Almost everything in the UAE is the largest, the coolest, or the most expensive in the world. Dubai is the city of the world’s tallest buildings, the tallest Ferris wheel, and the world's largest flower garden. If not, the winner is probably not far away. The neighbouring emirate and the capital Abu Dhabi is home to the world’s fastest roller coaster and the world’s largest carpet.
Here is the list of record-breaking attractions in the UAE.
It is very likely that you’ve seen one of Dubai's record-breaking landmarks exactly at the arrival. Dubai International Airport is the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic (in 2019, 86.4 million passengers had travelled through) and the Terminal 3 is the largest airport terminal in the world.
One of the world’s most advanced and challenging buildings, listed by National Geographic as one of 14 most beautiful museums in the world. This giant torus with an elliptical void was made of stainless steel and fibreglass and inscribed with illuminated Arabic calligraphy. Designing the building required extremely sophisticated modeling tools.
Each floor of the museum is like a movie set and incorporates elements of traditional exhibitions, hi-end technology and immersive theatre. The museum is also an incubator for innovations bringing researchers, designers, inventors and financiers together. The building is powered by solar electricity.
As executive director Lath Carlson told CNN that the museum deals with questions like: how might people live in a space station, how might we respond to ecosystem collapse? The main ambition of the museum is to inspire mankind to build a better future. One of the lesser ambitions is to build a museum culture in Dubai.
It took 6 years and 1.5 billion dollars to build the world’s tallest tower (or any man-made construction): 828 metres, or 163 storeys, or 2 Empire State Buildings tall. It must have been a little bit scary even for Tom Cruise to climb the walls of Burj Khalifa while performing his stunts for “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”.
The building was opened in 2010 as the centrepiece of Downtown Dubai. The tower contains apartments, offices, restaurants, hotel, and observation decks. Tickets cost from 130 AED (for the observation deck at the 124–125th floor at off-peak hours) to 530 AED (for the observation deck at the 148th floor at peak hours). Although the elevator is the third fastest in the world, getting up might take more than an hour because of queues and the security measures.
To avoid crowds, visit early on weekdays. Book tickets online in advance, otherwise it will be twice as expensive.
One of the largest shopping malls of the world, the Dubai Mall houses popular stores such as Zara, department stores such as Bloomingdale’s and Galeries Lafayette, and the Fashion Avenue, featuring high-end designers.
Keep in mind that as a tax free area Dubai is a great place to shop for electronic goods.
Not only does the Dubai Mall offer 1300+ shops and a giant food court, but it also includes a huge indoor waterfall with statues of pearl divers— a work of art, celebrating the Dubai heritage, an ice rink, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. An overwhelming experience for more than 80 million visitors annually.
The Dubai Fountain had been the largest choreographed fountain system till the opening of The Palm Fountain. Now it is the tallest — dancing colorful streams reach a height of 150 metres. The design is inspired by Las Vegas’ Bellagio fountains, only much bigger.
The show takes place every 30 minutes from 6PM to 11PM. It is free of charge but if you want to have a better view and avoid crowds, there are some paid options. You can can buy a ticket (20 AED) and watch the fountain’s dance from a special platform — the Dubai Fountain Boardwalk or the Dubai Fountain Bridge. Another option is watching from a traditional Abra boat (from 50 AED). You can also book a table at a restaurant with a view at the Dubai Mall or at Souk Al Bahar (ask for an outdoor table).
The world’s largest musical fountain according to Guinness World Records: 7,327 sqm, 3,000 LED lights, 128 shooters spraying water up to 105 m in the air. Multi-colored streams dance to a range of music from pop to Khaleeji. The Palm Fountain launched in 2020, breaking The Dubai Mall Fountain’s record. It is located at The Pointe of Palm Jumeirah which also boasts a 1.5 km promenade with restaurants and bars.
The show lasts for three minutes and is performed every 30 minutes daily from sunset to midnight. It is free to attend but if you prefer to watch in comfort you can book a table in one of the many restaurants and bars at The Pointe. To name a few: Japanese Kyo, Lebanese Al Safadi, Russian Chalet Berezka, Chicago Meatpackers, and a tapas bar A Capella.
The largest waterpark in the UAE, one of the largest in the world, and one of the most beautiful: with myth-styled attractions and lush tropical greenery, set on an apex of Palm Jumeirah island. It was expanded by a third in 2021, adding 28 new rides including the world’s tallest water slide and the longest family water coaster in the world.
