Things to do in Dubai - The Top 5

With the world’s leading shopping malls, sun-kissed beaches and record breaking buildings, you’ll never be short of things to do in Dubai. There are countless attractions we could have included here, but after much though, we’ve narrowed it down to the following top five:

1) Shop till you drop

Dubai does retail therapy like nowhere else on earth with extravagant malls dotted all over the city. The Dubai Mall is home to over 1,200 stores, not to mention a vast indoor aquarium. It’s genuinely a place to spend a whole day with ice-skating, huge cinemas and an underwater zoo in amongst the plethora of shops.

Mall of the Emirates is almost a shopping resort with 466 shops to visit and tonnes of activities for kids. Burjuman is the home of high-end fashion with Cartier, Chanel and Luis Vuitton just some of the big names on offer – there are 40 restaurants and cafes for shopping breaks. Deira City Centre on the waterfront is renowned for its friendly service and attracts around 20 million visitors a year. Here you can get local specialities like silk and cashmere as well as the latest fashion and electronics.

2) Visit the souks

A world away from Dubai’s signature state-of-the-art architecture, one of the most interesting things to do in Dubai is visiting a souk. Dubai’s souks offer a fascinating glimpse of more traditional Arab life. The Deira area of the city is home to a bewildering array of souks specialising in produce as diverse as gold, fish, spice and textiles. The souks will usually open from 9am until 10pm, with the exception of the fish market which opens from 5am till 11am. Whatever takes your fancy, be prepared to haggle down a price!

Plenty of bargains to be had in the Gold Souk

3) See the world’s tallest building

The Burj Khalifa is awe-inspiringly huge and towers over its nearest rival by 644ft. It currently holds six other world records including ‘tallest occupied floor’ and ‘highest number of stories in the world’. Even if you can’t afford the incredibly expensive Armani Hotel, be sure to visit the observation deck for a majestic view over the city.

4) Hit the beach

The sun is almost always shining in Dubai with temperatures around 25 ºC in winter that rise to over 40ºC at the height of summer. Some of the best stretches of sand are taken up by beach clubs like Club Joumana and Club Mina. The advantage of paying for these is the access to swimming pools and resort facilities. A day at Club Joumana will cost Dhs220 for an adult, with children under 12 half price.

For those looking for a cheaper option, there are plenty of free sun-kissed beaches to choose from too. JBR Beach is just a stone’s throw from The Walk and is a convenient option for catching some rays with amenities close at hand. Jumeirah Open Beach was Dubai’s original public beach and is still a great place to swim and sunbathe.

The famous Jumeirah Beach

5) 6-D cinema

A new addition to the list of things to do in Dubai, the emirate’s first 6-D cinema takes watching a film to new levels of realism and is a great place to spend a few hours out of the sun. Not only do the dinosaurs in Lost World lurch towards you, you can feel splashes of their saliva on your face and the cinema seats swing backwards and forwards like a theme park ride. Other immersive films include: Happy Feet, Space Race and Rollercoaster.

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