Dubai is one of the most recognizable premium travel destinations in the world. It is a city of luxurious shopping malls, tall skyscrapers, and expansive deserts. Within three decades, Dubai has transformed into a popular destination du-jour, with visitors flocking to take advantage of sales bargains, family fun, and sunshine.
Despite being just 35 square kilometers, Dubai has a lot to offer in terms of attractions and entertaining things to do. Today I am going to walk you through the most incredible places you must visit in this glitzy United Arab Emirates travel destination.
Visit Dubai Aquarium
Housing 140 species of aquatic animals, Dubai Aquarium is one of the city’s leading tourist hot spots and it involves a massive suspended reservoir on the ground floor of the famous Dubai Mall.
Visitors can view some sections of the aquarium for free, but the highlight is visiting the Underwater Zoo for three-story, 270 degrees vistas along the extending glass-panel tunnels.
You can enjoy a wide range of marine life as well as a vast amount of aquatic experiences and close-up encounters with marine animals, including feeding eagle rays and driving with tiger sharks and reefs.
Dubai Mall
Located just above Dubai Aquarium, you do not need to leave the building to visit Dubai Mall. This mall attracts people from across the world looking for shopping bargains since it offers endless shopping opportunities with over 1200 shops as well as numerous dining options if you want to re-energize before you continue your shopping spree.
Dubai Mall is such a delight and you wouldn’t want to miss shopping there, with international brands like Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel, Burberry, and Amani among others, lining up the stalls.
But before you go, I should warn you that Dubai Mall tends to host regular live shows like fashion shows and music concerts. While these events are worth your time, the area can be pretty crowded.
Souks of Deira
For something more traditional and cultural, head over to Deira souks located north of Dubai Creek. The twisting streets here divulge the melting pot of a variety of nationalities that migrated to Dubai.
Lining up the shore of the creek are modem office buildings, hotels, and banks with constant sight of ancient dhows loading and unloading.
Deira is known for its traditional markets or souks, which bustle with buyers and sellers 24/7. Deira Gold Souk is the largest renowned gold bazaar.
If you are looking for spices, The Deira Spice Souk deals in all spices under the sun, with stalls swarming with bags of cumin, frankincense, paprika, saffron, thyme, and sumac just to name a few, along with rose water, fragrant oud wood, and incense.
Aquaventure Waterpark
Located at Atlantis, The Palm on the Palm Jumeirah, this water park provides the best spot to cool off after touring Dubai – one of the hottest cities in the world.
The waterslide here is world-class and one of the best, with the longest slide in the world – the Aquaconda, providing a nine-story high slide.
In addition to slides, visitors can also enjoy underwater safaris at a dedicated water play spot for younger kids with slides.
Dubai Frame
One of the most photographed structures in the world, a trip to Dubai is not complete without taking a snap of Dubai Frame. It is located between the older neighborhood and modern skyscrapers, standing 150 meters high.
Inside this frame, you will discover the history of the city through the years before you climb up the Sky Deck where you will be greeted with some incredible views of the city – both new and old.
Afterward, head over to Future Dubai gallery for a futuristic vision of what the city will look like in the coming decades.
Desert Safari
It is incredible how Dubai blends the sea, modern skyline, and expansive deserts. In fact, you don’t need to travel for kilometers to witness this metamorphosis – it takes around a 35-minute drive from the coastline to the desert.
A one-day round trip will get you to the desert and dune fields protected under the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve as well as the orange-colored sandbanks of Maleha in the Emirate of Sharjah.
The desert safari incorporates a number of activities including sand boarding, 4WD safaris, camel rides, and traditional Arabian falconry displays as well as some desert banquets under the night stars.
Burj Khalifa
The easiest landmark to spot and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, Burj Khalifa is well-known for being the tallest skyscraper in the world as well as the epitome of a man-made marvel.
One of the must-visit places in the city, this incredible edifice boasts some of the world’s top-rated hotels and restaurants as well as the tallest observation deck in the world. The night’s darkness and the building lights transform Burj Khalifa into a different spectacle.
The observation deck on the 124th floor offers visitors a chance to watch the dazzling views of the Dubai skyline up to 95 kilometers farther. In fact, you can see the shadowy outline of Iran from the observation deck on Burj Khalifa.
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