Children need to be taller than 120 cm to enjoy many of the park’s slides, but little ones are welcome in the Splashers Children's Play Area – a maze of kid-friendly tunnels, tubes, and slides.
The pure adrenaline moment is riding the near-28 metres, near-vertical Leap of Faith slide. However, some people find The Poseidon's Revenge scarier.
There are many cafes on the territory for you to choose: from steaks to milkshakes.
Entrance fee: all-day access to Aquaventure Waterpark and The Lost Chambers Aquarium starts from 149 AED for adults and from 129 AED for children up to 120 cm of height.
An artificial canal city, built along a 3-kilometre stretch of shoreline, Dubai Marina is claimed to be one of the largest man-made marinas on Earth. It is one of the must-see areas of Dubai for a tourist. Dubai is not a city made for walking, except for Dubai Marina’s walkways. The pedestrian way alongside the Marina artificial canal is about 8 km long, lined with luxurious hotels, shops and restaurants, and the most stunning views of Dubai's urban glory. Some of the world’s tallest residential towers are here, and the cluster of skyscrapers surrounded by water looks especially spectacular after dark.
Populated mostly by wealthy expats, Dubai Marina is probably the most Westernized area in the city.
Dubai Marina is a relatively new cluster of skyscrapers built around a canal, one of the most Westernized and pedestrian-friendly areas of the city. One of the most remarkable buildings of Dubai Marina is Cayan Tower, also known as the Infinity Tower or the Twisting Tower. A 306 metres tall apartment building is the world’s second tallest tower with a twist of 90 degrees (after Shanghai Tower). All of the building's 73 floors have the exact same plan but each one is rotated 1.2 degrees clockwise from the one below. The Cayan Tower is designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM architectural group, which also designed the Burj Khalifa.
A twist is a current trend in architecture and probably one of distinctive features the architecture of our times will be recognized by later. Until recently twisted tall buildings were too expensive or even impossible to build, but new advances in materials and engineering have made it possible.
One of the largest artificial islands in the world was created in the shape of a palm to provide more beach frontage than a regular round-shape islan. It’s even larger twin Palm Jebel Ali is still under construction. The Palm is connected with the mainland by monorail. The monorail goes through the island to the palace-like Atlantis The Palm hotel and Aquaventure water park, sitting at the apex of the palm.
The Observatory bar on the 53rd floor of the Marriott Harbour hotel offers the best view of the Palm shape.
The Palm Jumeirah is home to the fanciest beach clubs in Dubai.
One of the most expensive hotels in the world, especially popular among wealthy Russians and Chinese. A 321 meters tall (taller than the Eiffel Tower!) building in the shape of a sail stands on its own artificial island. The hotel was completed in 1999, toward the beginning of Dubai's building boom.
The designer originally envisioned a minimalist interior but the owner prefered over-the-top luxury. It was labelled the world's only seven-star hotel by journalists, and the name has stuck. The smallest of 202 suites occupies an area of 169 sqm, the largest – 780 sqm. The fanciest suite (with 2 bedrooms and a number of bathrooms) costs more than 22,000 USD per night. If it is a little bit out of your budget, there are some tricks to see Burj al-Arab from the inside (golden pillars, dancing fountains, the world's tallest atrium). To enter make a reservation at the Skyview bar or at the Gold on 27 bar.
An architectural landmark, named by The Guardian "the biggest picture frame on the planet". A frame the size of a 35-storey building (150 metres tall) stands on the edge of Zabeel Park. The upper part is an observation deck (entrance fee: 20–50 AED).
The design has been inspired by the logo of Expo 2020. The modern Dubai can be seen on one side, and the older city — on the other side.
Despite being grown in the desert the Dubai Miracle Garden is the world's largest natural flower garden: сirca 72,000 sqm, 50 millions of flowers on display. A masterpiece of gardening with giant floral installations (such as a real-size Airbus or a heart-shaped pathway, adored by instagrammers) takes about 2-3 hours to explore. The garden is open from mid-November to mid-May (actually the best time to visit Dubai).
A separate part of the Dubai Miracle Garden is a Dubai Butterfly Garden – home to 15 million butterflies, open all year round.
Entrance fee: 40–55 AED. You can get to the Miracle Garden by bus (route 105 from the Mall of Emirates). Most of the vendors inside don’t take credit cards, so carry cash. If you want to save some money, bring your own snacks and water.
