Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates and is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. It has the largest population with the second largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. In the country’s legislature, only Dubai and Abu Dhabi have the veto power over the critical matters of national importance. In 2007, Dubai was the 8th most visited city of the world and it is expected to accommodate over 15 million tourists by 2015. It is a great place for tourism and is famous world over. The primary activity of the tourists is shopping but there are also other modern and ancient attractions in Dubai which are a tempting factor for the tourists to visit this place.
Let us see some of the worth seeing places in Dubai. These places are not numbered in the increasing order of their attractiveness because everybody has his own taste about tourism. What I have tried here is to encompass some of the best places which you must visit in Dubai. Do let me know if you guys have some other interesting places to visit as it will help the other readers.
10. Dubai AutodromeIt is actually a motor sports facility and is a part of the Union Properties Motorcity development. It was first inaugurated in October 2004 and hosted the final round of the FIA GT Championship. Dubai Autodrome includes an FIA sanctioned 5.39km circuit, a Race & Driving school and a CIK approved Karting track.
9. Dubai Beaches
Dubai has got some of very beautiful beaches in the world and they run along Jumeirah Road. There are many hotels and private clubs along the length of the beach but at the same time there are many public access places which include playgrounds, barbecue sites, food kiosks, and picnic areas for families. January is the best month to visit these beaches as the temperatures are pleasant and one can enjoy to the hilt there.
8.BURJ AL ARABIt is the tallest hotel in the world and the first 7-star hotel in the world. Its construction started in 1994 and was opened to the public in 1999. It is the iconic symbol of Dubai and it resembles a dhow (Arabian sea vessel) with a billowed out sail.
7.The World Islands In DubaiIt is a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map, four kilometers off the coast of Dubai, UAE. The islands project was actually the idea of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and was developed by Nakheel Properties. The overall cost of the project was estimated at 14 billion USD. Each island in the archipelago ranges from about 14,000 m² (150,000 square feet) to 42,000 m².
6. The Palm Islands DubaiThese are the world’s three man-made islands, so large that they can be seen from space with the naked eye. In 2002, the original two islands announced were the Palm Jumeirah and the Palm Jebel Ali and this project is being undertaken by Al Nakheel Properties (Nakheel Corporation). These islands are built in the shape of palm trees and there are houses on these islands to live in. It is simply marvelous.
5. Burj KhalifaIt is the tallest building in the world and measures over 828 meters. You can enjoy the stunning scenes of Dubai from the top of this building. Burj Khalifa has also got the world’s tallest restaurant situated on the 122nd floor at 442 meters (1350 ft) up in the sky.
4. Dubai MuseumIt was built in 1787 and is the oldest building in Dubai. The aim of this museum was to present the traditional way of life in the Emirate of Dubai to the people. Lot of visitors come to visit the Dubai Museum and in March 2008, the Museum had 80,000 visitors. The museum includes local antiquities as well as artifacts from African and Asian countries that traded with Dubai.
3. Ski DubaiSki Dubai is actually an indoor ski resort and is the part of one of the world’s largest shopping mall, Mall of the Emirates. It was developed by Majid Al Futtaim Properties and has an indoor ski area of 22,500 square feet. It was opened in November 2005 and has many things for the people as a 60-meter high indoor mountain with 5 slopes of varying steepness and difficulty, including a 400-metre-long run, the world’s first indoor black run, and a 90-metre-long quarter pipe for snowboarders. This is not the end of the list guys as there are a lot of other things to enjoy there. Once you pay for the admission ticket, you are provided with winter-clothing, ski and snow-board equipment.
2. The Dubai MallThis behemoth shopping mall is the world’s largest shopping mall based on total area and includes 1200 shops. It is the part of Burj Khalifa and this mall can be reached via Doha street. Now as we go into the mall the things you would see there are; the world’s largest Gold Souk with 220 retailers; the 850,000 sq ft (79,000 m2) Fashion Catwalk atrium; Fashion Island (Avenue), with 70 stores dedicated to haute couture; the Middle East’s first Galeries Lafayette department store; Oasis Fountain Waterfall; and WaterFront Atrium.
1. Desert SafariIn this, you use an off-road vehicle and set out for an exciting journey into the sand dunes. This is really a thrilling activity and this needs pertinent driving skills and experience to handle the car on the sand. For all the adventurous people out there, do try this and give it your best shot.
