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
Region · Dubai
Hatta
Hatta belongs to Dubai but sits two hours inland in the Hajar foothills, an exclave surrounded by Sharjah and Oman. The dam there makes a green reservoir that is kayaked rather than swum, the heritage village reconstructs the pre-oil settlement, and the temperature is several degrees below the coast.
What marks it out
- Hatta Dam, kayaked on green water
- The heritage village, rebuilt as it stood
- Mountain-bike trails, graded and signed
Getting there
About two hours from Dubai city. The road passes through Omani territory on one route — carry passports or take the signed inland road.
Loading the map…
24.8000, 56.1170
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
Regions
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