Dubai Travel Guide: Desert, Skyscrapers, and the World's Most Ambitious City

Dubai has built, in roughly 50 years, what other cities spent centuries assembling. In 1970, Dubai's population was around 60,000 and its economy was based on pearl diving and trade. Today it is a city of 3.5 million people, home to the world's tallest building, the world's largest shopping mall, an indoor ski slope in the desert, an artificial island visible from space, and a hospitality industry that generated over $5 billion in revenue in 2023. Whatever you think of the methods or the ambition, Dubai is genuinely unlike anywhere else on Earth, and its rapid transformation from fishing settlement to global metropolis is a spectacle worth witnessing firsthand.

The Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa rises to 828 metres across 163 floors and held more height records simultaneously at its completion in January 2010 than any previous building. The structure was designed by Adrian Smith at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, with a form inspired by the Hymenocallis desert flower, a spiral plan that reduces wind loads. At its peak during construction, 12,000 workers were on site daily.

Two public observation decks are open to visitors. The "At the Top" deck on floor 124 costs from AED 149 (around £30 or $40) for advance bookings, rising to AED 245 at the door. The "At the Top SKY" experience on floors 124 and 148 (the highest public viewing point in the world) costs AED 379–519, depending on the booking time. Sunset slots sell out weeks in advance; booking through the official Burj Khalifa website (burjkhalifa.ae) significantly reduces both the wait and the price compared to buying on arrival. The views are extraordinary: on clear days you can see the entire Dubai coastline, the Palm Jumeirah, and as far as the Hajar Mountains 100 kilometres away.

At the base of the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Fountain is the world's largest choreographed fountain system, with jets reaching up to 150 metres. Shows run every 30 minutes from 18:00 daily and are free to watch from the waterfront promenade around the Burj Lake.

Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall, connected to the Burj Khalifa by a covered walkway, contains 1,200 shops across 502,000 square metres of gross leasable area, making it the largest shopping mall in the world by total area. For most visitors, the shopping is secondary to the spectacle: the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo (AED 120–180 entry) sits inside the mall with a 10-million-litre tank containing thousands of aquatic animals including sand tiger sharks and giant rays. An ice rink, a VR Park, and a SEGA indoor theme park fill additional wings. The mall gets genuinely crowded on weekends; weekday mornings are far more manageable.

Old Dubai: Creek, Souks, and the Abra

The contrast between Dubai's hypermodern waterfront and its historic creek district (Deira and Bur Dubai, on opposite banks of the Dubai Creek) is one of the city's most striking features and one that many visitors miss entirely in the rush to the Burj.

The Dubai Creek (officially called Khor Dubai) has been the commercial heart of the city since the 18th century. The Deira Gold Souk, on the northern bank, is one of the largest gold markets in the world, with over 380 shops displaying an estimated 10 tonnes of gold jewellery at any one time. Prices are posted by weight based on the international gold price, which is displayed on a board at the entrance. Bargaining on workmanship is possible but the gold price itself is non-negotiable. Adjacent to it, the Deira Spice Souk sells frankincense, saffron, dried limes, sumac, and hundreds of other spices from across the Middle East and South Asia in an atmospheric covered alley.

The abra water taxi crosses the Creek between Deira and Bur Dubai for AED 1 per person. It remains one of the cheapest and most pleasurable ways to spend 5 minutes in Dubai, dodging wooden dhow freighters still in active commercial use loading goods for Iran and East Africa. On the Bur Dubai side, the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood (also called Bastakiya) preserves a grid of early 20th-century courtyard houses with distinctive wind towers, now converted into galleries, cafes, and small museums. The Dubai Museum, in the Al Fahidi Fort (1787), costs AED 3 per adult and provides a genuinely good introduction to pre-oil Dubai.

Desert Safari

A desert safari is one of the most popular activities in Dubai, and with good reason: the landscape of the Hajar Mountains' foothills and the red sand dunes of the Arabian Desert are only 45–60 minutes from central Dubai by 4x4. Most operators run afternoon departures that include dune bashing (high-speed 4x4 driving over steep dunes), camel riding, sandboarding, and a traditional Bedouin camp experience with dinner, henna painting, shisha, and performances of tanoura dance and fire shows.

