Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Views of the mainland skyline are one of the most memorable aspects of a day at this family-orientated club at the swish Fairmont Hotel. Parents get to…
Must-see attractions in United Arab Emirates
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Stretching skyward for 307m, it may not be the tallest residential tower in the Dubai Marina, but it's certainly a building with twist: a 90-degree spiral…
Downtown Dubai
A pioneer on Dubai's gallery scene and one of the city's most exciting spaces for contemporary Middle Eastern art, the Third Line represents around 30…
United Arab Emirates
Considered the oldest mosque in the UAE, this curvaceous, squat mud-brick structure dates to 1446. I's adorned with four pointed domes and rests on a…
Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve
Dubai
On the outskirts of Sharjah, the 225 sq km Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve accounts for 5% of the Emirate of Dubai's total land. The reserve was…
Abu Dhabi
By far Abu Dhabi's nicest public beach. A boardwalk leads through a protected zone of coastal vegetation, home to nesting turtles, to this prime slice of…
Bur Dubai
This waterfront museum is part of the Al Shindagha Museum restoration project and is the former home of a Dubai sheikha who loved all things perfume. The…
Dubai
At this fashionable pleasure pit on the emerging Pearl Jumeirah residential peninsula, only the crisp all-white look is virginal. On weekends, the bronzed…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Set along 500m of private beach, this club is a family favourite thanks to its five pools (including a shaded one for kids), a children's club and a water…
Yas Island
For architecture with a sci-fi vibe make the trip to Masdar City, near Abu Dhabi Airport, touted as the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste city powered…
Abu Dhabi
You'll probably hear them before you see them, as a howl goes up when a visitor approaches this hound pound. A visit here involves entering the kennels,…
Dubai
In 2016, 16 local and international street artists, including Hua Tunan, Ashwaq Abdulla and Inkman, mounted their cherry-pickers to turn the rather drab…
Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary
Downtown Dubai
Incongruously framed by highways, this surprising sanctuary on Dubai Creek is an important stopover for migratory waterbirds on the east Africa–west Asian…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
This memorial, opposite the eastern side of the Grand Mosque, was inaugurated in 2016 in memory of Emiratis who have given their lives in service to the…
Deira
Stroll down the Creek for photogenic close-ups of dozens of brightly coloured dhows docked next to the Deira souqs that load and unload everything from…
Downtown Dubai
Creative folks have a new HQ in Dubai. The fresh-off-the-drawing board Dubai Design District (d3) has drawn both regional and international talent and…
Dubai
Covering some 2000 sq metres and touted as the largest natural flower garden in the world, there’s a sense of Alice in Wonderland–esque surrealism when…
Bur Dubai
Recently restored as part of the new Shindagha Historic District development, this grand courtyard house served as the residence of Sheikh Saeed, the…
Dubai
Spread across five zones, Bollywood Parks celebrates Mumbai’s legendary film industry. There's a handful of 3D and 4D rides based on blockbusters such as…
Dubai
Designed for kids under 12, this colourful theme park has 40 rides and attractions across six themed areas. There’s plenty to keep youngsters entertained…
Yas Island
Even if you're not in town in November for the Formula One Grand Prix, it's possible to experience Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina track year-round. For a behind…
Bur Dubai
Strategically located at the mouth of Dubai Creek, Shindagha was where the ruling sheikhs and the city elite lived until the 1950s. While a few of the…
Dubai
Whether you're seeking thrills or a family-friendly day out, this Hollywood-inspired theme park has something for everyone. The park is divided into four…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
Rare albino alligators Ali and Blue are the latest stars in this fantastic labyrinth of underwater halls, enclosures and fish tanks that re-creates the…
Dubai
This high-tech indoor theme park is squarely aimed at serious gamers. Tickets buy access to 18 attractions, including a head-spinning VR experience, 3D…
Deira
This lushly landscaped beach park consists of a string of five lovely sandy sweeps and comes with plenty of infrastructure, including a swimming pool,…
Abu Dhabi
There are several gates to this spotlessly maintained, Blue-Flagged public beach. The turquoise sea, view of Lulu Island, palm trees and gardens make it…
Crossroads of Civilizations Museum
Bur Dubai
This private museum in the Shindagha Historic District provides a fascinating glimpse of Dubai's historic role as a trading link between East and West. On…
Downtown Dubai
For guilt-free shopping without your kids, drop them off in this indoor miniature city – complete with a school, a fire station, a hospital and a bank –…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
If you don’t know the story behind it, you might wonder why people are taking so many pictures of an ornamental elephant. But when you learn it’s a…
Downtown Dubai
Two wooden bridges link the massive Dubai International Finance Centre to Gate Village, a modernist cluster of 10 midrise stone-clad towers built around…
Bur Dubai
Dubai's oldest souq (market) flanks a central arcade canopied by an ornately carved wooden roof. Friday evenings here are especially lively, as it turns…
Saruq Al Hadid Archaeology Museum
Bur Dubai
Only discovered in 2002, Saruq Al Hadid sits deep in the desert sands of the southern reaches of the Dubai emirate and is believed to have been an iron…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
In a city of air-conditioned malls, this attractive outdoor shopping and dining promenade was an immediate hit when it opened in 2008, originally to meet…
Dubai
Some 15,000 butterflies flutter around these beautifully styled indoor domed gardens. Visitors love to pose with them as they land on shoulders and…
Abu Dhabi
Featured on the back of the Dhs1000 note, this fort started life in 1760 as a watchtower that safeguarded a precious freshwater well. After an expansion,…
Bur Dubai
This sprawling park, where lots of palms and other greenery provide plenty of shade, is a weekend family favourite. It brims with activity zones,…
Downtown Dubai
Although neither the tallest nor the newest skyscrapers in Dubai, the twin, triangular towers coated with silver-coated aluminium panels and topped with…
Deira
Closed for renovation until the end of 2019, this 1890 courtyard house once belonged to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Dalmouk, a wealthy pearl merchant and founder of…
Downtown Dubai
It's always worth stopping by this top-notch gallery, which is the only one in the UAE focused entirely on fine-art photography. While providing a…
