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Dubai, United Arab Emirates, top 10 things to do (Wimup travel guide)
▶ Video · Best of Dubai
Video guide · 12:12
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Top 10AsiaUnited Arab Emirates

Top 10 Things To Do in Dubai

Country
United Arab Emirates
Best months
Nov · Dec · Mar
Population
4.58
Language
Arabic & English
Budget / day
$120–220
Quick answer

The best things to do in Dubai are the Burj Khalifa observation decks, the wind-tower quarter at Al Fahidi with an abra across the Creek, the Museum of the Future and an evening in the desert reserve. Give the city 4 to 5 days, come between November and March rather than in high summer, and book the tall attractions on their own sites before you fly.

Best of Dubai

▶ Video guideOpen the film page (12:12) →

Dubai is two cities on one coastline. South of the Creek the towers, malls and observation decks run to a schedule; north of it the gold and spice souks trade the way they have since Dubai lived off pearling and re-export. The route that works alternates: a morning in Deira, an afternoon on Sheikh Zayed Road, a night in the sand.

The 10 best things to do in Dubai

Ride to the top of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
1

Ride to the top of the Burj Khalifa

Observation deck· 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai

At 828 metres it has been the tallest building in the world since it opened in January 2010, and the decks sit at three heights: levels 124 and 125 as At The Top, level 148 as At The Top SKY. Entry is through the lower ground floor of The Dubai Mall and runs on timed slots. Book on the building's own site rather than through a reseller.

Time2 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atSunset
TipBook a timed slot
Map↗ Website
Cross the Creek by abra into old Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2

Cross the Creek by abra into old Dubai

Historic quarter· Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, Bur Dubai

The wind-tower lanes of Al Fahidi are the oldest surviving piece of the city, and the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding runs its Emirati meals and open question sessions from a restored house inside them. Walk down to Bur Dubai Abra Station afterwards and cross to Deira: one dirham a passenger, and the boat leaves when it fills.

Time3 hrs
CostAED 1 abra
Best atEarly morning
TipCarry coins for the abra
Map↗ Website
Walk down through the Museum of the Future, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3

Walk down through the Museum of the Future

Museum· Building 65, Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre 2

A steel torus wrapped in Arabic calligraphy, with no columns holding up the inside and no obvious front door. The floors are separate near-future scenarios rather than galleries, and the building is designed to be walked from the top down. Emirates Towers station on the Red Line connects by footbridge, and tickets go through museumofthefuture.ae.

Time2 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atWeekday morning
TipSlots sell out, book ahead
Map↗ Website
Spend an evening in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
4

Spend an evening in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

Nature reserve· Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, off the Dubai to Al Ain road

The country’s first national park: 225 square kilometres of protected dune and ghaf, about 4.7 per cent of Dubai’s land area. It carries roughly 400 free-roaming Arabian oryx, the largest herd of its kind in the UAE, and access is limited to operators the reserve licenses. Book through one of those rather than a roadside dune-bashing outfit; ddcr.org lists them.

TimeHalf day
CostTour only
Best atLate afternoon
TipUse a licensed operator
Map↗ Website
Give The Dubai Mall an afternoon, then stay for the fountain, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
5

Give The Dubai Mall an afternoon, then stay for the fountain

Landmark· Financial Centre Road, Downtown Dubai

The mall anchors Downtown and holds the Dubai Aquarium, whose ten-million-litre tank runs a 270-degree walk-through tunnel under more than 140 marine species. Outside, the Dubai Fountain plays on the lake between the mall and the Burj Khalifa through the evening, and the free spots along the waterfront promenade see it as well as the paid terraces do.

Time3 hrs
CostMall free
Best atAfter dark
TipWatch the fountain from the promenade
Map↗ Website
Bargain through the Gold and Spice souks in Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
6

Bargain through the Gold and Spice souks in Deira

Market· Sikkat Al Khail Street, Al Ras, Deira

Hundreds of shopfronts under a wooden arcade, with enough in the windows to explain why Dubai was called the City of Gold long before the skyline arrived. The Spice Souk is two streets over, smaller, and better for saffron and frankincense. Gold is sold by weight against the daily rate plus a making charge, so the making charge is what you negotiate.

