Top 10 Things to Do in Dubai

Using this list

Ten of Dubai's landmark experiences as a checklist — towers, malls, desert, and old city. Dubai is spread along a coastal strip rather than clustered around a centre, so plan around distance.

Book the Burj Khalifa, and pick your slot carefully

Tickets are timed and sunset slots are the most expensive and sell out furthest ahead. They're also the best — daylight, dusk, and the city lit, from the same visit.

The Dubai Fountain show below runs on a schedule through the evening and is free to watch.

The old city is the part people skip

Al Fahidi, the Dubai Creek, the gold and spice souks, and an abra across the water for a fraction of a pound. It's the counterweight to the malls and towers, and it's the part most visitors say they wish they'd given more time.

Time your visit around the heat

Between roughly June and September, daytime temperatures make outdoor plans genuinely unpleasant and occasionally unsafe. Outdoor activities belong to early morning and evening; the middle of the day belongs indoors. The cooler months, November to March, are when the city is at its best.

Know the local norms

Dress modestly away from beaches and hotels, particularly at religious sites and in older districts. Public drinking is restricted to licensed venues. Ramadan changes opening hours and daytime eating in public.

Practicalities

The Metro is cheap and covers the main corridor; taxis are plentiful for everything off it.

Timing

Run it plain, or add due dates from your arrival date.