Looking for thing things to do in Dubai? Beyond the skyscrapers and shopping malls, there are many Dubai attractions that will surprise you. Albeit, the malls, and skyscrapers are very impressive. From desert adventures to cultural encounters, beach escapes, and luxury experiences, Dubai has it all! Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and is one of the most exciting cities in the Middle East to visit.
Dubai is a city of the future, to say the least. Dubai has the world’s tallest building, the world’s tallest hotel, and the world’s tallest residential building. It houses the largest shopping mall in the world, the world’s largest aquarium, and the second-largest man-made marina on earth. Dubai is a city that people should see once in their lifetime but there are plenty of things to do in Dubai that will surprise you beyond the megacity malls and skyscrapers. Dubai has beaches, desert safaris, adventure, and activities. We think that Dubai is definitely a city built for the future of tourism. It is leading the way with seven-star and other luxury hotels attached to super malls where families can do everything they want on their vacations without leaving the complex.
But there is much more to Dubai than just the shopping and the manufactured experiences. We spent a week exploring and found that there were plenty of things to do in Dubai that were actually entertaining, exciting, and a lot of fun.
1. Go Up to The Burj Khalifa
Whenever we have the chance to go somewhere high, we take it and you cannot miss going up the world’s tallest building for a view of the city. The Burj Khalifa is at the top of all Dubai attractions. It is located in the heart of the city with gorgeous views. Take the high-speed elevator up 160 stories to see awe-inspiring views of Dubai. Be warned though, it’s crowded and once you’ve had a look at the city, there’s not a lot more to do up there. It is that famous building that Tom Cruise climbed during Mission Impossible and while standing outside the viewing platform, you gain a lot of respect for the man. That takes a lot of nerve. While the experience isn’t as good as other high-rise attractions we’ve taken around the world, you can’t visit Dubai without going up the elevator. Get your skip-the-line tickets to the 124th, 125th, and 148th floors of the Burj Khalifa. Zip past the security lines for optimal timing. This tour offers easy cancellation within 24 hours of departure .The Burj Khalifa doesn’t have the wow factor of Toronto’s CN Tower or even the Calgary Tower glass floor but if there is one thing to do in Dubai it is ticking off the bucket list of going up the world’s tallest building.
2. Explore The Dubai Marina
Downtown Dubai isn’t much of a walking city, but when you make your way to the Dubai Marina, it’s your chance to stroll along the promenade. There are coffee shops and restaurants surrounding the second-largest man-made marina in the world where you can book boat tours and dinner cruises from here. It was definitely our favourite place to hang out in the evening in Dubai.
Like all things in Dubai, it too is surrounded by mammoth skyscrapers and shopping malls that take your breath away. For one of the more thrilling things to do in Dubai, make your way to the Amwaj Towers to take a zip line over the marina to the Dubai Marina Mall. Dubai does everything bigger and better and this zipline is one of the steepest and fastest in the world. Reaching speeds of 80 km an hour, you’ll soar through the air for one kilometer.
This breakfast yacht tour is a great way to experience the decadence of travel in Dubai at an affordable price where you’ll enjoy a morning cruise with breakfast. (also available for a sunset bbq cruise). You’ll sail from the marina to Blue Water Island, the Dubai Eye, and views of Jumeira Beach, The Palm Jumeirah, and the Burj Al Arab.
3.To the Beach
Dubai has fabulous sandy beaches. Like all beach destinations, there are a lot of watersports to choose from and many beach chairs or free patches of sand to set up shop for the day to catch some rays. The famous Burj Al Arab towers over a public beach. If you are rich enough to stay there, go for it! It’s Dubai’s most luxurious accommodation being a 7-star hotel.
4. Dubai Mall: Explore
I know we didn’t rave about the malls in our opening paragraph, but it is a spectacle to see them. In fact, the malls are definitely the top Dubai attractions to add to your list. The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in the world with so much more than clothing stores and boutiques.The Dubai Mall houses the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo where you can even go diving with sharks, there’s a skating rink, waterfalls, and top-name brand clothing outlets where you can get lost for the day. You can even have a shark or may You can even take a gondola ride around Dubai lake just like you are transported to Venice.
5. Mall of Emirates
If you go to the Mall of the Emirates, you can go snowboarding or skiing at Ski Dubai, catch a movie or do some shopping. There are malls galore in Dubai and many hotels offer free shuttles to visit them where you can freely spend your hard-earned money. One of the coolest things we saw before going to Dubai was Ski Dubai – an indoor ski resort. Coming from Canada, it is totally a novelty to be able to ski indoors.Dubai takes everything to the next level and the malls of Dubai have everything you could possibly want in a holiday destination. From skiing to ice skating, water parks, and even scuba diving in a massive fish tank, you name it, Dubai has thought of it. You never have to leave the mall! Plus, you can relax in air conditioning to escape the Dubai heat as the desert temperatures soar outside.
6. Dubai Fountain Show
Just like the Bellagio in Vegas, Dubai has its own waterfall show at the Dubai Fountain. Only the fountain show in Dubai is bigger and better making it the top of all fountain shows in the world. Make sure to add going to the Dubai fountain to your list of must-see Dubai attractions.