Time2 hrs
CostFree to walk
Best atEvening
TipGold is priced by weight
Map
Take the measure of Palm Jumeirah from The View, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
7

Take the measure of Palm Jumeirah from The View

Observation deck· Level 52, The Palm Tower, Palm Jumeirah

The Palm only reads as a palm from above, which is the whole argument for the deck on level 52 of The Palm Tower, 240 metres up with a 360-degree terrace. The monorail runs the trunk from Gateway Station out to Atlantis, and the boardwalk along the outer crescent costs nothing and is usually empty.

Time1.5 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atLate afternoon
TipPair it with the monorail
Map↗ Website
Jumeirah Mosque, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Wimup)
8

Take the tour inside Jumeirah Mosque

Religious site· Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah 1

One of the few mosques in Dubai open to non-Muslims, and the visit runs as a guided session by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding under its motto, open doors and open minds. Questions are the point of the hour rather than an afterthought, and nothing is treated as too sensitive to ask. Dress modestly.

Time1.5 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atMorning
TipDress modestly
Map↗ Website
Look both ways from the Dubai Frame, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
9

Look both ways from the Dubai Frame

Landmark· Zabeel Park, Gate 4, Zabeel

A 150-metre gilded rectangle placed so that old Dubai fills one side of it and the Sheikh Zayed Road skyline the other, which is the entire idea and it works. The sky bridge across the top carries a panel of glass floor. Al Jafiliya on the Red Line is the nearest station, and Zabeel Park around it is worth the extra half hour.

Time1.5 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atGolden hour
TipEnter at Zabeel Park gate 4
Map↗ Website
Trace the city’s own story at Al Shindagha Museum, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
10

Trace the city’s own story at Al Shindagha Museum

Museum· Al Shindagha, Bur Dubai, on the Creek

A run of restored coral and gypsum houses along the water, run by Dubai Culture as the largest open-air heritage museum in the country. The pavilions split by subject rather than by date: the Creek and the birth of the city, perfume, jewellery, healthcare, poetry, and the Al Maktoum residence. Start at the visitor centre or it reads as a street of closed doors.

Time2.5 hrs
CostTicketed
Best atLate afternoon
TipStart at the visitor centre
Map↗ Website

All 10, mapped

Dubai · 10 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsSouksOutdoors

Dubai travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Dubai?+
Four to five. Two cover Downtown and the Creek, a third buys the beaches and Palm Jumeirah, a fourth a desert evening, and a fifth Abu Dhabi or Hatta. Three is enough if you skip the day trips entirely.
When is the best time to visit Dubai?+
November to March. Daytime temperatures are comfortable, the outdoor season is running, and Global Village, Miracle Garden and the beach clubs are all open. July and August are extreme, and the compensation is that hotel rates fall.
Do you need to book Burj Khalifa tickets in advance?+
Yes for anything near sunset. Entry runs on timed slots and the late-afternoon ones go first. Book on burjkhalifa.ae, the building’s own site, rather than through a reseller.
What should you wear in Dubai?+
Whatever you like on the beach and inside hotels. In malls, souks and government buildings, cover shoulders and knees. A mosque visit means arms and legs covered, and hair covered for women.
How do you get around Dubai?+
Metro and taxi. Two driverless lines plus Route 2020 reach Downtown, the Marina and both airport terminals; taxis are metered and cheap by European standards; and the abras cross the Creek for one dirham. A single nol card pays for every public option.
Where to eat

Best restaurants in Dubai

Six kitchens that explain the city, from a Bur Dubai kebab counter to three Michelin stars.
Michelin
Wasl 51, Jumeirah

Orfali Bros

Levantine · Bib Gourmand

Three brothers from Aleppo cooking Levantine food like a laboratory. The Michelin Guide gives it a Bib Gourmand and it sits near the top of every regional list.

Map↗ Website
Michelin
Palm Jumeirah

Trèsind Studio

Indian · Three Michelin stars

A tasting menu that runs India region by region across twenty seats. In 2025 it became the first Indian restaurant anywhere to hold three Michelin stars.

Map↗ Website
Al Fanar Al Seef
Emirati
Al Seef

Al Fanar Al Seef

Emirati

Emirati cooking served inside a reconstruction of a 1960s Dubai house: machboos, jasheed, and luqaimat under date syrup. The Al Seef branch sits on the Creek.

