Dubai · Arts & museums
Burj Khalifa at the hour it turns gold
828 metres, and from level 148 the desert and the sea are both in the same frame. Sunset slots go first, so book the day you decide.
90 minutesAED 179 from
Neighbourhood · Dubai
Downtown Dubai
Downtown is the district built around Burj Khalifa, and it is the one part of the city designed to be walked between buildings rather than driven: a boulevard, a lake with the fountain on it, and the mall and the opera house on either side. Everything here is timed-entry, so it belongs in an itinerary at a stated hour.
What marks it out
- Burj Khalifa's observation levels, booked by the hour
- The fountain on the lake, on the half hour after dark
- Dubai Opera, a working house rather than a landmark
Getting there
Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall metro station, then a covered walkway that matters in summer.
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25.1972, 55.2744
Dubai
Experiences in this emirate
Dubai · Heritage & forts
Cross the Creek by abra
A wooden boat, a bench, a coin, and the oldest working commute in the city. Spice souk on one bank, gold on the other.
20 minutesAED 1 from
Dubai · Mountains & adventure
Kayak the Hatta dam
Turquoise water held between bare Hajar rock, ninety minutes from the skyline. Go early: the wind picks up after eleven.
Half dayAED 120 from
What's on
What is on in this emirate
Shopping & city
Dubai Shopping Festival
December to January
The retail festival that reshaped the region's winter season: city-wide sales, nightly fireworks and open-air concerts.
Free entry · elements ticketed
Entry to the festival and the city-wide sales is free. The concerts and the ticketed attractions inside it are sold separately.
Dubai
Sport
Dubai World Cup
Late March
The richest day in world racing, at Meydan, and the closing night of a carnival that runs from January.
Ticketed
Enclosures and hospitality are sold by the racecourse, and the raceday fills long before the date.
Dubai
Neighbourhoods
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