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Learn more about the best things to see and do in Dubai's Old Quarter and enjoy your visit to one of the city's most popular historical sites.

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The Best Things To See and Do in Dubai's Old Quarter

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The Best Things to Do in Dubai

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Rising out of the desert sands, the emirate of Dubai is the steely lovechild of ambition and tradition, drawing millions to its oft man-made shores for business and pleasure each year. Tick off the major attractions in the flower of the Arabian Gulf before you delve beneath its surface with our handy insider guide.

The Insider Guide

You'll probably see Dubai's two biggest attractions before you even reach the runway. Standing at a whopping 829.8m (2,722ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the world's tallest building since 2009, and seeing it in the flesh (especially from the air) really packs a punch – while the Burj Al Arab, smaller at 321m (1,053ft) but no less iconic, stands proudly on the shore like the enormous full sail of a luxurious yacht. 
Balance out these modern feats with a stop at the Al Fahidi Historic District, where narrow lanes wind through a neighbourhood dating from the 1890s, now home to a collection of small museums, galleries and cafés.  
If filling your Insta feed is a top priority, you're in the right place. Head to the Dubai Mall to stock up on the latest designer togs, then prepare to get posing. Fancy a shot of Dubai's surreal skyline set within an enormous gilded structure? The towering 150m (492ft)-high Dubai Frame has you covered. Prefer selfies on the sand while turquoise waves lap at your feet? Jumeirah Beach might be more your speed – or, if you like your shoreline opulent, artificial and speckled with upmarket eateries, hotels and shops, opt for a spell on the breathtaking Palm Islands.
If you'd rather fill your itinerary with history than hashtags, the Dubai Museum offers an excellent introduction to the emirate's culture through a series of galleries and exhibits, and – housed within the Al Fahidi Fort, Dubai's oldest existing building – is as fascinating outside as in. 
Likewise, a visit to the Jumeirah Mosque is a peaceful window into the city's Islamic traditions (though it's also the most photographed mosque in all of Dubai, so you might want to take a few snaps), while you'll be surrounded by 50 million flowers at the Dubai Miracle Garden – a fitting end to your time in a city which made the desert bloom.

The Main Attractions

Oran

Setif

Algeria

Luanda

Angola

Cotonou

Porto-novo

Benin

Botswana

Ouagadougou

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Tonga

Yaounde

Bamenda

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Kinshasa

Lubumbashi

Congo

Abidjan

Cote Divoire

Florentin

Dijibouti

Djibouti

Cairo

Alexandria

Sharm El-sheikh

Egypt

Equatorial Guinea

Asmara

Eritrea

Addis Ababa

Lalibela

Ethiopia

Gambia

Accra

Kumasi

Cape Coast

Ghana

Guinea-bissau

Nairobi

Mombasa

Malindi

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Antananarivo

Antsirabe

Madagascar

Blantyre

Malawi

Bamako

Timbuktu

Mali

Mauritania

Port Louis

Mauritius

Casablanca

Marrakech

Sale

Morocco

Maputo

Mozambique

Swakopmund

Windhoek

Namibia

Lagos

Abuja

Ibadan

Nigeria

Pointe-noire

Republic Of The Congo

Kigali

Musanze

Butare

Rwanda

Dakar

Touba

Senegal

Seychelles

Freetown

Sierra Leone

Cape Town

Durban

Johannesburg

South Africa

South Sudan

Khartoum

Sudan

Mbabane

Manzini

Swaziland

Zanzibar

Arusha

Dar Es Salaam

Tanzania

Tunis

Hammamet

Tozeur

Tunisia

Kampala

Gombe

Uganda

Western Sahara

Lusaka

Zambia

Harare

Bulawayo

Zimbabwe

Africa

Antarctica

Kabul

Afghanistan

Dhaka

Bangladesh

Thimphu

Bhutan

Bandar Seri Begawan

Brunei Darussalam

Siem Reap

Phnom Penh

Sihanoukville

Cambodia

Shanghai

Beijing

Guangzhou

China

East Timor

Wan Chai

Hong Kong

Mumbai

Delhi

India

Bali

Penang

Jakarta

Indonesia

Israel

Tokyo

Kyoto

Osaka

Japan

Almaty

Astana

Kazakhstan

Pyongyang

Korea

Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan

Luang Prabang

Vientiane

Pakse

Laos

Macau

Kuala Lumpur

Ipoh

Malaysia

Maldives

Mongolia

Yangon

Mandalay

Nay Pyi Taw

Myanmar

Kathmandu

Darchula

Nepal

Hyderabad

Islamabad

Lahore

Pakistan

Manila

Boracay

Baguio

Philippines

Riyadh

Jeddah

Mecca

Saudi Arabia

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