Map↗ Website
Arabian Tea House
Courtyard
Al Fahidi

Arabian Tea House

Emirati · Café

A courtyard of white wicker and lemon mint under the wind towers of Al Fahidi. The Emirati breakfast tray is the order, and it is enough for two.

Map↗ Website
Institution
Al Satwa

Ravi Restaurant

Pakistani

A Satwa institution: Pakistani curries, naan straight off the tandoor, plastic chairs and no ceremony whatsoever. Open late, and busiest after midnight.

Map↗ Website
Since 1978
Bur Dubai

Al Ustad Special Kabab

Persian

Persian kebabs off the grill in Meena Bazaar, in a room papered floor to ceiling with photographs of everyone who has ever eaten here.

Map↗ Website
After dark

Best rooftop bars in Dubai

Dubai serves alcohol in licensed venues, and most of the good ones are fifty floors up.
Burj view
Downtown Dubai

CÉ LA VI Dubai

Rooftop bar · Level 54

Fifty-four floors above Downtown at Address Sky View, with the Burj Khalifa filling the window. Modern Asian dining below, sky bar and club above.

Map↗ Website
Highest
Jumeirah Beach Residence

ZETA Seventy Seven

Rooftop bar · Level 77

Level 77 of Address Beach Resort, which puts the Ain Dubai wheel and the whole Marina skyline below the rail rather than in front of it.

Map↗ Website
Marina
Dubai Marina

attiko

Rooftop bar · Level 31

A pan-Asian rooftop lounge on level 31 of W Dubai at Mina Seyahi, looking down the length of the Marina.

Map↗ Website
Cocktails
Downtown Dubai

Neos

Cocktail bar · Level 63

The sixty-third floor of Address Downtown, close enough to the Burj Khalifa that you look across it rather than up at it.

Map↗ Website
Infinity pool
Palm Jumeirah

AURA Skypool

Pool bar · Level 50

A 360-degree infinity pool on level 50 of The Palm Tower, with a bar attached and the Palm laid out underneath it.

Map↗ Website
On the sand

Best beaches in Dubai

Five public stretches of coast, all free to walk unless the entry note says otherwise.
Kite Beach
Watersports
Umm Suqeim

Kite Beach

Public beach · Free

Kitesurfers offshore, a running track behind the sand and a line of beach kitchens in between, with the Burj Al Arab closing the view.

Map↗ Website
The Beach, JBR
Busiest
Jumeirah Beach Residence

The Beach, JBR

Public beach · Free

The most built-up stretch in the city: low-rise shops and restaurants opening straight onto the sand, with parasailing and watersports off it.

Map↗ Website
Sunset
Umm Suqeim

Sunset Beach

Public beach · Free

Also called Umm Suqeim Beach, and the classic vantage point on the Burj Al Arab as the light goes. Surfable when a swell runs.

Map↗ Website
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Family
Al Mamzar, Deira

Al Mamzar Beach Park

Beach park · Entry charge

Five separate beaches inside one park on the Sharjah border, with swimming pools, bike paths, picnic lawns and chalets to rent. There is a small entry charge.

Map↗ Website
Palm West Beach
Boardwalk
Palm Jumeirah

Palm West Beach

Public beach · Free

A boardwalk beach along the west side of the Palm trunk, with the Marina towers across the water and a run of cafés behind the sand.

Map
Where to shop

Best souks & malls in Dubai

Six places to spend money, from a covered textile arcade to a mall with a ski slope in it.
Mall of the Emirates
Indoor snow
Al Barsha 1

Mall of the Emirates

Mall · Ski Dubai

More than 560 shops, and a ski slope: Ski Dubai puts real snow, a black run and a colony of penguins under the same roof.

Map↗ Website
Souk Madinat Jumeirah
Abras
Umm Suqeim 3

Souk Madinat Jumeirah

Souk · Waterways

A modern souk built around canals, with abras running between the restaurants and the Burj Al Arab standing across the water.

Map↗ Website
Souk Al Seef
Creek
Al Seef

Souk Al Seef

Souk · Creekside

A waterfront stretch on the Bur Dubai bank that runs from wind-tower shopfronts at one end to a glass-and-steel promenade at the other.

