Last Updated on November 20, 2025 by Ioana
I loved Dubai. It’s such a city of contrasts in the Middle East. It has everything from desert adventures, a wildlife sanctuary, Old Dubai where you can learn about the local culture to New Dubai where you can enjoy world-class shopping, man-made islands, and the world’s tallest building. In this blog post I will share everything on my Dubai bucket list to help you plan your trip. This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Find out more here.
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Marvel at Dubai’s skyline from the SkyViews observation deck
The Dubai skyline is gorgeous. So if you like to see a city from above, you must go to the SkyViews observation deck. This observation deck is about a 10 minute walk from Dubai Mall.
There is an indoor air conditioned tunnel that links Dubai Mall to SkyViews, so it’s very easy to go to Dubai Mall after.
My experience at the SkyViews observation deck
The observation deck is 360, but it’s indoors. Which is a great idea considering the temperatures in Dubai. You will take an elevator to the 53rd floor. there you can look at the views with all the high-rise buildings and artificial islands.
And then the coolest thing is that you can go down a glass slide from the 53rd to the 52nd floor. You have to sit on a special mat that slides easily.
It might sounds scary, but the mat is made in such a way that your speed is never too high. I loved the experience and I thought it was really fun!
Make sure you watch the view outside as you slide down. It’s gorgeous. You can only go down the slide once. I wish they let you buy additional passes because I would have done it again.
There will be a queue for the slide, but it moves fast. I think I only waited about 10 minutes for my turn, so not too bad.
Then on the 52nd floor it’s a 360 observation deck where you can take pictures with the view. If you take pictures at the first few windows as you enter the room you will be able to have Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in your background.
You can also walk on a glass floor here. And of course, you can sit down on the glass floor to take some cool pictures.
Tickets for SkyViews
You can buy tickets for SkyViews online in advance of your trip or at their ticket booth. If you visit during peak season, I encourage you to buy your tickets in advance since it’s a very popular tourist destination and it might be sold out on the day you plan on going.
👉Click here to book your Sky Views tickets
I got my tickets through the hotel I stayed at, Rove Downtown. When I booked my hotel stay, they had a promotion which included free tickets to SkyViews. So make sure to check what promotions hotels offer when you plan on visiting.
Go to the Burj Khalifa observation deck
Another great observation deck in Dubai is right in Burj Khalifa, one of Dubai’s top attractions. I opted to go to Sky Views instead because I wanted to have a view of Burj Khalifa.
But if you want to be inside the tallest building in the world, then you should definitely go here.
Go on a luxury yacht tour with BBQ option
If you want to be on the water while in Dubai, make sure you go on a luxury yacht tour. These yachts have wifi, soft drinks, a bar on board. And you can also pick an option that has breakfast or a BBQ.
It’s a great option if you want to enjoy the views of Dubai from the water and have fun with family and friends on a boat.
Interact with dolphins at Dubai’s Aquaventure Waterpark
The Atlantis The Palm has a large waterpark. It has a lot of slides for you to have some water fun and soak up the Dubai sun. And here you can also interact with dolphins in shallow water.
Go on a helicopter ride
If you want to see Dubai from above, you can go on a helicopter ride. You can pick the length of the ride, which can be as short as 12 minutes and as long as 1 hour.
Watch the Dubai fountain show
The Dubai fountain is right by Dubai Mall. It has incredible shows where the water dances with music. They have day time fountain shows at 1pm and 1:30pm, and nigh time shows every 30 minutes from 6pm to 11pm.
The show lasts 5 minutes and it’s very cool. I saw the similar fountain show in Kuala Lumpur and I have to say the Dubai one is much more impressive.
Make sure to also take some pictures with the fountain and Burj Khalifa in the background.
Visit the Dubai Aquarium
The Dubai Aquarium is located in Dubai Mall and it’s one of the largest ones in the world. You can walk through a huge underwater tunnel where you can admire fish, sharks, rays, and other species. It’s a really cool place!
Have lunch and shop at Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in Dubai. There are so many shops there. You could easily spend an entire day there. If you want to do some luxury shopping while in Dubai, this is a great place for that.
There are plenty of restaurants at Dubai Mall with outdoor seating with Dubai fountain views.
So you could time your lunch to catch the fountain show from one of these restaurants.
I ate at Social House and it was great. Service was top notch, the food was delicious, and I got seated outside so I can enjoy the fountain show.
