Places to Visit in Dubai | Best Districts for Souks, Shopping & Theme Parks

Dubai has become a tourism center in recent decades thanks to its unique blend of old world charm and modern luxury. Places to visit in Dubai include centuries-old souqs and the slopes at Ski Dubai, the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort. Whether you plan to spend most of your time enjoying the urban delights of Downtown Dubai or you prefer to keep your your toes in the sand near Palm Jumeirah, you will find plenty places to visit as you explore Dubai.

Places to Visit in Dubai | Dubai Creek

Dubai Creek is a saltwater inlet that separates two of the city’s most-frequented districts, Deira and Bur Dubai. Tourists and locals alike often travel from one district to the other by crossing the creek in abras, or water taxis. These open-air boats hold up to 20 passengers, and a one-way trip costs just one dirham. Those who prefer a more leisurely exploration of Dubai Creek can book a cruise on a dhow, a traditional wooden sailing vessel. On a dhow cruise, you’ll be able to admire many of Dubai’s most iconic sites from the water. Many dhow cruises also offer multi-course dinners and onboard entertainment. Read on for more ideas for a fun-filled day in the Dubai Creek region.

Traditional Souks

The area around the creek is the oldest part of Dubai, and it is still home to many traditional souks, which provide a lovely contrast to the high-end, flashy malls that can be found in other parts of the city. The souks on the Bur Dubai side of the creek are known for their textile and spice vendors. In the textile souk, visitors will find a rainbow of fabrics in every color and pattern imaginable. Alongside the textile shops are tailors where you can bring your just-purchased fabric and commission custom-made clothing. There are also plenty of souvenir shops with the usual fare of “Aladdin shoes” and miniature statues of Burj Khalifa.

On the other side of the creek is the most famous of Dubai’s markets, the Gold Souk in Deira. Here, visitors will find stalls selling gold, silver, and precious jewels in the same place that merchants have hawked their wares for over a century. The open-air market is a great place to find a special souvenir, and there are plenty of bargains to be found for those who are willing to haggle. All of the retailers in Deira Gold Souk are closely regulated by the government, so shoppers can be confident in the quality and authenticity of everything sold inside. The same cannot be said of the street vendors who set up outside the souk, but with over 300 vendors to choose from, visitors should have no trouble finding something wonderful inside the market. The market is open from every day from 10am to 10pm except for Fridays when it opens at 4pm. Some vendors also close between 1pm and 4pm, so consider avoiding visiting in that window.

Old Dubai

Visitors who want to get a sense of the history of the area should make time to visit Dubai Museum and the larger Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood in which it is located. Visitors to the museum and Al Fahidi Fort will come away with a rich understanding of Dubai‘s evolution from small trading port to modern metropolis. It is also an excellent place to sample local dishes and authentic teas at spots like Arabian Tea House.

The historical neighborhood offers visitors a glimpse of what life was like in Dubai in the mid-19th century, and the museum does an excellent job of explaining how the city’s current modernism is deeply rooted in old Dubai. The museum is open from 8:30am to 8:30pm from Saturday through Thursday and from 2:30pm to 8:30pm on Fridays. Admission is AED 3 for adults and AED 1 for children under six.

Five More Places to Visit in Dubai Near Dubai Creek

• Admire the mangroves and flamingos at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary
• Play a round at Dubai Creek Golf Yacht Club
• Enjoy the sunset from the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel Towers
• Get up close and personal with Flipper at the Dubai Dolphinarium
• Go for a stroll in Creek Park

Check In to City Seasons Towers Hotel, Step Out to Dubai Creek

FIND & BOOK A HOTEL IN DUBAI TODAY

Places to Visit in Dubai | Downtown

Downtown Dubai is the city’s tourism center and home to many of Dubai’s most iconic attractions. Many visitors choose to book hotels in the downtown area since it is packed with restaurants and shops and close to many of the city’s most popular attractions. Downtown Dubai also boasts excellent public transportation, including the world’s first hydrogen-powered trolley, which travels up and down Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, a 3.5-kilometer restaurant-lined road. Once you’ve had a ride on the zero-emissions trolley and grabbed a bite to eat, check out these other highlights of Downtown Dubai.

