You are wondering what to do in Dubai? You’d like to know what are the greatest places to visit in Dubai? Do not move, you have found the right place! Let us guide you for a complete tour of Dubai, a beautiful city in the United Arab Emirates next to Abu Dhabi.
As you know, we have been recently in Dubai. This place has quickly become a top spot for tourism and business. So there are a lot of things to see and activities to do in Dubai! We have compiled here our top list of activities to do while traveling to Dubai. We have been in all the points of interest listed here so you can trust that those deserve a visit!
Visit Burj Khalifa, the highest tower in the world!
The Burj Khalifa, next to the Dubai Mall, is the highest tower in the world (as of today). Opened in Dubai in 2010, it reaches the height of 828 meters which 2.5 times the height of the Eiffel Tower. Located between Jumeirah areas and Dubai old city center, the building was featured in Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise. 12.000 workers have participated in the construction work. It includes 160 levels with a luxury hotel (Armani), private residences and business offices.
You have two options to visit the Burj Khalifa : the regular one at the level 124 (At the Top, 456 meters) and the VIP one at the level 148 (At the top Sky, 555 meters). We did the VIP one and it is worth the extra money. During prime hours (afternoon and sunset), it costs 500 AED (120 €) for the VIP versus 200 AED (50 €) for the regular one. Here is what you get with the VIP access versus the regular one :
- You get higher (555 m vs 456 m)
- You never really wait to get to the top, this is a fast pass access while with the regular access, you will wait for the security check, before the elevator access and same to get back to the basement. Overall, according to me, you probably save between 20 minutes and 1 hour of waiting queue.
- You can wait seated in a comfortable lounge before your access time.
- At the 148th floor, you can have a drink with some sweets.
From my point of view, the higher viewpoint and the fast pass are really key advantages. You will probably have walked for hours through the Dubai Mall before getting to the Burj Khalifa as those are collocated. So you don’t really want to wait for long minutes to get to the top. You want to make it smooth and memorable. This experience is so unique that you need to enjoy it end to end!
Don’t be afraid of the elevators. It is pretty quick (2 minutes to get to the top) and you don’t really feel the speed. Same for the vertigo, it is so high and unusual that you feel more like being in a plane than high in a building so you won’t really feel the vertigo. It is quite unreal… From there, you can see Dubai World, The Palm and the desert sand dunes not far away.
So to summarize, get to the top of the Burj Khalifa is an unavoidable activity while visiting Dubai. Then, if you want to sleep at the Burj Khalifa, this is possible at the Armani Hotel Dubai, the only hotel located in the Burj Khalifa.
Go shopping at the Dubai mall
Dubai Mall is the largest mall in UAE since it spans over 800,000 sqm (8,611,000 sqft) and has more than 1,200 shops! So this is the place to go if you want to go shopping in Dubai. You’ll find all the major international fashion brands but also more local products. If you like shopping, you can easily spend a whole day as that’s a very large mall. Beyond the shopping, there are many attractions in Dubai mall : Burj Khalifa, Olympic skating rink and also a giant aquarium. If you need help to find your way, go see our list of gifts to bring back from Dubai!
Marvel at Dubai mall fountains
Next to the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa, you can see the Burj Khalifa lake. The Dubai fountains are similar to the Bellagio Las Vegas famous fountains. The water jets are synchronized with the music thus creating a nice water show experience. The water jets go up to 150 meters (which is the equivalent of 50 floors building).
The water shows are played in the afternoon and in the evening (every 30 minutes from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM).
There are few restaurants and bars around the lake. The best view point over the fountains is probably offered by the bar at the first level of the Dubai Mall.
If you like, you can also perform a lake ride in a small boat through the Burj Khalifa lake.
