Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
The Shangri La Hotel's palm-tree-dappled pool area and sweep of white sand out front is open for nonguest day access. There's a great poolside restaurant…
Must-see attractions in United Arab Emirates
Sharjah
Street-art fans should make a short detour from the Al Qasba waterfront area to view this joyous mural by British-Iraqi artist Marwan Shakarchi of…
Sharjah
This 60m-high observation wheel is the place to head for bird's-eye views of the Sharjah skyline. Hop into one of the 42 capsules here to do a full circle.
Marina Breakwater
Although looking a bit worn and tired, this reconstructed village is one of the few places to get an insight into the pre-oil era of the United Arab…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
Despite being one of the oldest sights in Abu Dhabi, this 200-year-old guardian of the city was restored and then more or less abandoned after the…
United Arab Emirates
This late-18th-century fort served as the ruler’s residence until 1970 and also saw a stint as the police station. Now its rooms hold a higgledy-piggledy…
Deira
In 1923 this beautifully restored home tucked into the narrow lanes on the edge of the Spice Souq became the home of Saudi-born Mubarak Bin Al Oqaili …
Bur Dubai
Dubai’s tallest minaret (70m high) lords over the more than 50 small and large domes that give the city's largest mosque its distinctive silhouette. Today…
Bur Dubai
Ancient Egypt gets a Dubai-style makeover at this lavishly designed hotel, residential, restaurant and shopping complex, complete with pyramids,…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
Showcasing beautiful objects from around the Islamic world, including Persian carpets, calligraphy, ceramics and textiles, this private gallery shop–cum…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
This historic waterway separates Abu Dhabi from the mainland, guarded by the now somewhat hidden Al Maqta Fort and a small watchtower, on a rocky…
Al Bateen & Al Mushrif
Look out the window from many points in Abu Dhabi at night and you could be forgiven for thinking you've had one too many at the bar: reaching skyward in…
Deira
The historic Naif Souq was burned down in 2008 and replaced by this mall-style version, albeit fronted by arabesque arches. It is especially popular with…
Abu Dhabi
Housed in a postmodern building with an eye-catching honeycomb mantle, Manarat Al Saadiyat ('place of enlightenment') hosts regular art courses and…
Bur Dubai
This cute private museum in a historic Emirati home offers an aromatic bean-based journey around the world and back in time. Learn about the importance of…
Bur Dubai
This is a highly specialised museum which will appeal to anyone with an interest in rare and historic coins. Located near the Diwan Mosque in the Al…
Dubai International Financial Centre
Downtown Dubai
Dubai’s stock exchange and leading international financial institutions are housed in a complex of six buildings surrounding an impressive central 80m…
Deira
In 2007 the National Bank of Dubai merged with Emirates Bank to form Emirates NBD, but its headquarters remains in this shimmering landmark overlooking…
Downtown Dubai
More an art showroom than a classically curated gallery, Opera caters to collectors of artistic heavyweights in genres as varied as pop art, calligraphy…
Dubai
This gallery seeks to make art accessible (even to collectors without seriously deep pockets) and as such sells limited edition prints alongside original…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
This large and leafy park, not far from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, has a number of attractions, including a football playing area, fountains, ponds…
Dubai
You can't miss this place, mostly thanks to the plethora of super-car police vehicles parked outside. Part of Dubai Police Academy, this small and…
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
Said to symbolise the flow of energy into the capital, this 842m-long modern bridge designed by the late Zaha Hadid is one of three gateways to Abu Dhabi…
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre Library
Sheikh Zayed Mosque Area
Though it houses a few rare collections of Arabic calligraphy and copies of the Quran dating from the 16th century, this collection of manuscripts is…
Dubai
A green oasis in the centre of the city, this pretty park hugs the new Dubai Canal (which has diminished its size somewhat) and comes with a jogging track…
Yas Island
These fountains are fun for kids, particularly to cool off when hot during the day and when set to music at night.
Sharjah
Among the most beautiful of Sharjah's 600 mosques, with its architecture based on traditional Ottoman design, Al Noor has a dream setting overlooking the…
National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah
This museum occupies a 19th-century fort – the residence of the Qawassim rulers until 1964. Behind the ornate wooden doors of its salons are a hodgepodge…
United Arab Emirates
This sprawling village recreates the Hatta of yore. It's housed in the ruler’s restored historic fort with a majlis (reception room), a traditional…
Sharjah
This wildlife centre packs four venues into a 1-sq-km package, including a natural-history museum, a botanical museum and a children's farm where kids get…
Deira
Try on a burka (long, enveloping garment), find out about Ousha Bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi (the UAE's most celebrated female poet) and learn about the…
United Arab Emirates
Like a kooky mirage, a pyramid-shaped structure rises from the desert sands some 45km south of Abu Dhabi on the lonely highway that leads to the Liwa…
Fujairah City
Built around 1830, this small, well-preserved fort is tucked deep into the jagged Hajar Mountains near the village of Al Hayl, about 13km southwest of…
Abu Dhabi
There was a time when no self-respecting Gulf city would be seen without a giant concrete coffeepot. Those days have gone, for better or for worse, but a…
Bur Dubai
Until the completion of a new temple in Abu Dhabi in 2020, only a tiny and ageing double-shrine, tucked behind the Grand Mosque since 1958, serves the UAE…
Umm Al Quwain
Various rooms in this heavily restored 1768 fort have been decked out to demonstrate traditional furnishings and Emirati culture, though the diorama…
Al Ain
Al Ain's main museum was closed to undergo a major restoration in late 2018 with reopening stated for 2020 at the earliest. Before its closure, this…
Al Ain
This nicely restored, rambling palace was the residence of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's founding father, from 1937 to 1966. There's frankly little to see…
United Arab Emirates
The long strip of wide sandy public beach that trails along the Corniche Rd is decently clean and well maintained (though it can’t compare to the…
Sharjah
This teensy museum was Sharjah's first school, and three rooms have been set up to show what classrooms would have looked like 70 years ago while framed…
