By Ibad Rehman

Dubai is regarded as one of the most fascinating and exciting tourist spot in the world. The city of shopping malls and high-rises has transformed into one of the most glamorous destinations with a number of world-class attractions. The city is famous of many cultural highlights and modern add-ons. It is the most populous city in the UAE, and located on the Persian Gulf’s southeast coast. It has also emerged as a global city and a business hub of the Middle East.

The city of Dubai is famous for its cityscape, architecture, tourism spots, and top-rate attractions. Following list of attractions presents top places to visit in Dubai.

1. Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world with more than 160 stories and a height of 828 meters (2,716.5 feet).

It is Dubai’s landmark building, and majority of the visitors consider touring the ‘observation deck’ on the 124th floor. The views across the city skyline are simply staggering. The experience of the observation deck includes presentation on both Burj Khalifa and Dubai. Due to famous city-lights panoramas of Dubai, night-time visits are especially popular among photographers. The structure also includes beautifully designed gardens with winding walkways, and the worlds’ tallest performing fountain (Dubai Fountain).

2. Bastakia

The Bastakia Quarter was established in the late 19th century. It was built to be the home of wealthy Persian merchants who dealt in textiles and pearls, and were lured to the city due to tax-free access and trading to Dubai Creek. It is also regarded as one of the most engaging neighborhood in Dubai. Bastakia’s limestone and coral buildings have been excellently preserved. The structure lines with distinct Arabian architecture and represents Dubai’s history. The Majlis Gallery inside the district shows the traditional Araba furniture and ceramics’ collection, while the XVA Gallery presents a contemporary art collection.

3. Dubai Creek

Dubai creek has been an influence and a significant element in the growth the city. It separates the city into Bur Dubai and Deira. The creek attracted settlers here to pearl dive and fish. 4000 years ago, small villages grew up alongside the creek; while in the 1830s, the modern era began when the Bani Yas tribe settled in the region. The place provides an exciting view of the cargo. Moreover, the Dhow workers invite tourists and visitors onto the vessels for a tour. Visitors, to travel across the creek, can either take a tip on the dhows, which have been restored as cruise boats or take a small wooden ferry (abra) between the ferry points on the Deira and Bur Dubai banks.

4. Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall provides entry to both Dubai Aquarium and Burj Khalifa, and regarded as the city’s premier mall. Along with shopping and eating options, it encompasses a cinema complex, gaming zone, and ice-skating rink. The mall holds numerous special events, fashion shows, and live music within it premises. Dubai shopping festival and Dubai summer surprises are the most famous of these events.

5. Dubai Desert Safari

Desert Safari in Dubai is widely considered as one of the best experiences, which a visitor cannot miss. It is available to visitors in various forms, such as morning, evening, overnight, sunrise, and Hammer desert safari tours. These tours are packed with a number of activities, including dune bashing, camel rides, henna painting, quad biking, sunset photography, camping, belling dancing, sand surfing, and much more.

A desert safari tour approximately takes 4-6 hours on average to complete, while the average cost of a Dubai desert safari tour is AED 150.

The desert safari visitors can also enjoy scenes of rare creatures in the desert, which include Bay-backed shrike, Black scrub-robin, Arabian Oryx, Baillon’s crake, Black scrub-robin and Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse.

6. Palm Jumeriah

Palm Jumeriah is a man-made archipelago, and one the three planned Palm Island in Dubai. It offers a host of activities to tourists to indulge in. From luxury beach resorts to up market shopping malls, Palm Jumeriah have it all. It is another example of uninhibited fantasies of Dubai which is put perfectly in perspective. A six-lane highway bridge is constructed that leads to the man-made island, which stands out among other attractions in Dubai. The marvel is also home to a number of exiting theme parks and the popular Atlantis.

Images: https://www.arcadis.com

Author: Ibad Rehman
Education: Master in business administration
Occupation: Financial consultant, business operations manager Tour Dubai
Website: http://takemedubai.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ibad_Rehman

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