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Dubai Opera
Gold Souk
Downtown Dubai
The Palm Jumeirah
Deira
Wander one of the city’s oldest districts,
dating to around 1841. Once just a sleepy
waterside village, Deira soon took over the
original settlement of Bur Dubai in scale and
is still a cornucopia of ethnicities mixed with
tourists. Check out the souks, where gold is
among the cheapest in the world. You can
cross the Dubai Creek between Deira and Bur
Dubai in an ‘abra’ (water taxi) for just AED2.
Bur Dubai
Sitting on the south side of Dubai Creek, the
oldest part of the city dates to the 1900s,
with sandy coloured buildings, museums and
minarets. Here you’ll see Al Fahidi Historical
Neighbourhood with its charming car-free,
narrow streets and houses topped with wind
towers, or barajeel. You can find out more
about Dubai’s history with a look inside the
Dubai Museum or browse the rainbow of
fabrics, clothes and slippers in the Textile
Souk.
Sheikh Zayed Road
Named after the much-revered first president
of UAE, this is where life has spread out to
from the Creek, and has been the epicentre
of development, amassing a collection of
skyscrapers each more audacious than the
next, such as Jumeirah Emirates Towers.
Technically, it’s just part of the highway
running across the whole of UAE, but it’s also
where you’ll find most of the city’s hotels,
restaurants and shops.
The Palm Jumeirah
This ambitious artificial archipelago, created
using land reclamation, was one of many
projects that put Dubai on the map, with its
crescent-like ‘fronds’ extending out from
a ‘trunk’ that runs the length of the central
section – all the way from the mainland up to
Atlantis, The Palm. The 5.4-km Palm Jumeirah
Monorail also runs from the Gateway Towers
at the base to Atlantis. The Palm is home
to many thousands of private homes, and
numerous hotels by some of the world’s
leading brands, such as Fairmont, Sofitel,
Jumeirah, One&Only, Waldorf Astoria and
Anantara.
Downtown Dubai
The anchor of this district is Burj Khalifa,
the world’s tallest building, opened in 2010,
boasting a staggering 828 metres to its name.
Inside the Burj is the first-ever Armani hotel,
while other attention-grabbing attractions
of this area are The Dubai Mall and Dubai
Fountain. While Dubai Opera, the iconic
Dhow-shaped building is the centre for culture
and performing arts in Dubai and is the recent
addition to Downtown Dubai.
Business Bay
Similar in nature to Manhattan, New York,
Business Bay is set within a network of roads
and pathways and offers spectacular views of
Burj Khalifa and the new Dubai Water Canal.
Bay Avenue Mall within Business Bay offers
an outdoor promenade with a variety of al
fresco dining options, from where some of
the best views of Burj Khalifa can be enjoyed.
Looking ahead Business Bay will comprise
of separate areas called The Marina, The
Park and The Pier, all of which will include an
events arena, floating restaurants, five palm-
tree-lined marinas and UAE’s first
‘water homes’.
Dubai • Areas of Dubai
Book a Dubai Parks and Resorts ticket to enjoy a world of fun and adventure unlike any other.