Dubai places to visit, Things To Do İn Dubai

Dubai is a city state and one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates UAE. It is the second largest in terms of land and the largest in population. Dubai ranks 7th amongst the most visited tourist destinations of the world. It is expected to attract around 15 million visitors in 2020.It has liberal social policies and is the most modern of the emirates.

Just a few hours flying time from Europe and South Asia, it is ideally located for tourists looking for a convenient break. The emirate’s huge construction boom includes many superb hotels, world-renowned buildings and high-end luxury homes. The rulers have deliberately set out to create superb infrastructure and first-class tourist amenities. The goal is to achieve premier status in the tourist and trade sectors.

Dubai has very quickly established a name for itself as a great destination for shopping, partying, fine dining and sporting activities. There are many things to see and do in Dubai.  Some of its attractions are:

• Desert Safari

Also known as Dune Bashing, you head out in an SUV/4×4/Hummer driven by specialist drivers.  The drive is an exhilarating roller-coaster off-road expedition over picturesque sand dunes.

• Dubai City Sightseeing Tours

One fun way to see this modern city of soaring skyscrapers is to take a bus tour. Drive past or stop at the Dubai Museum, Al Fahidi Fort and the Spice Souk. You will get to see the world’s tallest building – the Burj Dubai, Burj Al Arab and visit the Palm Jumeirah. You could also take a Hop-on-Hop Off Tour of Dubai.

• Dubai Fountains

This water feature is the work of the creators of the Fountains of Bellagio, Las Vegas. It spurts water as high as 500 feet and is synchronised to music. The fountains are located on the Burj Khalifa Lake and do their thing every day.

• Burj Khalifa

The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa has an outdoor observation deck on the 124th floor equipped with a telescope. The views of the surrounding desert and city are absolutely stunning.

The Burj Dubai tower, the tallest building in the world, opened today in Dubai. Here you can find interesting Burj Dubai facts and figures in one place.

• Burj Dubai has actually changed name to Burj Khalifa on its opening day on Jan 4th, 2009;
• The Burj Dubai is  828 meters or 2,717 ft tall, making it the tallest building in the world;
• It is more than twice as high as the Paris Eiffel Tower;
• The Burj Dubai has 164 stories, the largest number of stories in the world;
• It also has the fastest elevators in the world at 60 km/h (40 mph), taking less than 60 seconds to 124th floor and 2 minutes to the top. There are 57 elevators.
• The Burj Dubai opening ceremony boasted the highest fireworks in the world;
• It cost about 1B EUR (1.5B US$, Dh 5.5B);
• Visitor tickest to the Burj Dubai are priced at Dh100 to go up to 124th floor (Dh75 kids, Dh210 VIP pass);
• The Burj Dubai has 500k square meters of living space sold at 30,000 EUR (40,000$) per square meter ($4,000 per sq ft);
• Despite the price, the Burj Dubai is mostly presold with only 26% vacant on its opening day;
• The Burj Dubai boasts the world’s highest swimming pool on level 76 and the world’s highest mosque on level 158;
• It only took 5 years of construction;
• It was build by Samsung Engineering Construction of Korea;

• Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab is the fourth tallest hotel and (arguably) the only seven star luxury hotel in the world. The building resembles the dhow. The building stands on an artificial island just off Jumeirah Beach and opened in December 1999.

Wild Wadi Water Park

The Park is an ultra-modern water activity complex located in the Jumeirah area of Dubai and next to the Burj Al Arab. It has 30 rides including a hot and cool wave pool, water slides, artificial surfing machines and a waterfall. It also has shops, restaurants and snack stands.

Dubai Creek

The original settlement of the city came up around this picturesque creek, which is still the heart and lifeline of the place. You can take a small water taxi (abra) along the creek and see the old historic city and trading wharfs; weave among the dhows that still sail the Arabian Sea as they load and unload goods from India, Africa and other Middle Eastern ports; walk along the shores and get a closer experience of the heritage of this now modern city. You could rent a boat and have dinner whilst cruising up and down the creek.

• Palm Island

This icon to luxury and everything fashionable has world famous hotels, shopping malls, spas, pools, gardens and wide selection of fine dining restaurants. There are miles of beach front lined with bars, clubs, theme parks and all forms of entertainment.

• Dubai Marina

A recent addition to the Dubai attractions, the marina has great views, boat rides, casual and fine dining restaurants. Stretching along three and a half kilometres, the marina is the largest man-made marina in the world, where you will find the gleaming yachts of the super rich.  In the evening the marina turns into a magical place. The lights and shapes of some of the world’s most iconic buildings add to its allure.

• Ski Dubai

Ski Dubai is the third largest indoor ski slope in the world. It has a chair lift and 6,000 tonnes of snow for your skiing pleasure. There are practice jumps, racks and other aids to help you learn the basics. You can also snowboard and toboggan down its slopes. All this snow – all year round!

Other attractions and activities can be accessed at Jumeira Beach and Park, Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo and Dolphin Bay – the world’s largest dolphin habitat.

• Travel back to the Dubai
•  of 1962

People who enjoy learning about the history of their holiday destination can visit a fascinating exhibition of photography during Dubai tours this year.

Entitled Dubai 1962, the display will be open at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre from May 6th to 26th.

It showcases a series of photographs that were taken by a Japanese reporter 47 years ago, offering a fascinating look at a location that would grow into one of the world’s most dynamic and groundbreaking cities.

The images provide a narrative for the reporter’s journey as he visited the local fish market, took a boat ride on the creek and encountered Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former ruler of Dubai.

According to the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, a "harsh but vibrant way of life" is explored in the black and white pictures, presenting a stark contrast to the destination that so many travellers are familiar with today.

During their tours of Dubai, visitors can appreciate the scale of the city’s achievement in recent decades by taking in sights such as the iconic Burj al Arab hotel and the under-construction Burj Dubai, which is already the world’s tallest structure.

Dubai – A true modern metropolis Dubai boasts a fine range of tourist facilities including the refined Burj al Arab hotel.