Dubai is the city for records with the world’s tallest building (The Burj Khalifa), the largest mall (The Dubai Mall), the tallest hotel (The Gevora Hotel), the world’s tallest hotel atrium (Burj Al Arab), and the world’s largest fountain (Palm Fountain). With a population of almost 3.5 million, this city has a lot to offer and is a great place to visit whether you are planning for a layover or for a week long stay. These are the top things to see and do in Dubai.

How to get around Dubai?

Generally you will get around by metro or taxi. Uber is also available within Dubai, but there are a large number of taxis that we found it easier to just catch one of them if needed. For taxis, they have a base fare of 5AED and most drivers do use a meter and accept credit cards. There are also taxi limousines which consist of higher end cars like Lexus or Mercedes. These will often not use a meter and are more expensive.

We were surprised that arriving in Dubai at 2Am, there was a surprising amount of traffic on the highways. Throughout our week there, no matter what time we were going around, there was always lots of cars around. Because of that, sometimes the quickest way to get around is by taking the metro. Metro connects lots of the major highlights and is significantly cheaper than taxis.

There are two hop on hop off buses that take you to all the top sights in Dubai and even have a night tour. If your time is limited, this is a good way of seeing most of Dubai in a day or two. They have Big Bus Dubai as well as City Sightseeing Dubai.

How much time to spend in Dubai?

We spent a week in Dubai, and still there were some things we felt like we didn’t see fully or could go back and see again. That being said, this was our main destination for this trip and even if you only have a day or two, it is worth it. This features that main things to see in Dubai, but if your time is limited make sure you go see the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall and take a hop on hop off tour. I recommend at least 4-5 days to see the main sights of Dubai as this city is very spread out.

When to go?

The best time to go to Dubai is during the winter months of November-February, however this is when things tend to be a little bit busier. We went in January and it was 70-80s everyday we were there and the weather was perfect. During the summer months, temperatures can be extreme, however as most things are inside there is still plenty to see and do.

Top Things to see in Dubai

The Burj Khalifa

If you only see one thing in Dubai, it should be the Burj Khalifa. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It opened in January 2010 and it stands at 2,723ft (830m) high with more than 160 stories. It also holds several other records including highest restaurant (Atmosphere), highest outdoor observation deck, elevator with the longest travel distance, tallest free standing structure, and highest occupied floor.

It is located right next to The Dubai Mall and the entrance to the observation deck is inside the mall. You do need to plan ahead and book tickets ahead of time. There are three options with the basic being At the Top which gives you access to 124+125 and cost 169 AED. The negative of this one is that it is typically very busy and requires waiting in long lines to get on the elevator. You can skip all the lines by purchasing one of the levels with the VIP experience which give you access to additional levels and are typically less busy. The nice thing is it also gives you access to all the levels below the level you purchased. At the Top SKY gives you access to 148+124+125 and cost 399 AED. Worlds Highest Lounge gives you access to 154+153+152 and all the lower levels and includes drinks and appetizers for 769 AED and has an outdoor area with lower guardrails to allow for better photos. We did the lounge option at sunset and were not disappointed in the amazing views and outdoor area. It was significantly less packed compared to the below levels. You can book tickets for all the levels here.

The Dubai Mall and Aquarium

The Dubai Fountain with the Burj Khalifa in the background

This is the largest mall in the world with 1,200 shops and 120 places to eat. There is also the Dubai Aquarium and ice skating rink within the mall and the Dubai Fountain right outside with the Burj Khalifa connected to it. This is a fun place to walk around, even if you are not actually going there to shop. You can see some of Dubai’s top sights all right here.

The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo are located within The Dubai Mall and has one of the largest aquarium tanks in the world. You do need to pay to enter the aquarium, but you can view some of it for free from the mall. The highlights include the sharks, penguins, and the Australian saltwater crocodile. The Aquarium mainly consists of a tunnel through the aquarium tank, however the main part is on the upstairs level is the underwater zoo where you can see lots of fish, crocodile, and penguins. Even though we got there early in the morning, there was still a long line for tickets. I recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time to help skip the line and combine the ticket with the Burj Khalifa to help save some money.