Map↗ Website
Global Village
Seasonal
Dubailand

Global Village

Seasonal park · Oct to May

Pavilions for 90 cultures, plus funfair rides and a stage programme, open for one season a year. Season 30 ran from 15 October 2025 to 10 May 2026.

Map↗ Website
Ibn Battuta Mall
Architecture
Jebel Ali

Ibn Battuta Mall

Mall · Themed courts

Six courts themed on the regions the fourteenth-century traveller crossed, from Andalusia to China. Worth walking even if you buy nothing.

Map
Bur Dubai Souk
Textiles
Bur Dubai

Bur Dubai Souk

Souk · Textiles

The covered arcade on the Bur Dubai bank, stacked with fabric by the metre. It runs from the abra station up towards Al Fahidi, so it pairs with the crossing.

Map
Culture

Best museums & galleries in Dubai

Four collections worth the detour, two of them in converted houses and warehouses.
1971
Jumeirah 1

Etihad Museum

Museum · National history

Built into the ground beside Union House, where the federation was signed in 1971. The exhibition runs the documents, the founding rulers and the years either side.

Map↗ Website
Alserkal Avenue
Galleries
Al Quoz 1

Alserkal Avenue

Arts district · Free

Warehouses in an industrial block turned into the city’s contemporary art district, anchored by seventeen galleries. Al Safa on the Red Line is closest.

Map↗ Website
Creek
Jaddaf Waterfront

Jameel Arts Centre

Museum · Contemporary art

An independent contemporary art institution on the Creek between the Business Bay and Garhoud bridges, with a sculpture garden and a research library.

Map↗ Website
Free tasting
Al Fahidi

Coffee Museum

Museum · Small

A wind-tower house given over to the history of coffee, from Ethiopian roasting pans to the Emirati dallah, with a working roastery on site.

Map↗ Website
Out of the city

Best desert escapes in Dubai

Three ways to reach sand, water and mountains without leaving the emirate.
Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve
Unfenced
Al Qudra

Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve

Reserve · Free access

The largest unfenced nature reserve in the country, south of the city off Al Qudra Road, with camel tracks, a long cycling route and lakes cut into the sand.

Map↗ Website
Al Qudra Lakes and Love Lake
Flamingos
Al Qudra

Al Qudra Lakes and Love Lake

Lakes · Free

Man-made lakes inside Al Marmoom that pull in flamingos and swans, ringed by a cycling loop and by barbecue spots that fill up on winter weekends.

Map
Hatta
Kayaking
Hajar mountains

Hatta

Mountain exclave · 90 min

Dubai’s mountain exclave in the Hajar range near the Omani border: a dam you can kayak, marked hiking trails and the adventure centre at Hatta Wadi Hub.

Map↗ Website
Beyond Dubai

Best day trips in Dubai

Five places within a couple of hours of the city, each one a different case for the UAE.
Abu Dhabi
Capital
90 min south

Abu Dhabi

Capital · E11

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is free to enter and open daily, and Louvre Abu Dhabi sits under Jean Nouvel’s perforated dome on Saadiyat Island.

Map↗ Website
Sharjah
Culture
30 min north

Sharjah

Emirate · Museums

The next emirate up the coast, and the cultural one: the Heart of Sharjah restoration, the Art Foundation spaces and the Blue Souk. No alcohol is served.

Map
Oasis
90 min inland

Al Ain

Oasis city · UNESCO

The garden city on the Omani border. Al Ain Oasis runs 147,000 date palms on a falaj system that still works, and the road up Jebel Hafit climbs high.

Map↗ Website
Highest peak
2 hrs north

Jebel Jais

Mountain · Ras Al Khaimah

The highest mountain in the UAE, reached by a switchback road to a viewing deck, with a Guinness-listed zip line running off the ridge.

Map
Fujairah and the east coast
East coast
2 hrs east

Fujairah and the east coast

Gulf of Oman · Diving

Across the Hajar mountains to the Gulf of Oman, where Al Bidyah holds the oldest known mosque in the country and the diving off Dibba is the best in the UAE.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Dubai (2026)

Time your trip around the city's biggest dates.
Dec–Jan

Dubai Shopping Festival

The city’s oldest festival: citywide sales, concerts, raffles and nightly fireworks over the Creek and the Marina.