Each night a display of water and light runs for 10 minutes every half an hour until midnight. The songs, light show, and choreography change again and again so you never have to see the same show twice. Pick a seat and have a drink at one of the restaurants on the lake where the show is located or get there 10 minutes early for a front-row premium spot right at the fence. I really enjoyed the show myself.
7. Take a Scenic Flight
A scenic flight also offers amazing views of the Dubai skyline and the Persian Gulf coast. We found that Dubai was so spread out it was difficult to really take in the views of the skyscrapers from different vantage points, but a flight fixed that problem. Being on a scenic flight allowed me to see all of the magnificent modern architecture in the city.
8. Palm Jumeirah
Dubai is a city that’s definitely meant to be seen by air. A bird’s eye of The Palm Jumeirah is astounding. This engineering feat is difficult to comprehend as Dubai has built an extra 650km of coastline for its residents to work and play. There’s also a map of The World with hundreds of man-made islands waiting to be developed 14 km off the shore of Dubai. The Palm Jumeirah is a wonder of the modern world. This archipelago of islands juts out into the Persian Gulf and is completely man-made.
9.Aquaventure Waterpark
Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of Atlantis Dubai, but you don’t have to break the bank to stay there. Visitors can buy a pass to play in Dubai’s top-rated attraction. It is the world’s largest waterpark with world-record-holding waterslides for thrill-seekers, and it houses Dubai’s largest aquarium. Just make sure you DON’T swim with the dolphins. That’s not cool. The Lost Chambers Aquarium houses 65,000 marine animals.
Dubai Water Parks
Dubai is the epicenter of water parks. Perhaps it’s the hot Dubai heat or just the sheer amount of money that goes through the city, but each water park keeps getting bigger and better. Here are a few of the top water parks in Dubai.
- Wild Wadi – This is the original Dubai water park located beside Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Burj Al Arab
- Laguna Waterpark – Located on the beach in La Mer it Laguna Water Park has four zones for fun, relaxation, slides, surf and splash.
If you aren’t staying at the Atlantis, you can book this Speedboat tour to take in the skyline as you cruise along the Persian Gulf to see Palm Jumeirah and Atlantis Hotel, and Bluewater Island.
10. Wander Through The Souks
Dubai is a new city and it’s difficult to believe that there is somewhere that feels old, but the souks located in the old town actually do feel a lot like other souks we’ve visited in the Middle East. The Souks are divided up and if you take a tour of Dubai, you will easily be able to visit many Dubai attractions in the old city including the gold souk, and the spice souks, and pick up some fantastic souvenirs.The souks were fascinating to visit. They are busy and filled with shoppers. We were told that 20% of the world’s gold passes through the Gold Souk. I can only imagine how rich the people were walking these alleys. Get lost in the alleyways and streets that you can get lost in while shopping and exploring your way through a fast-disappearing Middle Eastern culture in Dubai.
11. Jumeirah Mosque
Jumeirah Mosque is the only mosque open to non-Muslims in Dubai making it one of the top Dubai attractions. We visited this on an organized tour, but you can book one of the guided tours that happen daily at 10 and 2 pm. (It is closed on Fridays). Make sure you are properly dressed when visiting any mosque or place of worship keeping legs and shoulders covered.
12.Dubai Creek
Make sure to take the water taxi along Dubai Creek, it’s a great affordable way to explore the old part of town. Dubai Creek is divided into two parts, Deira and Bur Dubai. We took a full-day tour of Dubai and it really allowed us to see a lot of the highlights of the city and the top Dubai attractions including this historic part of the city. Our favorite part of Dubai was going into the historic city.
From Mosques to the Dubai Heritage Village, to river cruises and Bazaars, it is a great place to spend an afternoon. This guided walking tour allowed us to discover Old Dubai, the Spice Souk, Bur Dubai Souk, and the Fahidi district. We also had the chance to take a boat ride an abra boat, the oldest transportation in Dubai.
13.Desert Conservation Reserve
If you want to see some wildlife, you are almost guaranteed to see Arabian oxen (oryx) gathering at the watering hole on a Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve Tour. There are plenty of camels walking through the desert (all are domesticated) but they are still amazing to see, and you may catch sight of birds of prey. The tour we took offered a birds of prey show in the desert. We didn’t love this part of it as we aren’t fans of birds in captivity, but we did love seeing the animals in their natural habitat.
14. Falcon Show
We did not enjoy the birds of prey show learning how they raise falcons. Using falcons is an extinct way of hunting in Dubai and is simply cruel to keep birds locked in a cage with a bag over their head simply for the pleasure of watching them catch pieces of meat that they throw in the air. It’s not my idea of fun and I wouldn’t recommend it. But the conservation area alone was fantastic.
15. Dubai Frame
Want to see the most Instagram Mable spot in Dubai? Be sure to check one of the newest Dubai attractions when you visit the city. The massive picture frame stands 500 feet tall and is the highest picture frame in the world. Guests can take an elevator up to the top for panoramic views of the city as they walk along the clear glass bridge that spans 313 feet. The tour includes stops at The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah, and Atlantis plus the Blue Mosque. You’ll also explore the gold and spice souks allowing you to experience views of both the old side and new side of the city from the Dubai Frame.
