We’ve heard it a million times before. Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates known for luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture, hoteling, and a lively nightlife scene. Dubai is one of the most beautiful and amazing cities in the world to visit, but what really makes it that way? What are all those top-rated tourist attractions that people always say you have to see when you come here? These are great questions, so I’m going to try and give as many answers as possible in this article.
1. Cityscape at Burj Khalifa
Dubai’s most famous attraction has to be the world’s tallest building, but that really isn’t what makes it so special. It is actually the cityscape view from the top of the Burj Khalifa that people marvel at. You can see for miles in all directions from to top, and the view is fantastic. The ticket costs about 10€ but it’s really worth seeing at least once in your life.
2. Dubai Mall
The world’s largest shopping center probably doesn’t need an introduction, since everyone knows what a mall is! I’m going to spend a little bit more time trying to explain why this one is so popular though. There are some restaurants which offer the best food. Restaurants serving Turkish in Dubai Mall. The Bosporus, authentic Turkish cuisine, bringing Turkish food to you, look no further than the Best Turkish restaurant in Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall has over 1200 stores, 70+ restaurants, you can go ice skating there in the winter (that’s cool), and it also has an aquarium that shows up on all kinds of top 10 lists. To top it all off, you can take a ride in the world’s biggest observation wheel called the Dubai Eye.
3. Dubai Museum
The city has so much history, and they try to preserve it in at least a few different ways, but the most popular one is definitely the Dubai Museum. There you can see everything from very old traditional living quarters to more modern buildings that house some of the world’s best known brands like the Burj Al Arab.
4. Al Fahidi Quarter
The old part of Dubai might just be the best attraction in the city because it’s so different from everything else here. There are no skyscrapers, bridges, or glass domes there. It’s just a small town located right on the water next to all the boats that go to Iran. It’s very easy to get lost in the maze of alleys and windy roads here while losing track of time, but it’s worth every single minute you spend there.
5. Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum House
The house is said to be visited by over 100,000 people per year (wow). It’s actually the oldest part of Dubai since at the time it was just a small fishing village. Today it is preserved in almost perfect condition and has become the most popular museum in the entire city.
6. Maritime Heritage at Dubai Creek & Al Seef District
The maritime heritage of Dubai is interesting to anyone interested in history (which should be pretty much everyone). It dates all the way back to the Abbasid and Ottoman periods and is centered around Dubai Creek. To get a better idea of what I’m talking about, check out this short video:
7. Tour Jumeirah Mosque
This mosque is known as one of the best examples of Islamic architecture in the city, and it offers spectacular views of the Burj al-Arab from its higher levels.
8. Souks of Deira
The old souk is one of the few places in Dubai where you can really feel like you’re back in time. You can buy pretty much anything there, including gold, spices, clothes, shoes, etc. It’s an experience that really shouldn’t be missed.
9. Dubai Frame
The Dubai Frame is said to become one of the city’s new popular tourist attractions (and landmarks) due to its particularly unique design and location. It has a very modern feel, but it seems like it blends in perfectly with all the other skyscrapers nearby.
Here’s a picture of it, so that you can see for yourself:
10. Sheikh Zayed Road
Last but not least is one of Dubai’s busiest highways (or roads). It seems like everyone takes it daily to get from one place to another and I can’t blame them, since it has all the right connections and everything. But it’s also used for all kinds of other events. For example, every year there is an amazing firework show held on it that can be watched from anywhere in the city.
And this concludes my article about the top 10 tourist attractions and things to do in Dubai. I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!