Skyscrapers are great and all, but how about seeing Dubai from high above and in motion? Check out the new 250 m observation wheel Ain Dubai at Bluewaters Island — it's the world's tallest and largest, of course (almost twice as tall as the London Eye!). The overall ride takes 38 minutes, so take your time and enjoy breathtaking views of Dubai’s iconic landmarks in blissfully air-conditioned cabins. There is a variety of pricing options depending on the time of the day and the level of luxury: the more expensive ones not only give you access to the lounge zone, drinks, and the whole shebang, but most importantly — the VIP entry. Trust us, you'll appreciate that option as soon as you arrive at the venue and see the line. Waiting time for non-VIP riders might be quite lengthy despite having a particular time slot booked.
An artificial winter place occupies a 22,500 sqm area inside the Mall of Emirates. Temperature −1 °C is maintained inside.
Ski Dubai features an 85-metres tall indoor mountain with 5 slopes of different steepness and difficulty, various features for snowboarders (boxes, rails, kickers), а quad lift and a tow lift. The indoor ski resort offers a huge variety of activities, from ski lessons to meeting the real penguins (a great experience for kids). All the equipment is provided
Do not expect too much if you are an experienced rider: one ride will take less than a minute so the fun of skiing in the desert might soon disappear.
The price depends, but be prepared to spend no less than 300 AED per person. And book the ticket online to avoid the queues that could be enormous.
Probably not the most impressive and definitely not the tallest of two hundred Dubai’s skyscrapers, Gevora hotel still holds a record: a 356 metres tall building the tallest hotel in the world according to Guinness World Records. The second tallest hotel is also in Dubai — it is 355 metres twin-tower JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel. Actually more than a half of the top 10 tallest hotels in the world are in Dubai.
The hotel features 528 rooms (from 200 AED per night).
The UAE's largest mosque (and the third-largest mosque in the world) is not in Dubai but in the capital Abu Dhabi. It takes about 2,5 hours by bus and about 1–1,5 hour and 250–275 AED by taxi to get here from Dubai.
The mosque took 12 years (1996–2008) years to build. It covers 22,412 sqm and holds more than 40,000 worshipers — and the largest hand woven carpet in the world (5,630 sqm). The carpet was manufactured in Iran by 1200 workers.
The mosque was a personal project of the UAE's first president, the late Sheikh Zayed who planned it to be his final resting place — and it is. The concept is: to incorporate architectural inspirations from various Islamic countries in one project by British, Italian and Emirati architects to praise diversity.
Free to visit. Men must wear long trousers, women — cover their heads, arms and ankles (robes are provided). Do not forget the sunglasses: the white marble is blinding. Sign up for a free guided tour.
One of the main reasons for both kids and adults to get to Abu Dhabi (2,5 hours by bus or 1–1,5 hour and 250–275 AED by taxi). This 860,000 sqm park holds the world record for largest indoor theme park. It features attractions and multi-sensory simulators, souvenir shops and Italian restaurants. The most popular attractions are Flying aces (roller coasters with a loop at a height of 63 meters with an angle of 51 degrees at a speed of 120 km/h) and Formula Rossa (the fastest roller coaster in the world, wagons reach speed up to 240 km/h in 4.9 seconds at height of 52 meters). Probably it is the closest one can get to feeling like an F1 racing champion.
The official site features a filter to check if your kid is grown-up enough for any particular ride (often a height over 110–120 cm is required).
We recommend planning a full day for a visit. Choose days from Monday to Wednesday for a visit to avoid queues.</p
Zipline is a cable with a pulley. A passenger wears a body harness attached to a pulley to slide as fast as possible. The longest zipline in the world is Jebel Jais Flight in Ras Al Khaimah emirate: 2,8 km long, set atop the UAEs tallest mountain, stretching above the rocky terrain, zipline makes you fly at a speed up to 120 km/h.
Tickets: from 300 AED (a price might be twice as high during the high season). A rider must be in a good medical condition, weight 40–130 kg and be taller than 122 cm. Riders under 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian.
It takes about 3–4 hours by car to get to Ras Al Khaimah. Actually, Jebel Jais is a favorite weekend destination for residents. Attractions include not only the world’s longest zipline but also climbing, hiking and camping opportunities.
An alternative to travelling to another emirate for riding the Jebel Jais Flight is the XLine in Dubai Marina: the world’s longest urban zipline (about 1 km).