1. Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai and with its height of 829.84 m is the tallest manmade structure in the world. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010 and is part of the new 2 km2 flagship development called Downtown Dubai. The tower is center for the world’s finest shopping, dining and entertainment.
The skyscraper was initially called Burj Dubai, but since its completion coincided with the global financial crisis, the government was forced to seek multibillion dollar bailouts from its oil-rich neighbor emirate Abu Dhabi to complete the tower. In honor of the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support of the tower, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa.
2. Burj Al Arab
Burj Al Arab is one of the most luxurious, and with height of 321m, it is fourth tallest hotel in the world. The building itself is one of the most photographed monuments in the world and is recognized as the symbol of Dubai. The shape of the building is designed to mimic the sail of a dhow – traditional sailing vessel. The building stands on artificial island and it is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge.
3. Dubai Museum
Established in the Al Fahidi ruler’s 18th century fort, the Dubai Museum is the main museum in Dubai. The museum contains exhibits presenting traditional way of life in the Dubai Emirate - including souk, fishing, domestic and desert travel scenes. Some pieces date back 4000 years. Galleries show scenes from the Creek, traditional Arab houses, mosques, the souk, date farms as well as desert and marine life.
4. Dubai Mall, Dubai Fountain, Dubai Aquarium
The Dubai Mall, with its 1,200 retail outlets, two anchor department stores, and over 160 food and beverage outlets is one of the the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations. It is part of the Burj Khalifa complex and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week. Attractions within the shopping mall include the famous Dubai Aquarium and Under Water Zoo, with the world's largest viewing panel, Dubai Ice Rink, Gold Souk, Fashion Catwalk atrium, Oasis Fountain Waterfall, SEGA Republic indoor park, 250-room luxury hotel, 22 cinema screens etc.
5. Ski Dubai
Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort, first in the Middle East, with 22,500 square meters of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest shopping malls in the world. Ski Dubai has 5 runs that vary in difficulty, height and gradient where skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels will enjoy various slopes and snowboarders can also practice their stunts in the Freestyle Zone.
6. Gold Souk
Located in the heart of Dubai's commercial business district in Deira, Dubai Gold Souk or Gold Souk is a traditional market (or souk) in Dubai. Hundreds of small stalls sell gold from many countries, from actual ingots to finely worked jewellery, as well as silver, precious stones and pearls. By some estimates, approximately 10 tons of gold is present at any given time in the souk. Gold is aggressively promoted with special offers and raffle draws during Dubai Shopping Festival & Dubai Summer Surprises.
7. Dubai Creek
Dubai creek divided the city historically into two main sections – Deira and Bur Dubai and is the reason for the city’s development as a successful trading port with Iran and India. The boat trip of one or two hours down the Creek is the best way to view the attractions on the both sides of the Creek – dhows that line the creek, remarkable buildings and four bridges that cross the Creek.
8. Palm Island
Palm Island Dubai (Jumeirah Palm Island) is one of the most ambitious real-estate developments on earth, heralded as the 8th wonder of the world as it can be seen from space along with another major landmark, The Great Wall of China. It is one of three islands called the Palm Islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira) which extend into the Persian Gulf. Jumeirah Palm island features themed hotels, villas, apartment buildings, beaches, marinas, restaurants, and a variety of retail outlets. The most popular feature being 5 star aqua themed hotel Atlantis.
9. Dubai Marina
Dubai Marina is one of the largest man-made marina in the world and one of the first of the new residential projects in New Dubai. It is created by bringing the waters of the Persian Gulf into the site of Dubai marina. The development of this area is intended to create large urban space with a residential focus and a pedestrian friendly urban community capable of accommodating a large international population. Dubai Marina is designed so that residents can arrive home, park their car and walk around the city, taking full advantage of all the resources in the community. It features apartment buildings, towers named after precious stones and Arabic scents, shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants, line the promenade.
10. Desert Safari
One of the most visited and famous activities in Dubai are desert safari tours. Safari tours in Land Cruisers and Hummers take visitors right into the heart of the desert where they experience the excitement of a roller-coaster tour down the astonishing high dunes (dune bashing). The exciting dune bashing usually includes visit to the traditional village where one can get insight into the traditional life of the Bedouins, try the 'hubbly-bubbly/sheesha' and the henna painting or can enjoy one of the activities such as camel ride, sand boarding, and belly dancing.