I ordered the mezze platter with extra grilled chicken and a karak tea. I recommend them both. They were delicious!
Spend the afternoon at Global Village
The Global Village is a cultural melting pot where over 90 countries are represented. You can find different pavilions that showcase the different cultures.
In addition, you can try food from all these different countries. And there are also carnival rides, concerts, activities for children, and places to shop.
I visited on the first weekend when they opened it in October and there were a lot of people there. Despite the large crowds I had a lot of fun walking around and trying some Emirati luqaimat (mini donut balls) with pistachio sauce and Nutella.
It’s only open during mid-October to mid-May because the weather is not at hot. Every day they open at 4pm. I visited around 6pm when it was already dark outside.
I think that’s the perfect time to visit because all the colorful lights are on and it’s not as hot since the sun is down.
They take credit cards at all food stalls, so you don’t need to worry about having cash on you.
You can get to Global Village by Uber/Careem. It takes about 30 minutes to get there from Dubai downtown.
Explore the Museum of the Future
Dubai has many museums, but the Museum of the Future is probably the funkiest of them all. It has this torus-shaped building with Arabic writing on it.
The museum has 7 floors and it is dedicated to the future of science, technology and innovation. Apparently everything that is exhibited in the museum is predicted to be in existence in 2071. So cool!
Take a guided tour of Old Dubai
A guided 3-hour tour of the old city is a great way to learn more about the history of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. You can book an early morning tour that starts around 9am.
That’s what I did and it was perfect. The tour started at an Arabian tea house and restaurant in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood.
The start of the tour
There you will go into a traditional Emirati room where you sit on the floor on cushions. The guide will teach you about the history of Dubai and UAE while you sip on Arabian coffee and eat dates.
I loved Arabian coffee so much! It’s boiled with spices like cardamom, cloves and saffron, so it’s very aromatic. And it’s served in small cups. Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, make sure to take just one sip to taste those flavors.
After you enjoyed the coffee and dates they will also serve luqaimat, a traditional dessert. It’s basically donut holes with date syrup and sesame seeds. They were delicious.
Walking tour
Then you’ll start the walking tour. I visited a coin museum to see the different coins and currencies they had throughout the years. Then we also went to a traditional Emirati house to see what the rooms look like.
And of course, throughout the tour we learned a lot about the architecture in this area of the world.
I loved the fact that after doing outdoor activities we would visit something inside to cool off in air conditioning. The tour was very well thought-out to make sure guests are as comfortable as possible despite the hot weather.
Abra ride and souks
Then we walked to the water and took an abra ride to cross the Dubai Creek. The abra is a traditional wooden boat. I loved the ride and wish it would have been longer.
On the other side of the Creek is where you can experience the traditional souk of Dubai. We first went to the spice souks where we went inside a store where you don’t need to haggle if you want to buy something. I loved that the tour thought about this aspect as well.
There we learned a lot about spices and aromas. We also smelled so many fresh spices. And they also served us with Arabian tea and a samosa.
At the end we had time to buy spices, oil perfumes, and the famous original Dubai chocolate from Fix.
Then we had our final stop of the tour at the gold souk. They have over 400 stores that sell gold there. Our guide taught us how to negotiate the prices for gold and also showed us some of the best stores.
All gold there is real. And the prices are great compared to other countries. So if you want to buy some gold jewelry as a souvenir, the gold souk is the perfect spot.
I highly recommend this tour. It was really well-organized, the guide was amazing, and the ticket prices were very affordable.
👉 Click here to book this tour
Go on a desert safari
The desert safari was my favorite activity in Dubai. It’s one of those bucket list experiences you have to do, especially when you visit for the first time. There are plenty of safaris to pick from, both during the morning and in the afternoon.
I picked this afternoon safari because I wanted to catch the sunset in the desert. And I’m so glad I picked this time. Because that sunset was magical!
The guide picked me up from my hotel around 3:45pm in a 4×4 car. There were 5 other people in the car (a family) and myself. Because they say together in the back, I rode shotgun, which was amazing. Get the shotgun seat if you can and thank me later.
We drove to the meeting point where we waited for other cars to get there since you have to drive in groups of 5-7 cars. At this meeting point there was free water and juices. Restrooms were also available. And you could also buy a head scarf so you can use it for pictures in the desert.
I bought one since it was only 50 dirhams (about 10 euros). The store employee tied it on my head. And I loved that look for pictures.
