Our kids really wanted to see the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. This was one of their main travel requests. And it was kind of on the way to Australia, so we went for it.
Dubai is best at night when it’s lit up beautifully. Only 12% of the population in Dubai is Emirati, so it’s a true international melting pot. Everyone speaks English, and you can get literally any kind of food from any part of the world.
You absolutely have to go to the mosque, which teaches about the five pillars of Islam, demonstrates the washing technique prior to prayer, and gives you amazing food. Kids are free.
It’s hard to know what part of Dubai to stay in. If you end up central, south of the airport and north of the bus station, you’re probably fine. You’ll be taking taxis anyway. Hotel prices are not cheap but the breakfast buffets are incredible, with choices of Indian, Western, and Middle Eastern food. If you can get a place with a pool, it’s nice to cool off. The food isn’t as expensive as I thought it might be, but it wasn’t cheap either.
We also went to a friendly professional soccer match while we were there which was really fun and had fans from all over the world.
We also spent an entire day in a mall. Like, we literally didn’t leave all day. It’s a huge mall and we went to the top of the Burj Khalifa and saw the fountain water show outside the mall. We were there in December, but it made sense that much of the year it’s too hot to spend much time outside so the malls are very popular. We went to an amusement park that creates popular culture shapes out of plants and flowers that was interesting and odd (there’s a huge Smurf area).
Highlights:
- Authentic cuisine from Chennai, India
- All the food we ate
- Being at the top of the Burj Khalifa
- Learning about Islam at the mosque
- Walking around and seeing the lights at night
Tips
- Taxis (via Careem) are about the same price as public transit for families since oil is so cheap.
- It’s hot year-round, and in the summer it’s so hot that there are public health alerts
Food: 8
Budget: 3
Culture: 5
Vibe: 5