Make sure to check out the Dubai Fountain which is located outside the mall. It has a music and light show that goes off a few times during the day, but every 30 minutes between 6pm and 11pm and lasts about 5 min. As it mostly goest off at night time, this is when the place gets very busy. I recommend finding a table at one of the restaurants with a view so you can enjoy the fountain a few times.

Go on a Desert Safari

I will admit, we were skeptical about going on a desert safari. We had already been to a desert in Morocco and didn’t know if we needed to do it again, however decided to book a tour as we heard so many positive things about it and we were not disappointed. There are many companies that provide afternoon/evening desert trips that often include a dinner in the desert. It’s about an hour from Dubai so should plan on spending about a half a day doing this tour. We went with Platinum Heritage where you get to around the desert in antique Land Rovers. There are also Arabian oryx in the area and other desert animals that you can see on the tour. Our tour included a falcon show. To end off the evening, we went to a traditional camp and were served traditional food followed by dance and music with the option to do camel rides as well.

Old Dubai and the Souks

Dubai is definitely a city of the future with new skyscrapers and world records being built every day, however this section of Dubai brings you back to what Dubai used to look like, prior to all the tall buildings. Old Dubai is the area around the Dubai creek and used to serve as a route for the British going to India and East Africa. Make sure to check out the Al Bastakiya Historical neighborhood which is the oldest residential area where wealthy merchants used to live. it’s a great place to stroll around with several cafes, exhibits, and galleries as well as a section of the old city wall. Al Fahidi Fort is the oldest building in Dubai and was built in 1847. It has been used as many things in the past including a prison and royal residence, but now serves as the Dubai Museum. While you are on this side of the creek, make sure to check out Al Seef street with many photogenic buildings and is an extension of Al Bastakiya as well as the Bur Dubai Souq which is Dubai’s oldest Souq.

Next you can hop on a dhow for only a few AED to the other side of the river to check out Dubai’s Spice and Gold Souk. If you are looking for jewelry or spices, this is the area. However as a warning, it can be quite busy and at least when we went we thought it was more overrun with tourists than with locals. It was worth going for a quick look, but we did not spend much time at the gold or spice souk.

Atlantis Aquaventures and Lost Chambers Aquarium

Atlantis is located on The Palm Jumeirah which is a man-made island that looks like a palm tree. They have Aquaventures which is the largest waterpark and the Lost Chambers Aquarium. This is a great place to spend a day enjoying the water. We stayed at Atlantis for part of the time we were there and it includes entry to the Aquaventures and the Aquarium.

Check out the Point when you are over there which also has a fountain with a music and light show and several restaurants and shops.

Go Skiing in a Mall

Yes another mall on the list. As Dubai has extreme heat during several months of the year, they have built several indoor activities, including being able to go skiing, snowboarding, or sledding within a mall. Mall of the Emirates used to be the largest mall in the world prior to the opening of The Dubai Mall. It’s highlight is Ski Dubai which is an indoor snow park where you can do plenty of fun snow activities. They do have winter clothing available for rent so no need to bring your winter clothes with you.

Other areas to consider if you have more time:

Dubai Marina is another newer part of Dubai that has malls, restaurants, and shops all bordering a nice marina with a great walkway around the area. This is great place to stay as there are lots of restaurant options.
Dubai Miracle Garden and Butterfly Garden are right next to each other and has the world’s largest natural flower garden and world’s largest butterfly garden with over 15,000 butterflies. The highlight of the garden is the Airbus A380 covered in flowers. It is only open from Mid-November to mid-May.
La Mer Dubai is a newer part of Dubai that has shopping, restaurants, a beach, and a waterpark. If you do go here, make sure to check out Big Smoke Burger.
One of the main buildings of the Dubai Skyline is the Burj Al Arab which is a hotel built on an artificial island that is a sail shape. This is the world’s most luxurious hotel and is one of Dubai’s iconic landmarks. Unfortunately there is tight security and you cannot go to it unless you are staying there or have a reservation at one of its pricey restaurants which is why its not included in the top things to do.

Top Things to see and do in Dubai