Dubai
About Dubai
Wondering where to find the best restaurants, family-friendly activities or hottest art galleries? Here's a handy guide to the Dubai’s hottest neighborhoods, packed with plenty to suit all travelers. Add these easy-to-explore districts to your Dubai holiday itinerary and experience the city like a local.
DET/Dubai TourismDowntown Dubai & Sheikh Zayed Road
Heading into the heart of the city, it’s hard to miss Downtown Dubai’s key bragging rights and world-famous icons: the Dubai Mall (the most visited retail and lifestyle destination in the world), Burj Khalifa (the tallest building) and Gevora Hotel (the tallest hotel) along Sheikh Zayed Road. Record-breakers aside, visitors will find fine dining restaurants at Dubai International Financial Centre and a score of family-friendly activities including the Dubai Fountain, Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, and Souk Al Bahar. The world-class Dubai Opera and its packed line-up of live performances is also found on Downtown’s palm-lined Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, along with Burj Park, a favorite host of the district’s hottest festivals and pop-up events.
DET/Dubai TourismOld Dubai
The city's original center, collectively known as Old Dubai, encompasses all the neighborhoods that hug either side of Dubai Creek. Deira is now best known for its gold and spice souks, and fresh food markets beside abra boat wharves. Just a short abra ride to the south side of the creek is Bur Dubai, which hosts some of the city's best unsung ethnic restaurants, with untold numbers of authentic Arabic, Indian and Lebanese menus waiting to be diskovered. Al Seef, part of Old Dubai’s revitalisation work, highlights the district’s important historical relevancy as the city’s cultural hub.
DET/Dubai TourismBusiness Bay & Dubai Canal
The bustling locale of Business Bay can be found beside Sheikh Zayed Road and the city’s popular waterside attraction, Dubai Water Canal — a 3.2-kilometer-long waterway that winds its way from the historic waters of the Creek in Old Dubai through Business Bay and into the Arabian Gulf. Business Bay is home to five-star hotels and sleek office and residential towers, including The Opus by Zaha Hadid. It’s also a foodie hotspot, thanks to the likes of Basko, BASTA!, and Long Teng, complementing top lounges including The Eloquent Elephant and Treehouse Dubai. Dubai's one of a kind theatrical masterpiece, La Perle by Franco Dragone, is also staged at the nearby Habtoor City.
Getty Image/Dubai TourismDubai Design District
A hub for creative minds, the Dubai Design District (d3) is a place for designers and artists to showcase their work. Dotted along the district are over 30 public art and design installlations, including the iconic red ‘My Dubai’ logo. Spend an afternoon discovering the best of d3, which features lifestyle boutiques, fashion ateliers, art galleries, unique restaurant concepts and regular pop-up community events centered around arts and culture.
DET/Dubai TourismPalm Jumeirah
Perhaps the city's most recognizable district, Palm Jumeirah tops the lists of most visitors’ to-do lists. One of the world's largest man-made islands is home to another inimitable feature — the seashell-pink arches and turrets of Atlantis, The Palm hotel, visible to travelers driving up the island's main road. High-end hotels are a drawcard, with international hotels such as Anantara, Fairmont, W, FIVE and Waldorf Astoria. Even if you've chosen not to stay on The Palm, the iconic district is worth a visit for the fine dining restaurants, luxurious spas, beautiful beach clubs and unfettered views of the Gulf’s waters. New hotspots to visit include The View at The Palm for sky-high vistas, Nakheel Mall for chic shopping and Palm West Beach for laidback lounging on the sands.
DET/Dubai TourismAl Quoz
At first glance, the industrial area of Al Quoz seems like an unlikely tourist destination, with rows of warehouses and factories. However, beneath the surface, Al Quoz has flourished into one of Dubai’s most vibrant art and cultural hubs, with some warehouses reborn into art galleries, boutique photography studios and performance spaces. Homegrown artisanal chocolate makers, sustainable gift stores, trampoline parks, and coffee roasters have all popped up recently in refurbished spaces. At the heart of this creative neighbourhood is Alserkal Avenue, where a series of purpose-built warehouses are home to some of Dubai's top contemporary art galleries, while community vibes abound at the Courtyard, where some of the city’s entrepreneurs have set up shop.
DET/Dubai TourismDubai Marina
Dubai Marina is a waterfront city, the emerald-green waters framed by some of the tallest — not to mention some of the most architecturally impressive — residential towers in the world. Foodies flock to Dubai Marina for sky-high dining with sparkling water views, while families can entertain the little ones at shaded play areas, with organized street festivals and pop-up stalls held throughout the year. Head to the Dubai Marina Mall that sits front and centre of the impressive district. The Marina's gourmet project, Pier 7, is a destination for foodies: the tower rising from the middle of the pedestrian walk hosts seven very different, but equally delicious restaurants on each level.
DET/Dubai TourismJumeirah Lakes Towers
Quiet and unassuming JLT (Jumeirah Lakes Towers) is a residential district built around four lakes — one of which was later filled in to create a 55,000-square-meter grass-lawn park. From dawn to well after dusk, young families, cyclists, joggers and dog-walkers populate the well-connected circuit of boardwalks and footbridges lining the waterfront, dotted with lakeside cafes, beauty salons and retail haunts. Of late, JLT has morphed into one of Dubai’s top dining destinations, with a global array of culinary treasures tucked within the district’s many skyscrapers. This is thanks in part to the neighbourhood’s own eclectic mix of nationalities, each bringing a taste of their homeland to Dubai. Try the cheesy manakish at Bait Maryam, perfect pho at Vietnamese Foodies, Greek souvlaki at Mythos, and the best steak frites this side of Dubai at Couqley.
Getty images/Dubai Tourism