Prices for a standard evening desert safari with dinner cost AED 250–350 per person (approximately £55–75 or $65–90) with pickup and return transfers from Dubai included. Premium experiences with a private camp and chef-prepared dinner cost AED 600–900 per person. Operators including Arabian Adventures, Platinum Heritage, and Absolute Adventure are well-established. Platinum Heritage differentiates with a more conservation-focused approach, using vintage Land Rovers and including a falconry demonstration; they are more expensive (from AED 500 per person) but their 5-star review track record justifies the premium.

Palm Jumeirah and the Atlantis

The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago built in the shape of a date palm tree, extending 5 kilometres into the Arabian Gulf. Construction began in 2001 using 94 million cubic metres of sand and 7 million tonnes of rock. The palm now hosts some of Dubai's most expensive real estate and the Atlantis resort at its tip, a landmark of pink Moorish-kitsch grandeur. The Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis (AED 365 for adults in 2024) is one of the best in the world by size and ride quality. Non-guests can access the Palm's beaches and restaurants via the Palm Monorail from the mainland (AED 20 return).

The Dubai Frame, opened in 2018 near Zabeel Park, is a 150-metre picture frame-shaped structure with an observation deck and a glass-floored sky bridge between the two towers. Entry costs AED 50 and the views frame both Old Dubai on one side and New Dubai on the other, which makes it a more photogenic than purely thrilling attraction. Queue time is generally under 20 minutes, unlike the Burj Khalifa.

Budget Reality and Practical Information

Budget: Dubai is significantly more expensive than most Asian destinations but broadly comparable to Western Europe. A mid-range daily budget (3-star or 4-star hotel, restaurant meals, a couple of paid attractions) runs around AED 550–1,100 per person per day (£120–240 or $150–300). Luxury travel in Dubai has essentially no ceiling: the Burj Al Arab, widely described as the world's only 7-star hotel, charges from AED 4,500 (around £970) per night for a standard suite.

Alcohol: Alcohol is legal in Dubai but only available in licensed venues: hotels, hotel restaurants and bars, and a small number of private members' clubs. It is not available in public spaces, restaurants without a hotel licence, or residential areas. The Dubai Duty Free shop at the airport allows residents to bring home limited quantities. Beer in a hotel bar typically costs AED 40–70 per pint.

Dress code: In tourist areas (malls, hotel zones, beach areas), Western dress is generally acceptable. In the Gold Souk, Spice Souk, Al Fahidi, and mosques, dress modestly: covered shoulders and knees are expected and appreciated. Swimwear is only appropriate at designated beach areas and pool settings.

Currency: The UAE dirham (AED) is pegged to the US dollar at 3.67 AED per USD. Credit cards are accepted almost universally in Dubai; cash is rarely necessary except for small purchases in the souks and the abra crossing.

Ramadan Etiquette

During Ramadan (the dates shift approximately 10 days earlier each year relative to the Gregorian calendar; in 2025 Ramadan begins around March 1), eating, drinking, and smoking in public during daylight hours is illegal for everyone in the UAE, including tourists. Hotels and malls have screened-off areas for non-Muslims to eat. Many restaurants open only from sunset. The atmosphere of Ramadan in Dubai is actually distinctive and worth experiencing: Iftar (the breaking of the fast at sunset) is a communal and generous occasion, with many hotels offering lavish Iftar buffets for AED 150–250 per person.

Best Time to Visit

November through March is the optimal visiting window, with daytime temperatures of 20–28°C and low humidity. April and October are shoulder season, still very pleasant in the evenings. May through September brings extreme heat (40–48°C) and very high humidity; outdoor activities become limited to early morning or evening, though hotel prices drop by 30–50% and indoor attractions remain fully operational. The Dubai Shopping Festival runs January to February and offers retail promotions and entertainment events across the city.

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