Start from 48 curated places around Dubai, AE, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Al Ustad Special Kabab
A Bur Dubai Iranian kebab house going since the late 1970s, its walls papered with photos of decades of regulars and visiting royalty. The yoghurt-marinated chicken kebab over saffron rice is the order, and the queue out front is the proof.
Gazebo
A Bur Dubai stalwart for North Indian and Awadhi cooking, best known for dum-pukht biryani slow-sealed under pastry in a clay pot. The Friday-morning mutton nihari has a cult following that queues before it opens.
Trails & outdoors
Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary
A protected creek-end wetland improbably wedged against the city's towers, where thousands of flamingos wade within sight of the skyline. Free hides with spotting scopes let you watch the birds without disturbing them.
Dubai Water Canal
A modern canal cut from Business Bay to the sea, lined with a continuous landscaped boardwalk that loops past waterfalls, bridges, and the towers' reflections. A flat, accessible walk that is one of the better evening strolls in the new city.
Things to do
At the Top, Burj Khalifa
The observation decks near the top of the world's tallest building, with floor-to-ceiling views over the city, the coast, and the desert beyond. The defining Dubai splurge-view, vertiginous and genuinely impressive.
The Dubai Fountain
The choreographed fountain on the lake at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, firing water hundreds of feet to music every evening. Free, frequent, and the natural gathering point for a Downtown night.
Landmarks & sights
Burj Khalifa
The tallest building on earth, a tapering steel-and-glass spire that anchors Downtown and the city's whole self-image. Even without going up, the plaza and the fountain lake at its base are the natural center of an evening out.
Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood
A restored quarter of wind-tower houses and sand-colored lanes on the Bur Dubai side of the creek, the closest thing to old Dubai still standing. Tiny galleries, courtyard cafes, and heritage museums fill the coral-block buildings.