Marvel at Burj Khalifa

At 160 floors and 828 meters tall, Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building and Dubai’s most iconic landmark. The massive structure was completed in 2009 as part of a government effort to diversify the economy through an expanded focus on tourism. By all accounts, the strategy seems to have worked. The skyscraper has appeared in numerous films, music videos, and video games, and visitors from around the world come to marvel at this feat of architectural engineering.

Burj Khalifa is a multi-use building that includes office space and residential floors as well as a hotel, a restaurant, and a public observation deck. Visitors who want the experience of spending the night in this world record-setting building can book a room at Armani Hotel Dubai, which occupies the entire 39th floor. Every guest of this luxury hotel gets the VIP treatment, which includes a personal butler. If a stay at the Armani Hotel is not in the cards, visitors can get a taste of the Burj Khalifa experience by making a reservation at At.mosphere, the world’s highest skyscraper restaurant. Located on the 122nd floor, At.mosphere offers fine dining with striking city views through its floor-to-ceiling windows.

For those who don’t plan to stay or dine at Burj Khalifa, there are a few more options for getting inside to check out the views. Visitors can buy tickets to visit The Lounge, which occupies floors 152 to 154, for breakfast, afternoon tea, or evening cocktails. Tickets for breakfast and tea cost AED 618, and tickets for evening champagne or cocktails cost AED 667. A less expensive option is to buy tickets for a visit to the observation decks on the 124th and 125th floors. Those tickets begin at AED 149 for adults and AED 114 for children. Burj Khalifa opens at 9am and closes at 11pm, but be advised that the last entry is 45 minutes before close. It is a good idea to book tickets well ahead of your visit in order to get your preferred day and time.

Watch a performance of The Dubai Fountain

Set in a 12-hectare man-made lake, The Dubai Fountain was designed by the company responsible for the famous Bellagio fountains, but Dubai‘s version puts Vegas to shame. The 275-meter-long fountain is lit by over 6,500 lights and shoots water over 152 meters in the air as a mix of classical and modern world music plays.

There are plenty of spots around the lake from which to view the fountain performances, which take place twice each day and every half hour beginning at 6pm. There is no charge to find a spot along the lake from which to watch the show, but visitors who want to guarantee a fabulous view can buy a ticket for AED 20 that will allow them to enjoy the show from a floating platform in the lake that gets them within ten meters of the fountains. Visitors also have the option of watching the show from an abra during a 30-minute cruise around the lake. Tickets cost AED 65, and each abra seats six people.

Shop ’til you drop at the Dubai Mall

There’s a reason that people come from all over the world to shop in Dubai. The city’s reputation for glamorous boutiques, massive malls, and abundance of luxury retailers attracts tens of millions of shopaholics every year. The Dubai Mall alone welcomes 80 million visitors annually. Located near Burj Khalifa in Downtown Dubai, the sprawling retail complex is more of a theme park than a traditional mall. Occupying more than 500,000 square meters, the Dubai Mall boasts over 1,300 retailers and more than 200 food and beverage options. The mall is anchored by two department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdales. Other stores include internationally recognized luxury brands like Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Christian Louboutin as well as more accessible brands like Gap, H&M, and Nike. There are also electronics stores like Bose and home goods shops like Crate and Barrel.

In addition to the seemingly endless shopping options, the Dubai Mall is also home to some of the city’s most exciting attractions. Visitors looking for an escape from the desert heat can strap on some skates and take a spin around the Dubai Ice Rink on the mall’s ground floor. On the second floor, visitors will find the Dubai Aquarium Underwater Zoo, where they can shake hands with an otter or feed a shark. The second floor of the Dubai Mall is also home to Hysteria, a high-tech haunted house that is not for the faint-hearted. Other entertainment options within the mall include a movie theater, an interactive, child-sized city called KidZania, a virtual reality gaming center, and Ekart Zabeel, an indoor go-kart track.

