Must-see attractions in Dubai

  • sdr

    Hub Zero

    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…

  • DUBAI, UAE - FEBRUARY 8, 2016: AL MAMZAR BEACH PARK

    Al Mamzar Beach Park

    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,…

  • 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…

  • KidZania

    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 –…

  • Elephant Clock

    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…

  • sdr

    Gate Village

    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…

  • Tourist shopping for souvenirs at Bur Dubai Souq.

    Bur Dubai Souq

    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…

  • The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East

    The Walk at JBR

    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 Butterfly Garden

    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…

  • Zabeel Park

    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,…

  • cof

    Emirates Towers

    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…

  • Traditional Arabic house in former home of Sheikh Juma Al Makhtoum, Dubai, UAE.

    Heritage House

    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…

  • sdr

    Empty Quarter

    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…

  • Al Qudra Lake

    Dubai

    One for the nature lovers, this series of man-made lakes is in the middle of the Saih Al Salam desert on Dubai’s southern outskirts. Swap skyscrapers for…

  • Majlis Gallery

    Bur Dubai

    Dubai's oldest fine-art gallery was founded in 1989 by British expat Alison Collins and presents mainly paintings and sculpture by international artists…

  • sdr

    Cuadro

    Downtown Dubai

    In a fabulous space taking up the entire ground floor of Gate Village’s Building 10, this highly regarded gallery shines the spotlight on midcareer and…

  • Covered Souq

    Deira

    Despite the name, this souq is not really covered at all; rather it's an amorphous warren of narrow lanes criss-crossing a few square blocks roughly…

  • XVA Gallery

    Bur Dubai

    Tucked into the Al Fahidi Historic District since 2003, XVA has a knack for ferreting out top-notch up-and-comers from around the Middle East and India…

  • Dinosaur Skeleton in Dubai Mall, Dubai Downtown, United Arab Emirates, UAE, 6th May 2015; Shutterstock ID 646770508; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Authentic Dubai Article

    Dubai Dino

    Downtown Dubai

    The Jurassic era meets the future in Dubai Mall's Souk Dome, the home of Amphicoelias brontodiplodocus, an almost complete 155-million-year-old dinosaur…

  • cof

    Ayyam Gallery

    Downtown Dubai

    With branches at Gate Village and well as here, on the Alserkal Avenue gallery campus in Al Quoz, this top gallery's main mission is to promote emerging…

  • Pier 7

    Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah

    Linked to the Dubai Marina Mall via a glass-encased walkway, this circular tower gets its name from the seven restaurants – from Asian to international –…

  • Sheikh Zayed Bridge Waterfall

    Downtown Dubai

    This illuminated and motion-operated waterfall cascades down both sides of Sheikh Zayed Bridge, stopping only for passing vessels. It's an impressive…

  • The World

    Dubai

    After some 10 years of stagnation, the ambitious plans for The World are up and running again. If you want proof, check out the vast Heart of Europe model…

  • 2nd December St

    Dubai

    Quiet by day, 2nd December St turns into one of Dubai’s liveliest walking strips after dark with plenty of fine pickings for street-food aficionados…

  • Marina Walk

    Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah

    Enjoy a delightful stroll along this tree-flanked promenade with its dancing fountains, terraced restaurants and cool cafes. Too hot? Head for the nearby…

  • Mushrif National Park

    Dubai

    One of the oldest parks in Dubai, dating from 1974, Mushrif covers more than 5 sq km of natural ghaf forest, which is a haven for birds, including owls,…

  • Dubai Frame

    Bur Dubai

    Opened in January 2018, this 150m rectangular 'picture frame' sits in Zabeel Park, right between historic and modern Dubai, and provides grand views of…

  • Majlis Ghorfat Um Al Sheef

    Dubai

    This rare vestige of pre-oil times was built in 1955 as the summer retreat of Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the father of current ruler Sheikh…

  • Al Barsha Pond Park

    Dubai

    Al Barsha Pond Park is a welcome patch of greenery surrounding a pretty manmade lake where you can hire a kitsch swan boat for a paddle around the water…

  • Museum of Illusions

    Bur Dubai

    Opened in September 2018, this museum is fast becoming a favourite for families and Instagram fans, with several of the 'illusions' frankly looking a lot…

  • La Mer

    Dubai

    With shops, restaurants, a waterpark, a beachfront with hammocks and a huge playpark, La Mer is Dubai’s newest beachfront destination. Opened in 2018 …

  • Green Wall

    Bur Dubai

    Truly impressive and truly green, this living wall is touted as the Middle East's largest, measuring some 6m in height and 212m in length. Its green cred…

  • Dubai Creek House

    Bur Dubai

    Step back in time to retrace history at the Dubai Creek House, part of the Al Shindagha Museum restoration project. The Birth of a Nation exhibit takes…

  • Perfume Souq

    Deira

    Several blocks with a preponderance of perfume shops hardly warrants the title ‘souq’, yet these stores sell a staggering range of Middle Eastern attars:…

  • 1x1 Gallery

    Downtown Dubai

    With the energetic Malini Gulrajani at the helm, this gallery has brought some of the foremost names in India’s contemporary art scene to Dubai since 2009…

  • Riva Beach Club

    Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah

    Riva Beach Club is a popular independent beach club (ie not attached to a hotel), especially among expats. The entrance fee will score you a sunbed and…

  • Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde

    Downtown Dubai

    This edgy gallery has developed relationships with artists from Europe, Latin America and Africa whose work has some connection to the Middle East. Part…

  • Meem Gallery

    Downtown Dubai

    A co-venture by two Emirati business tycoons and British art dealer Charles Pocock, this blue-chip gallery is dedicated to presenting the masters of…

  • Salsali Private Museum

    Downtown Dubai

    Founded by prominent Iranian collector Ramin Salsali, SPM is the first private museum for contemporary Middle Eastern art in the region and has made it…

More destinations you need to see