Muscat
A road runs along the edge of Qurm Nature Reserve towards the Crowne Plaza Muscat hotel, giving access to a long, sandy beach – a popular place for…
Must-see attractions in Arabian Peninsula
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…
Doha
This pleasant, manicured city-centre park with more than five football pitches' worth of greenery is both family friendly and modern, with design features…
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
Paralleling the beachfront for about 1km, The Beach at JBR is an open-plan cluster of low-lying, urban-style buildings wrapped around breezy plazas…
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…
Riyadh
The Globe Experience is a spectacular viewing platform inside an enormous glass ball that's 24m in diameter, made of 655 glass panels and suspended just…
Doha
One of Doha's best hangout spots, TaliaMare is set on a pretty beach, among pastel-coloured houses, and has a chilled-out vibe and music reminiscent of…
Bur Dubai
Ancient Egypt gets a Dubai-style makeover at this lavishly designed hotel, residential, restaurant and shopping complex, complete with pyramids,…
Doha
Doha’s largest park, covering 88 hectares, Aspire has something to keep every member of the family entertained: extensive lawns, walking and running…
Dubai
Just north of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, this public beach (also known as Sunset Beach) is perfect for snapping that envy-inducing selfie with the Burj Al…
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…
Oman
Aptly named in Arabic as the ‘Gorge Between Cliffs’, Wadi Shab is one of the most lovely destinations in Oman, despite Hwy 17 slung across the entrance…
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…
Qatar
This beautiful ‘inland sea’ is one of the major natural attractions in Qatar, and it takes on an almost mystical quality under a full moon, when the…
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…
Muscat
Open on the whim of the gatekeeper, this fortified residence buried in a plantation in Bawshar is worth visiting for the location. Close to the city's…
Muscat
Despite being the capital's main port, Mutrah feels more like a fishing village. The daily catch is delivered to market, by the Marina Hotel, from sunrise…
Doha
Visitors can walk through this sculpture, comprised of seven steel plates – a number with special spiritual significance in Qatari and Islamic culture –…
Muscat
Housed in a renovated 1930s residence, this museum traces the history – and prehistory – of Muscat through imaginative, interactive displays and exhibits…
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…
Doha
The much-anticipated opening of the National Museum of Qatar took place in March 2019. French architect Jean Nouvel's sprawling desert-rose-inspired…
Saudi Arabia
The biggest miqat (pilgrim station) complex in Saudi Arabia, this fort-like mosque rises up like a North African kasbah on the southwestern edge of Medina…
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…
Muscat
The Ministry of National Heritage houses the small but quaint Natural History Museum. The museum is illuminating about the local flora and fauna, 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,…
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…
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…
Abu Dhabi
Housed in a postmodern building with an eye-catching honeycomb mantle, Manarat Al Saadiyat ('place of enlightenment') hosts regular art courses and…
Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah
This clean, wonderful playground has plenty of facilities, including showers, toilets and changing rooms housed in distinctive panelled pods. Kids can…
Bahrain
Although the Tree of Life's age has now been established, the mystique and allure of this lone, green, desert dweller remains strong. Planted around 1583,…
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…
Riyadh
Riyadh’s landmark tower, rising 302m high, is a stunning piece of modern architecture – it’s particularly conspicuous at night, when the upper sweep is…
Abu Dhabi
In a former port warehouse, this contemporary arts centre and gallery hosts temporary exhibitions showcasing the UAE's art, design and creative scenes…
Abu Dhabi
There's something fascinating about sitting by the harbourside watching the dhows slip off to sea. At any time of day, there's work going on as fishers…
Muscat
The Planetarium offers exciting free shows approximately once a month, helping to navigate the night sky. Visit here before heading out to the desert if…
Oman
This spectacular wadi is a major artery through the mountains and often flows year-round with spring water. It looks particularly gorgeous when mountain…
Muscat
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is responsible for much of the rapid growth of infrastructure throughout the country, as outlined in the interesting…
