Dubai is an incredible city, one I recommend everyone go to at least once! The infrastructure is breathtaking, and there are so many amazing things that will keep you entertained.
Everything in this post was correctly priced and timed in January 2020 so please check out the websites linked to keep up to date!
Feel free to check out other posts which may be of help to you, like travelling with anxiety and helping with homesickness.
So let’s get on with the things you must do in Dubai!
1. Experience a Desert Safari
When I was in Dubai, I went with Destination Insight, a company I highly recommend.
We did a quad biking adventure which consisted of an hour quad biking in the desert, dune bashing in a 4 by 4, breakfast and sand boarding!
Overall, this took us about 5 hours, including the 2 hours driving from our hotel. It was incredible and something I’ll never forget.
It was 1,900 AED for 5 of us on this adventure.
2. Explore and eat at Dubai Mall
When I first entered Dubai Mall, I couldn’t stop myself from gaping in awe; it was beautiful!
We were there for 3 hours easily, and we only explored about 1/3 of the mall so we had to go back to see the aquarium (I’ll mention more about this later!) and try more delicious cake shops. If you get the chance to go to Dubai Mall, be sure to check out Gran Caffé as they do the most delicious french toast!
I will have a blog post coming soon, but be sure you wear respectable clothing when out in public so no shoulders, knees or cleavage showing.
From Gran Caffé, you can also witness the Fountain Show which leads us onto number 3.
3. Watch the Fountain Show
As I said previously, this can be witnessed from the cafe, but there is also a viewing area on ground level.
The fountain show starts at 6pm and runs every half an hour until 11pm and it’s free to watch. It is breathtaking to watch as it spans the whole of the canal and is so intricately designed; it almost looks like people dancing!
When the fountain show isn’t happening, you can also go on a little boat ride!
4. Go to the top of the Burj Khalifa
To me, this is the biggest attraction in Dubai. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world! The view from the top is absolutely incredible, the city of Dubai just looks tiny. Not only can you see the whole city, but also a huge expanse of the surrounding desert.
There are 3 floors you can visit, the highest being 148. You reach the floors by going up the fastest lift in the world with 2 floors passing by every second.
To get to floor 148, it is 360AED (£72), but you can also visit floor 124 and 125 for 130AED (£26).
5. Visit the Global Village
The Global Village is an attraction I wasn’t aware of until I arrived in Dubai and actually drove past it. Inside of the global village are attractions from over 40 countries across the world from London to Russia to Azerbaijan.
Tickets are 15AED (£3) per person and you could easily spend hours in here! You can try a variety of cuisines, see some beautiful sights and just have a great evening. It is open from 4pm.
6. Have a fun day at the Atlantis Water Park
On the Jumeirah Palm, commonly called the eighth wonder of the world, is the Atlantis. Not only is this a hotel, but it’s also a water park!
Tickets to the waterpark start from 169AED (£33) for a one day adult pass, but you’ll probably want longer here! The park has lots of rides, an aquarium, places to eat and places for young children to splash around.
It’s a must do for families!
7. Awe at the Garden Glow
The Garden Glow is an amazing evening adventure. Not only is it romantic for couples, but there are some amazing sights for children too, like the Dino Park!
It takes approximately 2-3 hours to wonder around the main park and the dino park, which costs 65AED (£13), but for an additional cost, you can also see the ice and art park!
This changes yearly so it’s something you can come back to and it’ll be new!
8. Take in the Dubai Aquarium
If you want to go inside the aquarium, be prepared to queue for hours because it is a very popular attraction in the Mall. Due to this, I didn’t go inside myself, but simply watching the tank from the outside is incredible. From the outside, you can see a huge variety of fish, sharks and sting rays! We also witnessed some divers going into the tank doing target training with some of the animals.
Entry to the aquarium is 149AED (£30) and you can just wonder through, or you can pay extra to have an experience like watching the penguins.
I hope this blog post helps you decide what to do while you’re in Dubai, or maybe inspire you to go!
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