Downtown Dubai
The two-square-kilometre district built around Burj Khalifa — Dubai Mall, the Fountain, Dubai Opera and Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard — and the city's tourist centre of gravity.
Downtown Dubai was a master-planned development launched in 2004 on land that was still sand. Two decades later it holds the world's tallest building, one of its largest malls, a 12-hectare lake and the boulevard that ties them together. If you have one evening in Dubai, this is where you spend it.
The pieces
- Burj Khalifa and its observation decks, entered through Dubai Mall.
- Dubai Mall, with the aquarium, ice rink and the waterfront promenade.
- The Dubai Fountain on Burj Khalifa Lake, free every half hour after 18:00.
- Souk Al Bahar: an Arabian-style souk with terraces facing the fountain.
- Dubai Opera (2016), a dhow-shaped 2,000-seat venue for opera, ballet and concerts.
- Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard: a 3.5-km ring of cafés, palm trees and the Burj Khalifa view.
Getting around
Everything is walkable in the cooler months; in summer, use the air-conditioned Metro Link from the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station and the mall's own corridors. Taxis queue at every mall entrance. Hotels on the boulevard put you within ten minutes' walk of the fountain — worth paying for on a first visit.
Frequently asked questions
It is the tourist centre, yes — but Dubai has no single historic centre; the old town is around Dubai Creek, 10 km north-east.
