Things to Do in Dubai: Attractions, Tours and Experiences

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, 828 meters, with an observation deck on floors 124–125 or on floor 148. Dubai Frame is a giant picture frame with a glass floor, showing Old Dubai on one side and the new on the other. Anyone who wants to see it all from above can choose a helicopter flight of 12, 17 or 22 minutes over the Palm, Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa.

A desert safari includes jeeps in the dunes, a sunset and dinner at a camp, and there are versions for the evening, for the morning, with an overnight stay in the desert or in a private jeep. Cruises & Yachts offers a dhow in the old Creek or in the Marina with dinner on the water, or a private yacht. On the Fountain Promenade you can watch the show from a 272-meter floating promenade or from a wooden abra cruise on the lake. Aquaventure is the Atlantis water park, with a beach and a lazy river.

Dubai Aquarium includes a tunnel that passes under sharks and stingrays and an underwater zoo on the floor above. Ski Dubai is real snow inside a mall, with sleds and tubes and a ski slope for those who already know how to ski.

A Dubai city tour connects the Creek, Al Fahidi, Jumeirah Mosque, Burj Al Arab and Dubai Frame. Old Dubai and the Abra Creek Cruise include the alleys of Al Fahidi with the wind towers, the Al Seef promenade and a crossing of the Creek on a wooden abra. A hop-on hop-off tourist bus goes between the main sites, and you get on and off as much as you like while the ticket is valid. Dubai Marina and JBR Beach suit a walk along the canal and a yacht cruise, and on a night tour you can see the lit skyline and Madinat Jumeirah.

At a cultural meal at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding you sit on cushions in the courtyard of a wind tower house in Al Fahidi, taste Emirati food and ask an Emirati host about life and customs. Wonder Bus is an amphibious bus that drives through Old Dubai and then dives into the Creek.