Jan

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

A week of authors, translators and workshops. The 2026 edition ran 21 to 27 January at InterContinental Dubai Festival City.

Feb

Dubai Marathon

A flat, fast course along Jumeirah, and one of the quickest road marathons anywhere. The 25th edition ran on 1 February 2026.

Mar

Dubai World Cup

The last Saturday of March at Meydan, on the richest race card in the world. Dress codes are enforced and the grandstand is vast.

Apr

Art Dubai

The region's main art fair, at Madinat Jumeirah. The twentieth edition ran in April 2026 with previews on the two days before.

Moves yearly

Ramadan and Eid al Fitr

The dates shift by roughly eleven days a year. Daytime eating is restricted, and the iftar tables are the reason to come.

Oct–May

Global Village season

Ninety cultures in pavilions out at Dubailand, open for a single long season each winter and shut for the summer.

2 Dec

UAE National Day

The federation was declared on 2 December 1971. Flags on every car, fireworks over the Creek, and a holiday either side.

Getting around

Dubai transport & airports

How to arrive, and how to cross a city that is 60 km end to end.
DXB

Dubai International Airport

The main airport, fifteen minutes from Deira and on the Red Line at Terminals 1 and 3. It handled 95.2 million passengers in 2025, a world record for international traffic.

Map↗ Website
DWC

Al Maktoum International

Dubai’s second airport, out at Dubai South beside Expo City, used by a smaller set of carriers. A phase-two expansion is under way to take it far past DXB.

Map↗ Website
RTA

Metro, tram and buses

Two driverless metro lines plus Route 2020, around 90 km of track and the longest driverless network in the world, with a tram through the Marina. One nol card covers it.

Map↗ Website
TAXI

Taxis and abras

Cream RTA taxis are metered and everywhere, and the hailing apps call the same cars. The wooden abras across the Creek cost one dirham a passenger, which makes them the cheapest ride in the city.

Map↗ Website
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The classics to order before you leave.
Machboos, Dubai (Wimup travel guide)

Machboos

Spiced rice cooked with chicken, lamb or hammour and sharpened with dried lime.

Harees, Dubai (Wimup travel guide)

Harees

Wheat and meat cooked down for hours into a smooth savoury porridge.

Balaleet, Dubai (Wimup travel guide)

Balaleet

Sweet saffron vermicelli under a plain omelette. Breakfast, and an argument about whether it is dessert.

Karak chai, Dubai (Wimup travel guide)

Karak chai

Strong black tea boiled with evaporated milk, sugar and cardamom, sold from cafeteria windows.

Shawarma, Dubai (Wimup travel guide)

Shawarma

Not Emirati, but unavoidable: meat off the vertical spit with garlic sauce and chips in flatbread.

Luqaimat

Yeast dumplings fried until the shell crackles, then drowned in date syrup and sesame. Order them at the end.

Chebab

The Emirati pancake: batter loosened with saffron, cardamom and date syrup, folded around cream cheese.

Madrouba

Rice cooked past the point of holding its shape into a thick, buttery mash with chicken and spice.

Dubai fact sheet

Dubai at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
United Arab Emirates
Region
Emirate of Dubai
Population
4.58M · Dubai emirate, 2025
Founded
Al Maktoum rule since 1833
Nickname
City of Gold
Language
Arabic · English widely spoken
Currency
UAE dirham (AED)
Time zone
GST · UTC+4
Calling code
+971 4
Airports
DXB · DWC
Power
230V · Type G
Emergency
999
Ideal length
4–5 days
Getting around
Metro, taxi & abra
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • Dubai International handled 95.2 million passengers in 2025, the highest international traffic any airport has recorded in a year.
  • The Burj Khalifa has held the record for the world’s tallest building since it opened in January 2010, at 828 metres.
  • Dubai Metro is the longest driverless metro network in the world, around 90 km of track, and it opened on 9 September 2009.
  • The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve covers 225 square kilometres, about 4.7 per cent of the emirate, and carries some 400 oryx.
  • The abra across Dubai Creek still costs one dirham a passenger, and the boat leaves when its twenty seats are full.

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