Things to Do in Dubai: Ideas for Every Kind of Trip (2026)

The best things to do in Dubai in 2026, from Burj Khalifa and the souks to beaches, desert trips and family days out, with what's open right now.

Last updated 21 October 2026. This guide contains affiliate links: if you book through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The best things to do in Dubai range from the world’s tallest building to a working creek with wooden boats, public beaches and open desert within easy reach of the towers. Most visitors can see the highlights in a few days, and many of the best moments, like the fountain shows or an abra across the creek, cost little or nothing.

Two big names are closed this winter, so check before you plan around them: the Burj Al Arab is shut for restoration until around October 2027, and the Museum of the Future is closed until early 2027. Ain Dubai’s rides also appear to be paused. This guide covers what is open, what is worth booking ahead, what is free, and the best day trips. If you have not chosen a base yet, start with our guide to where to stay in Dubai.

What are the top things to do in Dubai for first-time visitors?

If you only have a few days, these five give you the best mix of new and old Dubai.

  1. Go up the Burj Khalifa, then watch the Dubai Fountain. Book a late-afternoon slot and stay in Downtown for the evening shows.
  2. Cross Dubai Creek by abra and explore old Dubai. Walk the lanes of Al Fahidi, then ride a wooden boat to the spice and gold souks for AED 1.
  3. Spend an afternoon in the desert. A safari with dune driving, a camel ride and dinner at a camp is the classic way to do it.
  4. Have a beach day with a view. Kite Beach looks across to the Burj Al Arab, and JBR has Ain Dubai just offshore.
  5. See the city from above or from the water. Choose the Dubai Frame for old and new Dubai in one view, The View at The Palm for the island, or a boat trip from Dubai Marina.

Dubai’s icons: what’s open in 2026

Most of Dubai’s landmark attractions are open as normal, with two exceptions until 2027: the Museum of the Future (inside) and the Burj Al Arab. Ain Dubai’s status was unclear when we checked. Here is the status as we checked it.

LandmarkAreaStatus on 21 October 2026Good to know
Burj Khalifa (At the Top)DowntownOpenBook sunset slots ahead
Dubai FountainDowntownOpenEvening shows every 30 minutes
Museum of the FutureSheikh Zayed RoadClosed, reopening Q1 2027You can still see the building
Dubai FrameZabeel ParkOpenDaily 8am to 9pm
The View at The PalmPalm JumeirahOpenOpens daily at 9am
Ain DubaiBluewaters IslandUnclear: rides appear pausedCheck the official site before you go
Burj Al ArabJumeirahClosed, reopening expected October 2027See it from the beach or a boat

Burj Khalifa

At 828 metres, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. At the Top covers levels 124 and 125, about 452 metres up, and At the Top SKY adds level 148. The entrance is on the lower ground floor of Dubai Mall.

Late-afternoon slots, when you can watch the sun go down over the city, are the busiest, so book those well ahead. This Burj Khalifa ticket with levels 148, 124 and 125 is rated 4.6 by more than 24,000 guests.

Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountain

The fountain on Burj Lake, between Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa, reopened on 1 October 2025 after an upgrade. Shows run at 1pm and 1.30pm (2pm and 2.30pm on Fridays), then every 30 minutes from 6pm to 11pm.

You can watch from the waterfront promenade outside the mall, the terraces at Souk Al Bahar or Burj Park. For a closer view, the Dubai Fountain Boardwalk is a floating walkway on the lake, open in the evenings, and RTA runs electric abra rides on the lake for AED 75 per person for 25 minutes. Inside the mall, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is an easy add-on for families.

Museum of the Future

The Museum of the Future closed to visitors at the beginning of September 2026 and is set to reopen in the first quarter of 2027, with entirely new exhibitions. Tickets for the renewed museum will only go on sale closer to the reopening.

The building itself is unchanged and still worth a look from outside: a 77-metre ring clad in stainless steel and wrapped in Arabic calligraphy quoting Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.

Dubai Frame

The Dubai Frame in Zabeel Park is a giant picture frame with a glass bridge across the top, 150 metres up. Look north for the older districts around the creek and south for the modern skyline. Galleries on the way cover Dubai’s past and a vision of its future.

It is open daily from 8am to 9pm, and the official adult price is AED 50 (AED 20 for children aged 3 to 12). You can book Dubai Frame tickets online, where adult tickets were from AED 52.50 on 21 October 2026.

