Best Things to Do in Dubai

The best trip to Dubai alternates the heritage lanes of the Creek with the engineering landmarks of Downtown and the coast. Here are the ten experiences that define a visit.

1. Crossing Dubai Creek on a wooden abra. Pay the traditional coin fare on the dock at Bur Dubai or Al Sabkha to sit on the wooden bench of a motorised abra water taxi as seagulls wheel overhead and painted cargo dhows unload along the wharf.
2. Walking Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and Al Shindagha. Wander the sand-coloured coral-and-gypsum alleys cooled by traditional wind towers (barjeel), visit the Coffee Museum and Perfume House, and join a cultural meal at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU).
3. Burj Khalifa and the evening Dubai Fountain show. Ride the high-speed lift to the observation decks on Levels 124 and 125 (or Level 148) of the 828-metre tower, then watch the choreographed water jets on Burj Lake from the Souk Al Bahar bridge or a lake boat.
4. The Museum of the Future. Step inside the stainless-steel torus ring carved with monumental Arabic calligraphy by Mattar Bin Lahej on Sheikh Zayed Road; book your timed ticket weeks ahead.
5. Conservation desert safari and stargazing. Skip overcrowded quad-bike compounds and book an afternoon drive into the protected Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve to spot native Arabian oryx and gazelles among red sand dunes before dinner under the stars.
6. The View at The Palm (Palm Tower, Level 52). The only viewpoint where you can clearly see the geometric palm-tree fronds and outer crescent of Palm Jumeirah laid out below you, reached via the Palm Monorail.
7. Jumeirah Mosque Open Doors visit. One of the few mosques in Dubai open to non-Muslim visitors for guided cultural mornings, built in white Fatimid stone with twin minarets.
8. Kite Beach and Umm Suqeim at sunset. Walk the wide white-sand public beach track where kitesurfers ride the afternoon breeze with the sail-shaped silhouette of the Burj Al Arab in the background.
9. An evening walk around Dubai Marina and Bluewaters. Follow the seven-kilometre traffic-free Marina Walk loop past moored yachts and cross the pedestrian bridge from JBR to Bluewaters Island.
10. A day trip to Abu Dhabi. Ride 90 minutes south-west to see the white marble domes of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Jean Nouvel's domed Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island.