Visiting Dubai: Our 10 must-see places

Welcome to Dubai, one of the most surprising cities we have discovered! In just a few decades, this city has pushed into the desert and now radiates worldwide thanks to its size and extravagance. For a long time considered a «hub» to Asia, where one can spend 24 hours, today Dubai has enough to attract many visitors from all over the world who stay there for a full week. Shopping, fun activities and sports, entertainment of all kinds, tourist excursions, cultural events, themed festivals – there is something for everyone, but not necessarily for everyone’s budget! If you want to visit Dubai, here are our 10 must-see places to discover during your stay.

To get you into the mood, click on «play»!

The spectacular view from the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa

Welcome to «At The Top», the observation point of Burj Khalifa from which you can admire Dubai from 360° and up to 95 km around! The price is 30€ per person. We recommend booking online and choosing a visit time slot, because tickets bought on the same day are very expensive (about 100€). To get to the 124th floor, you will take one of the 57 elevators of the tallest tower in the world, some of which reach crazy speeds. This legendary tower, known worldwide, is the undisputed symbol of Dubai’s megalomania…

–> Click here to book your ticket to access and experience the experience.

Re-read the article on « The 10 digits on the Burj Khalifa that give vertigo« 

Shopping at the Dubai Mall

Want to have some fun girls? Go shopping at the largest shopping mall in the world! The Dubai Mall covers a total area of nearly 1.1 million m² comprising between ten and fifteen shopping centers within its walls, which total 836,000 m² of commercial surface and 1,200 boutiques. Just that! Among other things, you’ll find the world’s largest aquarium, more than 450 high-end fashion stores, an Olympic skating rink, waterfalls, a 22-screen movieplex, 120 restaurants, the largest candy store and a luxury hotel. The Address Dubai Mall.

Feel free to check out my article "What to bring back from a trip to Dubai" by clicking here

Visit one of the largest aquariums in the world

Let’s continue with the extravagance… It’s by visiting the Dubai Mall that you can admire one of the largest aquariums in the world… Nothing more normal in a shopping mall, let’s see 😉 You’ll be able to admire more than 220 different marine species, including sharks and rays. There’s even the possibility to swim with the sharks by participating in group dives! In total, there are more than 30,000 animals swimming in this giant aquarium that contains 10 million liters of water.

Price: Entrance fee starts at 16€ (70 AED), which includes the underwater zoo and the aquarium tunnel

Admire the fountains of Burj Khalifa

Meet at 18:00 in front of the artificial lake at the foot of Burj Khalifa to admire these spectacular dancing fountains. Admission is free and you can enjoy the show every 30 minutes. Did you know that the company that designed the installation, WET Design, is the same company that designed the famous fountains at Bellagio in Las Vegas? Here you can enjoy a real choreographed show with sounds and lights (world music, classical music, Arabic music, etc.); everything to take you to the seventh heaven with these fountains that reach a height of 150 meters!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoxxK-8MeWw

Discovering another side of Dubai
in the artistic neighborhood of Al Quoz

Dubai wants to show another facet than luxury and extravagance by focusing on artistic and cultural events. A real long-term investment to create an identity and forge the legend, the myth over the coming decades. During her trip to Dubai last March, Capucine attended the Design Dubai Days and Art Dubai festivals, two events that have become indispensable for design enthusiasts as well as for modern art and contemporary art, where one can discover new talents and young up-and-coming artists. Art Dubai has established itself in a few years as the largest international art fair in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

To discover this new artistic facet of Dubai, visit the Al Quoz neighborhood throughout the year; the former industrial warehouses are now home to art galleries.

There are many art galleries to visit, original concept stores, new-generation bars and restaurants (organic, organic, etc.).

Read the article again: our article: Dubai and art: the beginnings of a great love story

Deira: the old city of Dubai

After crossing Dubai Creek by abra, you are now in the old city of Dubai, more authentic, more noisy, more atypical and less organized than Downtown. Far from the skyscrapers and gigantic shopping malls, here you can discover the gold souk, spices, clothes and you will surely find some great bargains. You can also enjoy delicious local and Indian specialties. Don’t miss visiting the Dubai Museum which will allow you to better understand this ever-changing city and learn more about the evolution of this former fishing village over the centuries and decades.

A day in the desert of Dubai

Want to disconnect in the desert of Dubai for a day? Many companies like Platinium Heritage They offer desert safaris from Dubai. After just 45 minutes in a 4×4, the futuristic skyscrapers give way to the magnificent desert scenery with these giant dunes that stretch out of sight. You can, among other things, wander the desert on a camel, experience the thrills aboard a vintage Range Rover, watch a falconry show, enjoy a traditional dinner and even leave with a henna tattoo (ladies).

Parachute jump over Dubai

Extreme sports enthusiasts, take to the skies at an altitude of over 4,000 meters and take the plunge in tandem over Palm Jumeirah at over 200 km/h! Guaranteed thrills… We haven’t had the chance to experience this unique experience ourselves, but if we ever have the opportunity to make a stopover in Dubai, this activity will be high on the list! The company that organizes these activities is called Skydive Dubai, and the certified instructors have all completed nearly 220,000 jumps. You can take your first tandem jump, take classes, jump solo, and even participate in competitions.

More information about the skydive dubai

Unusual: Skiing in Dubai

Yes, you read that right: ski in Dubai! Dare the extreme and go from the unbearable heat of the desert to the minus temperatures, by heading for the snowy peaks of Dubai. In fact, it’s a peak enclosed in an immense dome measuring 4,000 m² in the heart of the Mall of the Emirates shopping center! Created in 2005, this artificial ski resort is one of the main attractions of Dubai because the experience is completely unusual. You can enjoy 5 slopes with several different slopes and one of them is up to 400 meters long. You can ski, snowboard, bobsleigh, sled and there is also a snowpark. Just like in a traditional ski resort, you’ll find the ski lifts, equipment rental and ski schools!

Click here to buy your pass 

Take a cruise on an abra, a traditional Dubai boat

Discover the true face of this megalopolis by taking a trip on one of the landing stages located in Dubai Creek for a ten-minute boat ride on an abra, a traditional wooden boat that is used every day by Dubais to get to work, meet friends or visit the souk. This is a chance to see Dubai and its skyscrapers from a new angle and to immerse yourself more fully in local life.

The crossing costs only 1 DH, or 20 cents in euros. If you want to prolong the experience, you can also rent a private abra for about 50 DH per hour and cruise at your own pace.

The journey begins now with this video from Dubai that will leave you speechless! Sit back, put on a big screen, and turn on 4K quality 🙂

Our tips for a trip to Dubai

• We offer you 25 euros on your first booking on the site Booking.com by clicking here
• We offer you 35 euros on your first booking on the site d’Airbnb.com by clicking here

Ideas for activities to do in Dubai