The View at The Palm

The View is an observation deck on level 52, 240 metres up, above Nakheel Mall in the middle of Palm Jumeirah. It is the best place to see the palm shape of the island from above. Adult tickets start at AED 115 for The View at The Palm.

Ain Dubai

Ain Dubai, the giant observation wheel on Bluewaters Island just off JBR, reopened in December 2024 after a two-year closure, then closed again temporarily in March 2026. Its status is unclear: on 21 October 2026 the official site still showed tickets from AED 145, but GetYourGuide described the rides as paused. Check the official Ain Dubai site before you plan around it.

The wheel is a striking sight from JBR beach either way, and the RTA abra from Dubai Marina Mall to Bluewaters (AED 7) takes you to the island’s restaurants. Many boat trips with views of Ain Dubai sail past it from Dubai Marina.

Burj Al Arab

The sail-shaped Burj Al Arab closed on 15 April 2026 for an 18-month restoration, and Visit Dubai expects it to reopen in October 2027 (Gulf News, 29 September 2026), so tours of the hotel and its restaurants are off for now. You can still enjoy the view: Kite Beach looks straight at it, and boat trips such as this Dubai Marina yacht tour with breakfast or BBQ sail past it. That tour is rated 4.7 by more than 22,000 guests, and there are other boat trips that pass the Burj Al Arab.

Old Dubai: Al Fahidi, the creek and the souks

Old Dubai is where the city began, and it is one of the cheapest parts of town to explore. Plan a morning or late afternoon around Dubai Creek, the 14-kilometre waterway that divides Bur Dubai from Deira.

  • Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, in Bur Dubai, is the restored old town: narrow lanes, wind-tower houses, small museums, galleries and cafés. It was known as Al Bastakiya, after the Persian merchants from Bastak who built much of it from the 1890s. The old Dubai Museum in Al Fahidi Fort is temporarily closed, so don’t plan around it.
  • The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU), based in Al Fahidi, hosts Emirati breakfasts and other cultural meals, served on floor cushions, where you can chat with your host about local life and customs.
  • Al Shindagha Museum, by the creek, tells the story of the city with interactive exhibits and a Perfume House.
  • Cross by abra. The traditional wooden boats run between the Bur Dubai and Deira Old Souq stations for AED 1 per person, paid in cash. You can also hire a whole abra for AED 120 an hour.
  • The souks. Across the water in Deira, the Spice Souk and Gold Souk are made for browsing and bargaining.

If you prefer a guide, this old Dubai tour with the souks, street food and an abra ride covers Al Fahidi, the Al Seef waterfront and both souks, and is rated 4.9 by more than 7,000 guests. In the evening, a dhow dinner cruise on the creek or in the Marina is a relaxed way to see the lights.

For hotels close to all this, see our guides to Bur Dubai and Deira.

Which Dubai beaches are worth a visit?

For a public beach day, Kite Beach and JBR are the easiest choices for most visitors, and Al Mamzar suits families who want space. Many hotel beaches are reserved for guests or paying day visitors, so check before you go.

  • Kite Beach (Jumeirah): watersports, a running track and beachside food, all within view of the Burj Al Arab.
  • JBR: The Beach JBR puts the sand next to shops, restaurants and a cinema, with Ain Dubai on Bluewaters Island just offshore. Busy, sociable and easy to reach from Dubai Marina.
  • Al Mamzar Beach Park (on the Deira side of the city): five beaches, swimming pools, bike paths, picnic areas and chalets to rent. It opens daily at 8am, and entry starts at AED 5.

Swim only where lifeguards are on duty and follow the flags, and remember the sun is strong even in winter. If the beach is the point of your trip, our guides to Jumeirah beach hotels and Dubai Marina hotels help you pick a base.

Is a desert safari worth it?

Yes, for most first-time visitors. Seeing the dunes at sunset is a very different side of Dubai, and an evening safari fits around a city day because most tours include hotel pick-up.

A typical evening trip, like the first one below, includes 30 to 45 minutes of dune driving in a 4×4, sandboarding, a camel ride, then dinner and shows at a desert camp. This premium red dunes safari with a camel ride and the Al Khayma camp is rated 4.9 by more than 30,000 guests. You can compare all Dubai desert safaris, which are rated 4.9 by more than 380,000 guests overall, or go early for a hot-air balloon flight over the dunes.

Our desert safari guide explains the different types of trip, what to wear and how to choose an operator.

