Lonely Planet Pocket Dubai

Contents

Plan Your Trip

The Journey Begins Here

Our Picks

Three Perfect Days

Get Prepared

When To Go

Getting There

Getting Around

A Few Surprises

Explore Dubai

Deira

Bur Dubai

Jumeirah

Burj Al Arab & Madinat Jumeirah

Downtown Dubai

Dubai Marina & Palm Jumeirah

South Dubai

Dubai Toolkit

Family Travel

Accommodation

Food, Drink & Nightlife

Health & Safe Travel

Responsible Travel

Accessible Travel

Nuts & Bolts

Language

This Book

Top Experiences

Gold Souq

Al Fahidi Historic District

Jumeirah Mosque

Madinat Jumeirah

Burj Al Arab

Burj Khalifa

Museum of the Future

Dubai Mall

Atlantis The Palm

Dubai Parks & Resorts

Let’s Do Brunch

Worth a Trip

A Visit to Hatta

Day-Tripping to Abu Dhabi

The Journey Begins Here

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary | TAVARIUS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Middle East’s most famous holiday destination is a city of juxtapositions: gleaming hotels sit beside ordinary apartment blocks and flashy supercars cruise beside vehicles of questionable roadworthiness. Visitors flock here for beachside getaways and retail therapy, but my favourite things about the city are its surprises. You can watch pink flamingos grazing in wetlands just minutes from the world’s tallest skyscraper, and discover the ancient origins of the coffee bean in a neighbourhood dating back over a hundred years. If you look for it, Dubai will serve you a delightful cocktail of culture, art, nature and more, wrapped in year-round sunshine.

Hayley Skirka

@hayleyscottie

Scottish-born and UAE-based, Hayley is a travel writer and editor.

THE BEST

Michelin Dining Experiences

The revered Michelin dining guide made its debut in Dubai in 2022, and since then restaurants have clamoured for a listing. Visitors hoping for a meal to remember can’t go wrong at one of these Michelin-recognised venues.

Breakfast dish, Teible | TEIBLE RESTAURANT ©

See culture though a gastronomic lens at Teible, within the Jameel Arts Centre. Head for the tip of this outpost at Jaddaf Waterfront, where the bakery-restaurant serves dishes highlighting local, seasonal ingredients.

Descend the spiral staircase for a distinctly Dubai experience at Ossiano (pictured), the underwater restaurant at Atlantis The Palm. Tuck into creative dishes as stingrays, sharks and seahorses swim right past your table.

KEVPIX/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Glide across the Gulf in a private boat to reach two-starred Stay by Yannick Alleno (pictured), where upmarket French-inspired food is as intriguing as it is delicious.

Be disarmed by Dubai’s most unassuming Michelin-recommended eatery: 3 Fils at Jumeirah Fishing Harbour is a laid-back, homegrown venue serving tasty, no-frills Asian small plates at good-value prices.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES ©

THE BEST

Emirati Dining Experiences

Dubai’s bustling culinary scene boasts plenty of places specialising in Emirati eats. Choices range from luqaimat (pictured; sweet doughnuts) to machboos (a casserole of meat or fish, rice and onions cooked in a spicy sauce).

GLEN BERLIN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Savour slow-cooked meats and fragrant machboos (pictured) at Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant in Al Fahidi Historic District. It also runs cooking classes – useful info if you want to learn how to recreate some of the dishes at home.

GLEN BERLIN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Visit family-run Al Fanar – named after traditional Middle Eastern lanterns – on the banks of Dubai Creek for Emirati dishes that have earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Try Emirati cuisine while learning about the United Arab Emirates’ culture and traditions at nonprofit enterprise the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.

Dine beneath traditional wind towers in a setting that calls to mind old-world Arabia at Sabaa. Located inside Al Seef Heritage Hotel Dubai by Hilton, it serves fine-dining Emirati fare.

THE BEST

Sundowner Experiences

With venues ranging from romantic rooftop restaurants to fabulous toes-in-the-sand lounge bars, Dubai has no shortage of places to enjoy a drink while watching the sun go down.

QDs | HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

See and be seen at Ce La Vi, which delivers a stunning downtown Dubai backdrop, Burj Khalifa included.

Snap a holiday photo to remember at Attiko Dubai, with 180-degree views over Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) and Ain Dubai all the way to Palm Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab.

Visit the old side of Dubai at laidback hideaway QDs, a favourite with longtime residents.

Soak up an ideal blend of Peruvian spirit, Japanese eats and New York cool at open-air Above Eleven. It ticks all the boxes for a sundowner spot: views, beats and expertly mixed cocktails.

Swing back to the 1960s at Bungalo34 on Pearl Jumeirah Island.

Enjoy golden hour in style at the Bibé Rooftop, with a saxophonist in residence to set the mood.

