The ultimate Dubai city guide – where to get Dubai chocolate, best beaches and much more
Dubai is booming. The most populated city in the United Arab Emirates welcomed 1.3 million visitors from the UK alone in 2024, a 14% increase from the previous year, as British holiday-makers enjoyed the emirate’s year-round sunshine, luxury hotels and endless entertainment options.
It’s no wonder that Dubai’s government-owned Emirates has recently announced a record $6.2billion profit, making it the world’s most profitable airline, while the city’s airport became the world’s busiest for international travel last year.
DUBAI: WHY VISIT NOW?
For tourists, the allure of city beaches, desert adventures, upmarket restaurants and some of the world’s biggest malls is hard to beat, especially in the British winter when temperatures rarely dip below the mid-20s. Still need convincing? Think of all that wildly popular TikTok-approved Dubai chocolate you can bring home…
WHERE TO STAY IN DUBAI
There’s no shortage of bling boltholes in this shiny, showy city, but the Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre is a far more elegant prospect. Based between the 18th and 55th floors of a gleaming skyscraper in the city’s business and cultural district, it’s in easy reach of almost everywhere, with Dubai’s Old Town on one side and some of the city’s best beaches on the other.
Dubai Mall – the largest in the world – is also five-minutes’ drive away. Inside, the hotel looks straight from Mad Men, with sleek Art Deco styling, walnut furniture, glossy monochrome marble floors and brass fittings. There’s an artfully-arranged cocktail trolley in the Peacock Alley lounge and one of the city’s best rooftop pools, with a bar, plush striped sunbeds and skyline views including the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Just don’t miss breakfast at Waldorf Astoria DIFC on Level 18, where you can order everything from Asian chicken congee to Indian dosa, acai bowls and shakshuka if you don’t fancy a bog-standard omelette.
Read more: Is Atlantis The Royal ‘The most ultra-luxury resort in the world’?
THE UNMISSABLE DUBAI ATTRACTIONS
Start by seeing the city from above at the 828-metre tall Burj Khalifa, which is a must-do (unless you hate heights). Dubai Mall is just next door with its aquarium, 22-screen cinema, ice rink and mock haunted mansion, but you’ll find better bargains at Dubai’s souks in the Old Town. There are individual souks devoted to gold, textiles and perfume, but the Spice Souk is the best place to stock up on souvenirs including chocolate-covered dates and bargain bags of saffron
Hop on a traditional abra boat just outside to sail down Dubai Creek for around 20p. To leave the tourists behind, sign up for a Middle Eastern Food Pilgrimage in the Deira neighbourhood with Frying Pan Adventures. This provides a unique insight into the city’s history and culture as you visit hole-in-the-wall dining spots you’d never find otherwise. Just remember to go hungry as you’ll try loads: Syrian shawarma, impossibly creamy hummus, an Iraqi fish dish, a range of baklava, Emirati coffee, a kunafa dessert soaked in sugar syrup, (the world’s best) falafel and yes, even some Dubai chocolate.
Read more: Eat, drink, sleep, repeat: Foodie delights in Dubai
The Arabian Desert is less than an hour away, and making the effort to see it turns a trip to Dubai into so much more than city break. Several companies offer excursions but Platinum Heritage will drive you through the dunes at sunset in a vintage 1950s open-top Land Rover before a nocturnal eco-walk spotting snakes, scorpions and spiders. You’ll finish the night in a torch-lit Bedouin camp for a lavish four-course dinner, shisha and an immersive astronomy session with a telescope for extraordinary star-spotting.
THE NEW THINGS TO SEE
Something bigger, better and brasher pops up in Dubai every month. Last year alone, the city welcomed the Museum of Candy including a gummy bear pool, an augmented reality go-karting experience and a Smash Room for wreaking havoc in a mock supermarket or office. House of Hype – dubbed ‘the ultimate social media playground’ – opened in February to provide immersive backdrops for the ultimate Instagram snap, if that’s your thing.
The city’s award-winning Museum of the Future opened in 2022 and remains one of Dubai’s most intriguing attractions. Housed in a distinctive 77-metre metallic egg-shaped building (one Uber driver tells me most people take a photo in front of it but often don’t venture inside), the museum transports visitors to the year 2071 to consider the scientific advancements that may be possible.
MIRRORING EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS
In Jumeirah, the new J1 Beach Dubai opened last October, aimed at becoming the city’s answer to St Tropez. Situated along a white sandy beach with the city skyline looming behind, the area has a string of luxury waterfront restaurants and swish beach clubs for feasting and flopping. You can even arrive by private yacht from Dubai Marina, sipping champagne as you zip along the coastline past the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab.
Once there, pretty Italian Gigi Rogolatto is a highlight and the brand’s first outpost outside France, serving sharing plates of homemade pasta, seafood and profiterole towers under a rattan terrace.
Afterwards, grab a linen lounger by the pool or sea, drop by the bellini bar and people watch from behind your sunglasses for the ultimate Dubai day out.
HOW TO BOOK A DUBAI HOLIDAY
Rooms at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre start from 850AED (approx. £173). For more information go to visitdubai.com