Architecture to see in Dubai

Dubai’s skyline is an attraction in itself, and several of its best buildings can be seen for free from the street, the beach or a boat.

  • Burj Khalifa (Downtown): designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and opened in 2010. It looks most dramatic from the fountain promenade after dark.
  • Museum of the Future (Sheikh Zayed Road): designed by Killa Design and opened in 2022. Its stainless-steel façade is made of 1,024 panels and engraved with Arabic calligraphy.
  • Dubai Frame (Zabeel Park): a 150-metre frame that literally puts old and new Dubai in the picture.
  • Dubai Opera (Downtown): shaped like a traditional dhow and opened in 2016, in the Opera District on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard.
  • Cayan Tower (Dubai Marina): a 306-metre residential tower that twists through 90 degrees, with each floor turned slightly from the one below. See it from Marina Walk or on a boat trip.
  • Jumeirah Mosque (Jumeirah): opened in 1979 and inspired by Fatimid architecture. It is one of the few mosques in Dubai that welcomes non-Muslim visitors, through visits run by the SMCCU; check its website for days and times and dress modestly.
  • Burj Al Arab (Jumeirah): closed until around October 2027, but its sail shape is best seen from Kite Beach anyway.

Modern districts worth a wander

When you have seen the landmarks, Dubai’s newer districts are where you see how the city lives and works. They are good for a slow afternoon of galleries, design shops and coffee.

  • DIFC and Gate Village: Dubai’s financial district has a cluster of art galleries and restaurants around Gate Village, an easy add-on to a Downtown day.
  • Dubai Design District (d3): a creative district for design, art and fashion, home to events such as Dubai Design Week.
  • Alserkal Avenue (Al Quoz): converted warehouses full of galleries, small museums, cafés and creative spaces. The Avenue is open daily from 10am to 7pm, though each venue sets its own hours; it is about a five-minute taxi ride from Garmin Metro Station, which was called Onpassive until September 2026 (and Al Safa before that).
  • City Walk (Al Wasl): open-air streets of shops and outdoor restaurants, plus a cinema and The Green Planet.
  • Business Bay and the Dubai Water Canal: office towers and hotels along the canal, which you can see from RTA’s heritage abras for AED 2 per stop. Our Business Bay guide covers staying there.

Family days out in Dubai

Dubai is easy with children because so much is indoors and air-conditioned. In the cooler months you can add the seasonal outdoor parks.

  • Aquaventure World at Atlantis The Palm: billed as the world’s largest waterpark, with more than 105 slides, a private beach and kids’ splash zones. This Aquaventure and Lost World Aquarium combo adds the aquarium, home to more than 65,000 marine animals, and is rated 4.5 by more than 5,000 guests.
  • IMG Worlds of Adventure: a big indoor theme park at City of Arabia, with Marvel, Cartoon Network and dinosaur zones. Open from midday daily; IMG Worlds tickets.
  • Dubai Parks and Resorts: reopened for the season on 7 October 2026, with Motiongate, Legoland Dubai, Legoland Water Park and Real Madrid World, plus Riverland, which is free with any park ticket. Compare Dubai Parks and Resorts tickets.
  • Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo: the walk-through tunnel and penguin colony in Dubai Mall, ideal for a hot afternoon.
  • The Green Planet: an indoor tropical rainforest at City Walk with more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, including sloths. Open daily from 11am to 6pm; The Green Planet tickets.
Seasonal favouriteSeason 2026–27Opening hoursTickets
Global Village14 October 2026 to May 2027Sun to Wed 4pm to midnight; Thu to Sat 4pm to 1amFrom AED 25 (weekdays)
Dubai Miracle GardenSeason 15 from 8 October 2026; closing date not yet announcedDaily 9am to 9pmMiracle Garden tickets

Global Village brings pavilions representing more than 90 cultures, street food, rides and shows together in one evening park; Tuesdays are reserved for ladies and families, except on public holidays. Dubai Miracle Garden in Al Barsha South is a 72,000-square-metre outdoor flower garden; take the metro to Mall of the Emirates, then a short taxi ride. For a family base, see our family hotels in Dubai.

Seasons, hours and prices as listed on the official sites and Platinumlist on 21 October 2026.

Free things to do in Dubai

Some of Dubai’s best experiences cost nothing at all.

