you book a Burj al Arab tour changes the photographs more than the choice of boat does.
Morning
The 9:00 departures on $24 and the morning runs of $40. Usually the calmest water of the day and a clear white front on the building.
Midday
Strong overhead light and vivid water. This is when the largest number of shared departures run, so it is the easiest slot to get.
Late afternoon
The sun comes in from the sea side, straight onto the front of the hotel. Most ninety-minute listings have a departure in this window, including $40 and $43.
Sunset
$33 is built around it, and $24 has a 19:45 departure. Among the private boats, $153 is the sunset yacht, rated 5.0 across 619 reviews.
Mistakes
All of them come from underestimating how far out the hotel is, and how much of a Burj al Arab tour is spent simply getting there.
The hour-long listings are built around the Marina, JBR, Ain Dubai and Atlantis. Only $33 reaches the Burj Al Arab inside an hour, and it does it at sunset as its whole purpose.
No listing on this site goes ashore or includes entry. The boats hold position on the water for photographs and turn for home.
It is not closer. $133 names the hotel and cruises an unhurried hour; it sees the same water from a calmer deck.
Two listings carry the hotel in the title. Five more name it in the highlights, and that is where the actual route is described.
Overhead light flattens the sail. Late afternoon and sunset are the two windows people come back happiest from, and both are bookable here.
Checklist
One minute with the listing, and the booking is settled.
Seven of the sixteen reach the hotel. If the Burj Al Arab is the reason you are going out, it should be in the title or the highlights.
Anything shorter turns around at Atlantis, with the single sunset exception of $33.
$24 runs from 9:00 to 19:45, the widest range on the site. The light on the front of the sail is a different photograph at each end of that.
Shown on the booking page for every listing here, and worth having on a ride booked for a particular hour of light.
The hotel is the furthest landmark from the Marina, so ninety minutes is the honest minimum. Our top pick is $40 at 4.8 across 11,719 reviews; the least expensive ninety minutes is $24.
Compare all eight boats→Common questions
From $24 for ninety minutes that names the hotel among its world-famous sights. Our top pick $40 covers it alongside the Palm, Atlantis and Ain Dubai, and $43 is the hundred-minute version at the highest rating on the site.
Yes, and from the front — which is the angle the building was designed to be seen from and the one the beach cannot give you. The hotel stands on its own island off Jumeirah Beach and the boats approach it across open water, holding position for photographs before turning back.
Ninety minutes on the shared speedboats, which is the honest minimum for a Burj al Arab tour from the Marina. The hotel is past the Palm and past Atlantis, so an hour is not enough to get there and back — the one exception is $33, the sunset hour built around it.
None of the sixteen listings on this site goes ashore or includes entry to the hotel. What they include is the approach, a photo stop on the water and the run back to the Dubai Marina.
$40 at 4.8 across 11,719 reviews is the most reviewed boat that reaches the hotel. On rating alone $43 and $149 both hold 4.9, across 202 and 598 reviews.
Late afternoon and sunset. The hotel faces the sea to the west, so the light comes in on the front of the sail at the end of the day. $24 runs as late as 19:45 and $33 is the sunset listing.
Go deeper
Every boat that leaves the Marina, and what each route covers.
The PalmWhat the Palm looks like from the water, and which tours circle it.
AtlantisHow close the boats get to Atlantis The Palm, and for how long.
90 minutesWhat fits into an hour and a half on the water, stop by stop.
Private boatsYour own boat and skipper: what changes, and what it costs.
SunsetThe last departures of the day and what the light does to the skyline.
Marina, Atlantis, Palm & Burj Al Arab Speedboat Tour
★ 4.8 · 11,719 reviews · Free cancellation 24 h