The mall is easily accessed using public transportation. The nearest metro stop is the Burj Khalifa Metro Station, which is a short walk from the the Dubai Mall. The Metro Link Bridge is a glass-enclosed moving walkway that connects the metro station directly to the mall, making it a breeze to get back and forth. The mall opens at 10am every day and closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, it remains open until 1am.

Five More Places to Visit in Dubai

• Enjoy a performance at the Dubai Opera
• Get a massage at the spa in the Armani Hotel on the third floor of Burj Khalifa
• Take in the views from Burj Park
• Check out thrill arcade games and rides at Sega Republic
• Grab a cocktail at the rooftop bar on the 63rd floor of Address Downtown

Check In to Palace Downtown, Step Out to Downtown Dubai

FIND & BOOK A HOTEL IN DUBAI TODAY

Places to Visit in Dubai | Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah is the palm tree-shaped, manmade archipelago that is the place to go for seaside fun and glamor. With a nearly five-kilometer-long “trunk” and palm fronds that are up to 11-kilometers long, the sprawling landmass can be seen from space.

Palm Jumeirah is packed with luxury hotels, the most famous of which is Atlantis the Palm Dubai. The area is also full of water parks and activities that take advantage of the mild Arabian Sea. Visitors will also find no shortage of beachfront bars from which to watch the sunset, but the main attraction is definitely Atlantis.

Explore Atlantis

Situated at the apex of the palm, Atlantis rivals Burj Khalifa as the regions most recognizable landmark. Inspired by the legend of the same name, Atlantis was the first hotel to be built on Palm Jumeirah. In the years since, it was been featured in countless TV shows and films. More than just a five-star hotel, Atlantis is a destination in itself.

Even visitors who aren’t staying at the hotel may want to visit Atlantis, the Palm Dubai to take advantage of its exciting attractions. Aquaventure Waterpark is located on the hotel property and boasts over 30 waterslides and rides, a Lazy River, and 500 meters of private beach. A single-day pass to the water park, which includes access to the Surf’s Up wave rider, is AED 269 for adults and AED 225 for children who are 1.2 meters in height or less.

One of the Atlantis‘s most popular attractions is Dolphin Bay, a habitat for bottlenose dolphins. Visitors can choose from a number of different dolphin interaction experiences ranging from a quick photo op to a “Royal Swim,” which involves being pulled around the lagoon while holding onto the dorsal fin of one of Dolphin Bay’s friendly residents. Cost varies based on the experience selected, but all dolphin interaction packages include entrance to Aquaventure Water Park.

Atlantis is also where you’ll find the UAE’s largest aquarium, Lost Chambers, which is home to 65,000 marine animals. Visitors who aren’t content to admire the marine life from the other side of the glass can purchase tickets that will allow them to snorkel or dive right in the aquarium. General admission tickets to the aquarium start at AED 110 for adults and AED 85 for children. Discounts are available when buying packages that include entrance to the water park and the aquarium.

Five Places to Visit in Dubai at Palm Jumeirah, beyond Atlantis

• Take a speedboat ride from Dubai Marina
• Grab a bite at Barrel 12
• Go on a guided kayak tour around the Palm
• Get a bird’s eye view of the giant palm-shaped land mass courtesy of Sky Dive Dubai
• Enjoy a drink at The Penthouse, an adults-only lounge that offers stunning views of the city skyline from the 16th floor of FIVE Palm Jumeirah

Check In to Anantara the Palm Dubai Resort, Step Out to Palm Jumeirah

FIND & BOOK A HOTEL IN DUBAI TODAY