  • The Dubai Fountain from the waterfront promenade, every 30 minutes from 6pm.
  • Al Fahidi’s lanes and the Al Seef waterfront, best early in the morning or after 4pm.
  • The souks, where browsing is free and bargaining is expected if you buy.
  • Kite Beach and JBR, for a swim, a run or a sunset walk.
  • Dubai Marina, on foot along the promenade in the evening.
  • Alserkal Avenue and City Walk, for galleries, window-shopping and people-watching.

And the almost-free one: an AED 1 abra ride across the creek is the best-value trip in the city.

Day trips from Dubai

The two best day trips are Abu Dhabi, for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and Hatta, for mountains and kayaking. Both work by car, bus or tour.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s white-marble grand mosque is the classic day trip from Dubai. Visitors must pre-book their visit online to get an access pass, and there is an entry fee: AED 10 for visitors from outside the UAE and AED 5 for Emirates ID holders. It is open Saturday to Thursday from 9am to 8.30pm, and on Fridays from 9am to 11.30am and 2.30pm to 8.30pm.

Men and women need long, loose clothing to the ankles, and women must cover their hair. Free guided walk-in tours run daily. This half-day Sheikh Zayed Mosque tour from Dubai includes hotel pick-up and the entry fee, and is rated 4.8 by more than 10,000 guests; the drive takes about 90 minutes each way.

Hatta

Hatta is part of Dubai, in the mountains on the eastern side of the emirate, about 90 minutes by car. RTA’s Hatta Express bus (H02) runs from Dubai Mall in around 1.5 hours for AED 25 with a nol card, and a hop-on hop-off bus links the sights. Visit Hatta lists hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and kayaking, and the Hatta Wadi Hub adventure base is open from 9am to 7pm daily. See Hatta tours from Dubai, or browse more day trips from Dubai.

Tips for planning your sightseeing

  • Go between October and April if you can. The weather is best for walking and the seasonal parks are open; our Dubai weather guide has the month-by-month detail, and the events calendar shows what’s on.
  • Book timed tickets ahead for the Burj Khalifa at sunset, and anything over a weekend or public holiday.
  • Use the metro for the big sights. It serves Downtown and Dubai Marina; see our Dubai Metro guide. A hop-on hop-off bus is an easy alternative on a first day.
  • Plan outdoor sights for the morning or evening, and save malls, aquariums and museums for the middle of the day.
  • Dress modestly for mosques and traditional areas, with shoulders and knees covered.

For the latest official travel advice, see Is Dubai safe right now?, which we keep up to date.

Tours and activities on the map

Use the map to browse tours, tickets and experiences around the city.

Where to stay for sightseeing

Where you stay shapes how much you can fit in. Our main guide to where to stay in Dubai compares every area, and these three suit sightseers best:

  • Downtown Dubai if your trip is about the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and the fountain, all on foot.
  • Bur Dubai for old Dubai, the creek and the souks, usually at better-value prices.
  • Dubai Marina for beaches, boat trips and Bluewaters Island, with the metro and tram to reach the rest of the city.

Things to do in Dubai: frequently asked questions

What should first-time visitors not miss in Dubai?

Most first-time visitors should go up the Burj Khalifa, watch the Dubai Fountain, cross the creek by abra to the souks, and do an evening desert safari. Add a beach day and a viewpoint such as the Dubai Frame or The View at The Palm if you have time.

Is the Museum of the Future open?

No. It closed at the beginning of September 2026 for a complete renewal and is set to reopen in the first quarter of 2027 with new exhibitions. You can still see and photograph the building from outside.

Can you visit the Burj Al Arab in 2026?

No. The Burj Al Arab closed on 15 April 2026 for an 18-month restoration, and Visit Dubai expects it to reopen in October 2027. You can see it from Kite Beach or from a boat trip along the coast.

What can you do in Dubai for free?

You can watch the Dubai Fountain from the promenade, wander the lanes of Al Fahidi, browse the souks, walk Dubai Marina and spend the day at public beaches such as Kite Beach and JBR. The abra across Dubai Creek costs just AED 1.

Can non-Muslims visit mosques in Dubai?

Yes. The Jumeirah Mosque welcomes non-Muslim visitors on visits organised by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. In Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is open to visitors who book an access pass online and follow its dress code.

When is Global Village open?

Global Village Season 31 runs from 14 October 2026 to May 2027. It opens at 4pm daily and closes at midnight from Sunday to Wednesday and at 1am from Thursday to Saturday.

Sources

Planning a trip to Dubai? Compare hotels in Dubai Marina, Downtown Dubai or near DXB airport, and book popular tours like a desert safari or Burj Khalifa tickets.

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