Dune bashing and desert camp
Once all cars got there we drove through the sand dunes. Dune bashing was one of the top 3 experiences of my life. It felt like you were floating on the golden sands of the Arabian Desert and then sometimes you were shaken up.
I thought it would be a more aggressive feeling, but it was not. I loved it and I can’t wait to do it again next time I’m in Dubai.
Then we stopped in the middle of the desert and took pictures with the sunset in the background. Some people also did sandboarding.
After this we drove to a traditional bedouin-style camp. There we did camel riding, star gazing, the women got a henna tattoo, we took pictures with a falcon, and had the most delicious dinner. I still dream about that food.
They brought us so many dishes. Probably around 15. And we couldn’t even finish them all. The dinner is family style and you share the food with the people in your car.
After dinner we drove back to the city and were dropped off at our hotels in the city center.
Practical tip: make sure you wear sneakers since it will be easier to walk through the dunes. Even with closed toe shoes you will get sand both in your shoes and in your socks. So either don’t wear your favorite pair or reserve some time to clean your shoes once you get back to the hotel.
👉Click here to book your desert safari tickets
Take a picture with the Dubai Frame
The Dubai Frame is a huge golden structure that separates Old Dubai from New Dubai. You can see it from the car as you drive between the two parts of the city.
Or you can stop there and take a picture with it.
Stroll through the Dubai Miracle Garden
Dubai Miracle Garden is a large flower garden with over 50 million flowers and 250 million plants. They created a lot of figures from flowers, such as Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck.
There are also castles and even a heart tunnel. It’s kind of like a Disney park meets a botanical garden. It’s a very cool place.
Ski indoors at Ski Dubai
In case you didn’t know, you can ski in Dubai despite it being a city in the desert. They built an entire ski slope indoors so people don’t have to travel to the mountains to ski. It’s a very unique experience.
Another fun fact: there is an ice rink in Dubai Mall as well. Here people can ice skate and play sports like ice hockey.
Have a chill day at Jumeirah Beach
Jumeirah Beach is one of the most iconic beaches in Dubai. It’s the perfect place to relax in the sun and you will also have an incredible view of Burj Al Arab from here.
In case you want a more bougie experience, you can go to a beach club instead. Dubai has plenty of them.
Hang out at the tallest infinity pool, Aura Skypool
You probably saw Aura Skypool all over Instagram. It’s this impressive 360 degree infinity pool located 200 meters in the air.
From up there you will be able to see the impressive Dubai skyline and The Palm. The views are incredible!
If you want to go here, make sure you book your tickets in advance. It’s a very popular spot and it has limited capacity.
Skydive at the Palm Jumeirah
If you are an adrenaline junkie, then skydiving in Dubai is the perfect activity for you. It’s located above the Palm Jumeirah Island, so you’ll also have a great view as you skydive.
Fun fact: Fazza, the Crown Prince of Dubai, loves to skydive here too.
Visit the Dubai Safari Park
You probably didn’t know about this, but Dubai has a safari park a short drive away from the city. Here you can see elephants, zebras, giraffes and a lot of other animals.
This could be a fun activity for people of all ages.
Admire modern art at Alserkal Avenue
On my first day in Dubai I met a new friend who was born and raised in Dubai. So naturally, I asked her what I should visit that is more of a hidden gem and not many tourists know about.
She recommended I go to Alserkal Avenue. This used to be an industrial part of the city and it has lots of containers. They transformed these containers into art galleries, cafes, and shops.
Since I love this vibe, I had to visit. And I’m so glad I did! There were so many modern art exhibits. Some of them were from local artists and others were from international artists.
And all of them were so different. Some galleries were focused more on photos, others on sculptures, others on paintings. I loved everything I saw.
I never expected to find modern art in a former industrial area in Dubai. But once again, Dubai overdelivered.
There are also plenty of cafes and restaurants in this area, so you can rest a bit in between gallery-hopping.
If you want to see a part of Dubai that not a lot of people know about, make sure to check out Alserkal Avenue.
Ioana was born and raised in Romania, lived in NYC for 14 years, and has since returned to Romania. She began traveling solo at 30 and has now visited 25+ countries. Ioana is a full time travel blogger and content creator. Her blog gets 100K+ views per month and her Instagram community has 80K+ people. She loves to share practical travel tips, itineraries, and recommendations for fellow travelers. Her story and insights have been featured in The Daily Express, Euronews, Bored Panda, Yahoo, MSN and more.