Buy gold at the Gold souk
Dubai is well known for being a central place for the business of Gold. Even if you aren’t ready to buy anything, you need to stroll through the streets of the traditional Gold souk, located in the Deira district, just to have a look. It is really something to do in Dubai. You’ll hardly find any place in the world with so much gold concentrated in a small place. There, most of the gold jewels price is set based on their weight and the current Gold rate per ounce. Still, you have a margin to negotiate so you can make good deals there. Also, keep in mind that you can find different gold carats in Dubai, this makes a price difference in the end (and also a difference in the level of gold purity).
While you go through the streets of the Gold souk, some people will engage you to try to sell you watches, bags and tee-shirts. All those are fakes so you’d better avoid them.
Another place where you can buy gold and jewels is the Gold and Diamond Park, not far from the Mall of Emirates. This market looks less traditional and more common but still you can find there really nice jewels.
Enter into the Burj Al Arab, most luxurious hotel in the world
The seven star hotel is a must see in Dubai! But you need to know that it isn’t the kind of hotel that you get into just to visit it. By default, only guests with a confirmed booking can enter into it. The issue is that the booking starts at approximately 1.500 € per night. Then, you can also get there if you want to have a drink or a lunch at the restaurant but you’ll need to book. Some said that if you are staying at the nearby Jumeirah properties, they organize free tours but we haven’t verified that. In any case, if you have the opportunity, this is something to do.
The Burj Al Arab is one of the most luxurious hotels in the world and one of those key attractions that made Dubai a renowned place.
Romantic Dubai boat trip at Madinat Jumeirah
Next to the Burj Al Arab, you will find the Madinat Jumeirah, another Jumeirah resort. This one is special because the resort is surrounded by a lot of waterways. Boats are available to allow you to go between the multiple areas. You can take place in an Abra (taxi boat) for a romantic boat trip through the waterways of this stunning resort in Dubai. There is also a traditional mall next to the resort.
Skiing at Ski Dubai in the Mall of Emirates
Located inside the Mall of Emirates, Ski Dubai is the only place in the area where you can practice skiing! We really enjoyed it. The ski slope isn’t very long as it is indoor but still very pleasant. It takes approximately 1 minute to ski down the slope.
For 50 €, you can practice ski during 2 hours and 75 € for the whole day. All the required equipment is included except the hat and the gloves. Those can’t be rented so I suggest you to bring yours as it is a bit cold inside, a huge difference with Dubai hot outdoor temperatures…
I found Ski Dubai very well organized. From the entrance to ski slope, you can get your equipment and prepare yourself in less than 30 minutes. Then, it isn’t really crowded and the snow quality is very good, without any patch of ice. So we enjoyed it. And if you are new to skiing, you can take a lesson there or just enjoy a ride with the chairlift as a lot of people are doing…
Refresh and swim at Aquaventure Waterpark
The Aquaventure Waterpark is located inside the Atlantis resort at The Palm in Dubai. We have been to it and again, I found this one well organized if you compare it to others water parks in the world. First, the locker system is very modern. It doesn’t require a key which is quite convenient and safe when you are in a water park. Then, we never really had to wait to enjoy an attraction.
All the outdoor areas of the Aquaventure Waterpark are well decorated with trees and flowers. The park is very large with multiple pools so that you can easily find a deck chair to rest.
There is a good diversity of attractions to meet all expectations. I suggest you to try one at the Tower of Neptune where you go through a dark tube and then end up in the shark lagoon where you can observe all the sharks and manta rays around you, really nice experience! Another one, the rapids last for a long time and allow relaxing in a river with fluctuating flows.
It is also worth mentioning that you can meet with dolphins. I haven’t tried it but it should be fun.
The day pass costs approximately 60 €. The access is complimentary for guests staying at the Atlantis The Palm hotel.
Pamper yourself at the Talise Ottoman Spa of the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray
The Talise Ottoman Spa of the Zabeel Saray received a lot of spa awards and we quickly understood why when we have discovered it. It is really different from the others spas, so luxurious, spacious and refined.