THE BEST

Luxury Shopping Experiences

Dubai’s reputation as a shopper’s paradise has endured despite the recent introduction of VAT. Every neighbourhood has a mall, and many of them also offer diversions, including a ski slope, an aquarium and a replica Egyptian village.

Mall of the Emirates | WERNER SPREMBERG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Take in the scale of the gargantuan Dubai Mall. Sprawling across downtown Dubai, this is one of the world’s largest malls, with well over 1000 stores. It’s twinned with the soaring Burj Khalifa.

Pass beneath the gaze of a pair of mammoth sphinxes at Egyptian-themed Wafi (pictured), home to luxury boutiques and a recently opened futuristic light-and-sound park.

PAVLOVICH VIKTOR/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Enter an Aladdin’s cave of gemstones at the Gold Souq (pictured), a paradise for jewellery hunters. It’s known as one of the world’s best-regulated gold markets.

DMITRIY FELDMAN SVARSHIK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Make a beeline for the glass and wrought-iron Fashion Dome at Mall of the Emirates, where posh boutiques cluster under a giant skylight. Afterwards, if you still have some energy left, visit the mall’s artificial ski slope.

THE BEST

Amusement Park Experiences

From the biggest thrills to the highest slides, Dubai’s theme parks will keep the whole family entertained with a mix of indoor and outdoor offerings that includes the world’s largest waterpark.

Aquaventure Waterpark | PIT STOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Splash around in the shadow of the Burj Al Arab at Wild Wadi (pictured), an Arabian-themed waterpark with more than 30 rides and slides.

RUWAN MUHANDIRAMGE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Float through shark-infested tunnels, ride the rapids and brave a near-vertical plunge at Aquaventure, the largest waterpark in the world.

Expect brick-themed rides and attractions, a waterpark and even a hotel at the Middle East’s first Legoland.

Hit the artificial slopes and ride the chairlift before warming up with a hot chocolate at Ski Dubai (pictured), where it’s always −2°C.

MARCOBRIVIO.PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

See Hollywood come to life at Motiongate, a movie-themed park with more than 20 rides and attractions, including the first ever John Wick–themed ride and the world’s fastest single-car spinning roller-coaster.

THE BEST

Architectural Experiences

Known for its skyscrapers, Dubai has a wealth of architectural wonders. Feast your eyes on everything from the glistening towers of downtown Dubai to the Disney-esque palaces of artificial archipelago Palm Jumeirah.

Atlantis The Royal | CAPTURED BLINKS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Ride to the top of the world’s tallest building at the Burj Khalifa. Towering 828m above the city, this marvel of engineering offers staggering views.

DELPIXART/GETTY IMAGES ©

Take in the gleaming white Etihad Museum, sharing its location with Union House, where the United Arab Emirates was founded in 1971.

Check out science, culture and art at the beautiful, 77m-tall Museum of the Future. Its exterior is illuminated by Arabic calligraphy.

KIRK FISHER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Be bowled over by gaudy pink Atlantis The Palm (pictured), dominating the tip of Palm Jumeirah. Outside it resembles a fairytale palace, and inside it’s a smorgasbord of underwater delights.

See another hotel stunner at Atlantis The Royal, also on Palm Jumeirah. Its gleaming glass structure cantilevers into the Arabian skyline.

THE BEST

Old Dubai Experiences

From its origins as a small fishing village, Dubai has gone through a huge evolution in a short period of time. If you know where to look, however, the city’s rich history can still be found.

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House | FRANTIC00/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Retreat from modernity in the maze-like Al Fahidi Historic District and seek out galleries, museums, exhibitions and cafes.

Dine amid history at creekside Bayt Al Wakeel. Built of mud, coral and wood, and dating to 1935, the restaurant also houses a small maritime museum.

Learn the story of the UAE’s formation at the striking Etihad Museum.

Step inside Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, the former home of Dubai’s ruling family, on a quiet stretch of the creekside promenade.

Delve into the past at the Jumeirah Archaeological Site, one of the most important early Islamic sites in the Gulf region.

Best for Kids

Go dune bashing on a desert safari with Arabian Adventures, followed by camel rides, henna painting, sandboarding and an Arabian barbecue feast.

Please children of every age with a visit to Atlantis The Palm, where waterparks, aquariums, surf machines, a private beach and oodles of restaurants await.

Keep the kids out of the heat with skiing, snowboarding, zorb balls and snowball fights at Ski Dubai, the UAE’s only ski resort.

Immerse the family in a magical underwater world at the Dubai Mall’s Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, housing more than 30,000 marine animals.

Enjoy a day at the seaside at Kite Beach, where kids can take an ocean dip, build sandcastles, explore obstacle courses and bounce on mega-sized trampolines.

Best for Free

Marvel at thousands of super-bright lights,