Dubai is a city that proudly boasts the biggest, tallest, and most impressive landmarks. From surreal architectural feats and man-made islands shaped like the world map to eco-friendly destinations, the tallest building on the planet, and the largest shopping mall in the world, this former fishing village has evolved into a must-visit travel destination.
While its futuristic wonders steal the spotlight, Dubai’s rich cultural heritage, stunning desert landscapes, and fascinating history ensure there’s always something for every traveler to explore. Here’s a quick look at some of the top things to do in Dubai.
Dubai Private Tour with Burj Khalifa Ticket
The Dubai Private Tour offers a personalized experience to explore both the modern and historic sides of the city in a way that’s impossible on a typical bus tour. With a dedicated guide to take you through the city’s hidden gems, highlights include the Old Town’s spice markets, the Burj Khalifa with its breathtaking views, Palm Islands, and the Dubai Marina. The best part? The tour is fully customizable to match your unique interests, ensuring a one-of-a-kind experience.
Insider Tip – Those choosing for the evening tour can also enjoy the water fountain display at the Burj Khalifa.
Manmade Islands
Dubai is renowned for its bold and imaginative architecture, and its iconic man-made islands are prime examples of this. Begin your adventure with the Palm Jumeirah, often called the 8th wonder of the world, which is designed to resemble a palm tree. Another stunning creation is The World, an archipelago designed to mimic a miniature map of the globe. Each island in this unique archipelago is up for sale, offering the ultra-wealthy the chance to own their very own “mini country.”
Dubai Museum
The Dubai Museum offers a chance to step back in time and discover what the city was like before it became a sprawling metropolis filled with stunning architecture. Hard to believe, but Dubai was once a quiet Bedouin fishing village, and the museum is the ideal place to explore this rich history. Housed in the Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest building in Dubai, the museum showcases an array of historical treasures, including ancient wooden fishing boats, bronze cannons, traditional palm-frond and mud huts, handmade weapons, replica souks, and ancient dhows.
Interesting Fact – The biggest highlight of the museum is its archaeology section that showcases ancient Jumeirah settlements and many other archaeological sites that were established between the years 2000 BC and 1000 BC.
90 Min Sightseeing Boat Tour Dubai Marina
This thrilling boat tour takes you on a journey through the highlights of Dubai Marina, offering breathtaking views along the way. You’ll cruise around the iconic Palm Jumeirah, with plenty of time to snap the perfect photo. The tour also brings you up close to the stunning Atlantis Hotel, a fitting homage to the legendary lost city of Atlantis. You’ll have the chance to admire the Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel, from the water—no reservation required. Seeing the spectacular Dubai skyline from the sea is a must-do experience. Be sure to bring your camera, as there are countless incredible photo opportunities throughout the tour.
Gold Souk
Dubai is famous for its cheap gold. Hone your bargaining skills and haggle a bit, and you can really save a lot of money while purchasing gold at the Gold Souks. And even if purchasing gold isn’t high on your list of things to do, visiting the Gold Souk is a must. This dazzling complex is home to a number of stores that sell gold, silver, platinum and diamond merchandise and you can always expect your purchases to be genuine because the government keeps a tight check on the merchandise sold here.
Insider Tip – Stay away from the street vendors selling “genuine” watches and handbags. Most of the goods, including those Guuci handbags, which you get outside the Gold Souk are fake.
Burj Al Arab
Burj Al Arab, the only 7-star hotel on the planet, has been one of the most popular attractions of Dubai ever since its creation. A number of fancy hotels have come up all over Dubai, but visiting the Burj Al Arab still has a unique charm and lure. From underwater seafood restaurants to aquarium-flanking escalators, from the exhilarating views of the Skyview Bar (which needs to be booked a week in advance) to gold-leaf undercoats, everything about the hotel screams extravagance and luxury, but you don’t go to the Burj Al Arab for muted delights, do you?
