Best Things to Do in Dubai (2026 Guide)
Dubai is the UAE's most visited city — a vertical skyline rising from the desert beside a turquoise Gulf, built in less than 50 years into one of the world's top travel destinations. This guide covers the best things to do in Dubai, from the top of Burj Khalifa to an abra crossing to the Gold Souk, and from dune-bashing safaris to the world's largest shopping mall.
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The unmissable in Dubai
These are the staple sights — don't leave Dubai without seeing them.
Attractions in Dubai
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Dubai operates at scale: the world’s tallest building (Burj Khalifa, 828 metres), the world’s largest shopping mall (Dubai Mall, with 1,200 stores), the world’s busiest international airport, and a coastline of man-made islands visible from space. Yet the best things to do in Dubai also include older, quieter pleasures — the wind-tower architecture of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, the spice traders of Deira’s souks, an abra (wooden boat) crossing of Dubai Creek, and the empty desert an hour from the city. Dubai has achieved in half a century what took other world cities centuries to build, and visiting it is an education in ambition.