Dubai
TOP 5 PLACES TO VISIT IN DUBAI
1. See Dubai's Famed Cityscape at Burj Khalifa
Dubai's landmark building and major tourist attraction is the Burj Khalifa, which at 829.8 meters is the tallest building in the world and the most famous of the city's points of interest.
For most visitors, a trip to the observation deck on the 124th floor here is a must-do while in the city. The views across the city skyline from this bird's-eye perspective are simply staggering.
The slick observation deck experience includes a multimedia presentation on both Dubai and the building of the Burj Khalifa (completed in 2010) before a high-speed elevator whizzes you up to the observation deck for those 360-degree views out across the skyscrapers to the desert on one side and the ocean on the other.
Nighttime visits are particularly popular with photographers due to Dubai's famous city-lights panoramas.
Buy your Burj Khalifa "At the Top" Entrance Ticket in advance to avoid long line-ups, especially if you are planning to visit on a weekend.
Back on the ground, wrapping around the Burj Khalifa, are the gardens of Burj Park, with walkways dotted with modern art sculptures.
Burj Park is where you come to see the Dubai Fountain display on Burj Lake. Modeled on the famous Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, this is the world's tallest performing fountain, with water displays shooting up to 150 meters high into the air.
2. Visit an Underwater World at Dubai Aquarium
One of the city's top tourist attractions, the Dubai Aquarium houses 140 species of sea life in the huge suspended tank on the ground floor of the Dubai Mall.
Although there is free viewing from the mall, the highlight of a visit here is entering the Underwater Zoo, with its three-story high, 270-degree views along the length of the glass-panel tunnels.
As well as viewing the vast amount of marine life, the Dubai Aquarium offers plenty of aquatic experiences and things to do for visitors who want a close-up encounter with some of the aquarium's inhabitants, from hand-feeding eagle rays to diving with reef and tiger sharks.
Address: Dubai Mall, Sheikh Zayed Road
3. Soak Up the Sun at JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence) Beach
This long, wide strip of sandy white bliss is the number one beach destination for Dubai visitors.
Some of Dubai's most popular beach resorts are strung out all along its length, making this one of the most popular places to stay for visitors who want to make hitting the beach a major part of their Dubai stay.
The large public areas of the beach have excellent facilities, with plenty of sun loungers, restaurants, lifeguards patrolling the stretches designated for swimming, and water sports operators offering jet skiing, kayak rental, parasailing, and boat rides.
This is a safe beach choice for families traveling with tots, as the turquoise water of the Gulf lapping the shore is shallow and calm.
Address: Dubai Marina, Dubai
4. Head Out into the Desert
You don't have to travel far from Dubai's coastal skyline of skyscrapers to reach some of the UAE's desertscapes of rippling dunes.
Both the dune fields and desert of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and the orange-hued dunes of Maleha (actually in the Emirate of Sharjah) are within day-tripping distance of the city.
Desert adventure tours can combine a range of activities, from sandboarding, camel rides, and 4WD safaris to traditional Arabian falconry displays and desert dinners under the stars. There are also options for overnight camping under the stars.
The typical tour itinerary, giving visitors a taster of desert life, is easily slotted into even a short trip to Dubai, taking around six hours door to door, with a mid-afternoon departure from the city. This offers a half-day desert adventure and includes a camel ride, sandboarding lessons, a sunset barbecue, and a belly dancing show.
For a less rushed tour experience, choose one of the companies that operate inside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, where trips can include wildlife drives to spot the reserve's free-roaming herds of gazelles and, if you're lucky, Arabian oryx.
5. Walk through History in Al Fahidi Quarter (Old Dubai)
The Al Fahidi Quarter (previously known, and sometimes still referred to as the Bastakia neighborhood) was built in the late 19th century to be the home of wealthy Persian merchants who dealt mainly in pearls and textiles and were lured to Dubai because of the tax-free trading and access to Dubai Creek.
Al Fahidi occupies the eastern portion of Bur Dubai along the creek, and the coral and limestone buildings here, many with walls topped with wind-towers, have been excellently preserved.
Wind-towers provided the homes here with an early form of air conditioning - the wind trapped in the towers was funneled down into the houses. Persian merchants likely transplanted this architectural element (common in Iranian coastal houses) from their home country to the Gulf.
Lined with distinct Arabian architecture, the narrow lanes are highly evocative of a bygone, and much slower, age in Dubai's history.
Inside the district, you'll find the Majlis Gallery, with its collection of traditional Arab ceramics and furniture (housed in a wind-tower), and the Al Serkal Cultural Foundation with a shop, café, and rotating art exhibitions (located in one of the historic buildings).
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