Downtown Dubai

Downtown Dubai is the purpose-built centre around Burj Khalifa, and it holds more of the city’s headline sights inside one square kilometre than anywhere else in the UAE. Dubai Mall sits at its core with the aquarium, the ice rink and the entrance to At the Top; the Dubai Fountain performs on the lake outside it every half hour through the evening; Souk Al Bahar and Dubai Opera face the same water. What visitors consistently underestimate is the distance: Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro station is roughly a kilometre from the mall doors, connected by a covered walkway with travelators that still takes ten to fifteen minutes on foot. Staying here costs the most in the city and buys the least walking. Book Burj Khalifa slots online in advance — the on-the-day counter price is the highest one there is.