Insider Tip – Travelers visiting Burj Al Arab must have a reservation at one of the bars or restaurants inside the hotel in order to be allowed entry. However, just looking at the hotel from the outside is an experience in itself and there are a number of photo opportunities to be had as well.
The following tour will allow you to enjoy a cup of tea in Burj Al Arab, visit Burj Khalifa and do sightseeing at Dubai Marina.
Wild Wadi Waterpark
The Wild Wadi Waterpark is an exciting theme park in Dubai that flanks the foot of Burj Al Arab. The park is modeled after the legend of Juha – the one who always sailed with Sinbad – and is full of exhilarating theme rides and play areas. Visitors term the water park as one of the most exciting things in Dubai and it is entirely possible to spend the whole day here (in fact, we recommend to spend a whole day here!).
Insider Tip – Purchase your tickets about 2 hours before the park closes to enjoy the “Sundowner discount”.
Dubai 4WD Desert Safari with BBQ Dinner
The 4WD Desert Safari tour lets you add some fun and excitement into your Dubai tour. It offers a unique opportunity to enjoy an Arabian sunset and experience a traditional Bedouin camp in the midst of the desert. Some of the biggest highlights include a camel ride, traditional dance shows, BBQ dinner and the Arabic shisha water pipe.
Dubai at Night Tour with Burj Khalifa Ticket
The Dubai at Night Tour lets you see the city in an entirely different light. This panoramic tour is famous for taking you closer to the most important landmarks in the city and showing them at their beautiful best, as they shine under the starry sky. The tour takes around 4 hours and it covers the city’s history, its charm and some of its top attractions such as the Dubai Marina, Downtown Boulevard, the Palm Islands, the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab. The main highlight of this tour is the Dubai Fountain, which is famous for its enchanting water displays.
Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in the world, is home to the world famous Dubai Shopping Festival. Spread over 12.1 million sq. ft of retail and entertainment space, the mall has more than 1200 stores, about 150 F&B outlets, a humongous aquarium, an ice skating rink, an indoor theme park and a dinosaur skeleton. It also has the first Bloomingdale outside the US and hosts most of the main European brands. Some of the top areas to visit include Fashion Avenue, a high fashion precinct spread over 440000 sq. ft., and The Souk, an indoor souk that is home to all sorts of gold and jewelry stores.
Jumeira Beach
The Jumeira Beach is located very close to the Burj Al Arab and is considered to be the best public beach in Dubai. It is always full of tourists and locals and is an ideal place for sun worshippers, water sports enthusiasts and beach lovers. There are round-the-clock lifeguards and the turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf are famous for being cool and calm. The beach is also home to numerous picnic and barbeque areas as well as a children’s playground.
Insider Tip – It becomes very hot in the afternoon, so the best time to visit the beach is in the mornings. You would want to be done with your trip to the beach by 11 AM. And don’t forget to carry plenty of sunscreen.
Private Full Day Tour to Abu Dhabi
Why cut short on your Dubai tours to visit Abu Dhabi when this exciting tour lets you enjoy the very best of the city in a single day! This tour starts at 08.30AM in the morning when you’re picked up at your hotel and ends late in the evening when you’re dropped back. It starts with a trip to the one of the largest mosques on the planet, the Sheik Zayed Mosque, and also takes you to popular attractions such as Ferrari World and the Formula 1 circuit. Other highlights include Heritage Village and Saadiyat Island.
Insider Tip – The Saadiyat Island shall soon host a cultural center which will feature a Guggenheim as well as The Louvre.
The following two tours are recommended:
Dubai is another paradise on earth. I love to visit there. Thank you for sharing this wonderful article. Very informative and very good pictures.
Thank you for your tips. Dubai is a place which provides a lot of options for gaming and entertainment with a lot of entertainment centers in the city. City Centre Deira has got a huge entertainment area http://www.citycentredeira.com/entertainment which provides more fun and enjoyment for all age groups. I have not visited the places mentioned here. I am planning to visit these places soon.