5 Must-See Places in Dubai City

5 Must-See Places in Dubai
By Raouf Shabayek

1- The Gold Souk

Spanning over 300 small traditional shops, selling all kind of jewelry, the old gold souk (Souk or Souq is an Arabic word meaning a market) is located in the heart of eastern (i.e. old) Dubai. Next to it awaits the perfume and spice souk. Those souks are open air and in summer they become very hot. Many shops close in the middle of the day.

2- Burj Al Arab Hotel

This is one of the Most Expensive Hotels in the world (the Royal Suite costs $18,000 per night), and is also the fourth tallest hotel in the world. Many visitors and tourists have found the exterior of Burj Al Arab hotel to outdo the interior. The free public beach next to the hotel is a good location for taking souvenir photos with the hotel in the background.

3- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa]Burj Khalifa (Formally known as Burj Dubai)

Until another contender arises, the Burj Khalifa is officially the tallest building in the world right now. Over 800 meters tall (2625 feet, 160+ stories), Burj Khalifa holds lots of world records. The observation deck on the 124th floor is a panoramic must see, but you need to book in advance.

4- Dubai Mall

The world's largest shopping mall (based on total area) is actually part of the Burj Khalifa complex, and hosts over 1,200 shops. At 6pm, the adjacent outdoor musical dancing fountain show starts, and is repeated every 20 minutes up until 10pm.

5- Madinat Jumeirah Resort

Designed to resemble a traditional Arabian town, Madinat Humeirah is the largest resort in Dubai. Inside the souk awaits the Abra (ferry) tour, which is by far one of the romantic rides in Dubai, spanning over waterways that link the different areas of the resort. The views are amazing and the tour lasts usually around 25 minutes.

A blogger, editor, and book author, working in Dubai, UAE. He enjoys writing in his [http://wajeez.com]Wajeez.com blog.