Here, you have a spa for ladies and another for gentlemen. Both includes all the services you could imagine and even more! The regular ones are there : Turkish hammam, jacuzzi, indoor swimming pool and sauna. But you also have some less common : sensory shower, snow room (yes a room filled with snow), hydrotherapy rooms and steam room.
All the decoration echoes the Ottoman style and is really luxurious. It is really the paradise of relaxation.
The access is complimentary for Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel guests. Day pass can be bought by external guests.
Dine at the Japanese restaurant Nobu at the Atlantis
Nobu is a success story. The renowned Chef has opened several restaurants in top places around the world such as Monaco or Las Vegas. In Dubai, the Nobu restaurant is located in the Atlantis resort. After our nice experience of the Nobu at the Fairmont Monte Carlo, we really wanted to try the Nobu at the Atlantis resort in Dubai.
We haven’t been disappointed. This was a fantastic Japanese culinary journey! Black cod, sushi, sashimi, all the classics are there to delight the gourmets. The decoration of the Nobu Dubai is really nice and refined, made of wood tones. And the service is as always for Nobu, top notch!
We strongly recommend trying the tasting menu. It costs a bit more than 100 € but it is worth the value and allows to discover all the Nobu classics.
Taste refined meals at Lalezar Turkish restaurant of the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray
Lalezar is the Turkish restaurant of the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel, located on The Palm. Everything is perfect there : nice setting, excellent service and very tasty food.
First, the decoration evokes the Ottoman period. It is really refined with a lot of hand painted details and nice alcoves with comfortable sofas where you will enjoy a dinner in a peaceful atmosphere.
Then, we had very good recommendations from the staff. It is really friendly and always makes sure that you are fully satisfied with your meal. We had tried the mezzes assortment and the mixed grill. Both were really delicious with generous quantity!
For a nice dinner at Lalezar, you will be charged around 50-60 € per guest.
Have a drink at Jetty Lounge at the One&Only Royal Mirage
Another Dubai can be experienced by night. If you want to get out in Dubai, the Jetty Lounge of the Royal Mirage Dubai is a beach bar where you can have a drink while enjoying the view over the sea, Dubai Marina and The Palm. It is located on the private beach of the Royal Mirage resort where we had a nice stay, next to Dubai Internet City and Dubai Pearl.
The Jetty Lounge is a perfect place to get together with friends or colleagues to have a drink while listening to lounge music. This is a nice place to go out in Dubai.
The perfect schedule of best things to do while visiting Dubai
We have spent a lot of time planning our visits before going to Dubai. So I thought I would share with you what activities to perform grouped by day based on their locations. The idea is that every day, you go to an area and you perform all activities within this area. In the below schedule, the activities listed for a day are maximum within 20 minutes from each other. As you can see, a lot of those activities are taking place in Dubai luxury hotels. So, you could organize yourself like this to visit Dubai in 5 days :
- Day 1 : Ski Dubai (2 hours), Mall of Emirates (3 hours), Gold and Diamond Park (1 hour)
- Day 2 : Madinat Jumeirah (1 hour), Burj Al Arab (3 hours)
- Day 3 : Dubai Mall (3 hours), Burj Khalifa (2 hours), Dubai Mall Fountains (1 hour), Gold Souk (1 hour)
- Day 4 : Aquaventure Waterpark (4 hours), Nobu (2 hours), Jetty Lounge (2 hours)
- Day 5 : Talise Ottoman Spa (3 hours), Lalezar (2 hours)
That’s it, I hope this list of activities to discover will be useful for you when you will get ready to visit Dubai.
Address details
The Palm Jumeirah
27722 Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone number : +971.4.453.0000
Jumeirah Beach Road,opp Dubai Media City
37252 Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone number : +971.4.399.9999
Downtown Dubai, Near Buj Khalifa
113444 Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone number : +971.800.382246255
24 D85 Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Sheik Zayed Road
37370 Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone number : +971.4.362.7777
Jumeirah 3
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone number : +971.4.301.7777
Downtown Dubai
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Phone number : +971.4.888.3888