Best places to visit in Dubai

If you are thinking about a trip to Dubai, then this article may be useful for you to organize leisure activities and choose tourist locations in this city full of contrasts and amazing entertainment. Dubai will welcome you with bright sunshine in July and December, golden sands of luxurious beaches, warm sea, incredible interweaving of cultures and gastronomic diversity. It may not take a whole vacation to visit all the attractions of Dubai, so we’ll tell you about the most interesting locations that are definitely worth a visit.

The list of Dubai’s most recognizable symbols includes, among other things, the seven-star Burj Al Arab Jumeirah Hotel with stunning views of the Arabian Gulf. Its shape resembles the sail of a boat filled with wind from local dhow fishermen. With a height of 321 meters, it was considered the tallest hotel in the world until 2008.

The construction of the complex was completed in 1999 and marked the beginning of the formation of the UAE as a modern standard tourist destination not only in the Middle East, but also around the world.

In total, Burj al Arab has 202 two-storey rooms ranging from 169 to 780 square meters. The room type is suite only. The cost of one room per night varies from 1 thousand dollars per night to 30 thousand, depending on the room size and class.

The hotel has many restaurants, including the famous Al Mahara where you can dine surrounded by the marine life of a huge aquarium, Al Muntaha, with breathtaking panoramic views, and others.

At night, a fascinating light show is projected on its walls.

One of Dubai’s most iconic landmarks is Palm Jumeirah, the first artificial island in the city. Its name comes from its distinctive shape, which, when viewed from above, resembles a palm tree with sprawling fronds. The island is home to luxurious waterfront villas (many of which require prior permission for entry), as well as high-end shopping and entertainment venues, such as Nakheel Mall.

Among its standout attractions is the world-famous Burj Al Arab, a hotel designed in the shape of a sail. The best way to experience it up close is by booking a table at Burj Al Arab Restaurant. The island is also home to the Atlantis The Palm Dubai resort, featuring Aquaventure, the world’s largest water park, as well as The Pointe shopping and entertainment complex, which is currently undergoing a major renovation.

Other notable places include Jumeirah Hotel, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, and FIVE Palm, the go-to destination for those who love vibrant parties, music, and a lively atmosphere.

For the ultimate experience, consider cruising around Palm Jumeirah in a convertible—the open top adds to the sense of luxury and excitement!

Al Sunset Beach is decorated minimally: several umbrellas in the corporate style, an even location, and the absence of noisy entertainment. Despite this, it remains popular with tourists and locals. Admission is paid, but the cost does not exceed 300 dirhams, which is quite affordable by local standards.

There are no showers, changing rooms or toilets, but its main advantage is the stunning view of the Burj Al Arab, which is why the beach is often chosen for photo shoots.

It is located along the coast of Jumeirah, where you can also find many paid and free beaches. If you are planning a vacation here, you should bring a mat or towel, a hat and water.

Atlantis The Palm Dubai is a luxury resort covering 46 hectares, half of which is occupied by the world’s largest Aquaventure water park (22.5 hectares) with 105 slides and attractions.

Guests can also enjoy a two-kilometer sandy beach, a stylish White Beach Club, The Lost Chamber Aquarium, a dolphinarium, a sea lion observation center and many other entertainment options. A special pride of the hotel is the huge aquarium with 65,000 marine life, which can be seen directly from the lobby. The hotel has 1,548 rooms, including luxury suites for VIP guests.

The most exclusive of them is the Bridge Suite, located above the arch connecting the east and west wings of the complex.

Although Aquaventure has not become the largest water park in the world, its size is impressive. The water park has up to 30 unique slides and various water activities. Among them there is a two-kilometer Mountain River, an Artificial Sea swimming pool and several swimming pools for children and adults. The “Poseidon’s Revenge” attraction, the Atlantis slide and the “Leap into the Unknown” are particularly popular — a slide with an almost vertical ramp down which they descend in special capsules. The park territory is full of vegetation and decorated based on ancient Greek mythology. There are specially equipped areas for relaxing from the sun and drinking soft drinks.

The Pointe Shopping and entertainment complex is located opposite the famous Atlantis the Palm Hotel.

The complex consists of two parts, East Side and West Side, which are connected by a concert venue for various entertainment events. World-class stars performed at this venue, the first of which was Enrique Iglesias. The embankment is a one-and-a-half-kilometer area with stunning views of the Palm Jumeirah crescent and numerous restaurants and cafes from fast food chains to the most expensive and refined, clothing stores of famous brands, and supermarkets.

For young visitors, there is a Cheeky Monkeys children’s area with plenty of entertainment in the form of climbing walls, trampolines and all kinds of slides.

However, the highlight of the point is, of course, the world’s largest light and music fountain, The Palm Fountain.

The grandiose Palm Jumeirah Fountains complex was opened very recently, in 2020, thereby adding to the list of Dubai sites listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest fountain in the world.

It consists of giant floating platforms with an area of 14,000 square meters. The jets of water, illuminated by three thousand multi-colored LED lights, rise up to 105 meters to the most popular world music hits.

A lot of tourists and locals come to see this spectacle, and more than 20 light and music shows are presented to their attention. The fountain dance lasts 3 minutes, interrupted only for half an hour from 19:00 to midnight.

The man-made Bluewaters Island is located near the prestigious Dubai Marina location and just 300 meters from the Jumeirah Beach Residence. It was created in just 5 years in preparation for the international exhibition EXPO 2020.

Here you can see an interesting Dubai SuperTrees art object, these are large openwork structures in the form of trees, somewhat reminiscent of the futuristic gardens of Singapore. They look especially impressive in the dark, as they are illuminated by illumination. There is also a climbing platform, which is the highest in the world.

The Bluewaters Wharf entertainment and shopping cluster with 150 boutiques and entertainment venues is located in the central part of the island.

The main attraction of the area is the In Dubai Ferris Wheel, which has the status of the tallest in the world.

The Ain Dubai attraction officially opened on October 21, 2021. The giant wheel is a real decoration of the city, and the projection on its LED screen is visible from different parts of the city. The height of the wheel reaches 210 m, which is equivalent to a 57-storey skyscraper. There are forty-eight cabins on the “deck”, capable of accommodating 30 people each.

Thus, about 1,400 people can ride on the Ferris wheel at the same time. Ain Dubai makes a full turn in 38 minutes. Some cabins are equipped with bars (Ain Dubai Sky Bar).

The cozy cabins offer views of the whole of Dubai, its artificial islands and the Persian Gulf.

Unfortunately, the attraction was closed for maintenance in March 2022 and was recently reopened to visitors a couple of days ago.

The authorities expect that this attraction will be visited by about 3 million people a year in the future. This assumption does not seem too bold, because who would refuse to admire the unique views of one of the most beautiful cities from a bird’s-eye view.