Places to visit in Dubai
11 places most Dubai trips are built around, in the order a first visit usually takes them. Five days covers the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall and fountains, the old souks on the creek, a desert safari and a day on the Marina; six days adds the Museum of the Future or Aquaventure; seven or eight days fits Abu Dhabi, the Grand Mosque and Ferrari World without a rushed day.
- Burj Khalifa: The tallest building in the world; the At the Top decks on the 124th and 148th floors are timed tickets, and sunset slots sell out first.
- Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountain: The mall at the foot of the Burj, with the aquarium inside and the fountain show on the lake outside every evening after dark, free to watch from the promenade.
- Desert safari: An afternoon of dune bashing in a 4x4, a camel ride and sunset over the sand, then dinner and a show at a desert camp; on almost every plan here.
- Dubai Marina and JBR: The high-rise waterfront with the Marina walk, the JBR beach and Ain Dubai, the giant observation wheel on Bluewaters Island.
- Palm Jumeirah and Atlantis: The palm-shaped island reached by monorail, with Aquaventure waterpark and the Lost Chambers aquarium at Atlantis on its crown.
- Museum of the Future: The torus-shaped building on Sheikh Zayed Road, a walk through the next fifty years; timed tickets that sell out days ahead in season.
- Dubai Frame: A 150-metre picture frame in Zabeel Park with a glass-floored walkway on top, looking at old Dubai on one side and the new city on the other.
- Old Dubai: the creek, the souks and Al Fahidi: An abra boat across the creek for one dirham, the gold and spice souks in Deira, and the wind-tower lanes of the Al Fahidi historic district.
- Global Village: The open-air fair of country pavilions, food and shows on the city's edge; it runs only in the cooler months, roughly October to April, and closes for the summer.
- Miracle Garden: A garden of flower sculptures in Dubailand, open in season only, roughly November to April.
- Abu Dhabi day trip: Ninety minutes down the coast: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World on Yas Island, usually done in one long day.
