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Record-breaking Dubai: from the Burj Khalifa to the Opera

Twenty-five years ago Downtown Dubai did not exist: it was an almost empty plot beside Sheikh Zayed Road. Today it is the city’s showcase, with the world’s tallest building at its centre. On this short route you will walk around the Burj Khalifa lake and discover what lies behind the records: architects, engineers and the very Dubai idea of looking to the Gulf’s past to build the future.

  • 5 stops
  • 1.7 km
  • 1 h 30 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Downtown Dubai’s skyscrapers and the Burj Khalifa seen from the air

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 The Dubai MallMore than a mall: a ten-million-litre aquarium, an indoor gold souk and the gateway to the Burj Khalifa lake.
  2. 2 The Dubai FountainJets of up to 150 metres dancing to Arabic and classical music, created by the designers of the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas.
  3. 3 Souk Al BaharA souk of arches, lanterns and wind towers built in the 21st century: Gulf tradition turned into stage design.
  4. 4 Burj Khalifa828 metres inspired by a desert flower: the world’s tallest building changed its name on the very day it opened.
  5. 5 Dubai OperaA glass theatre shaped like a dhow, the Gulf’s sailing ship, opened by Plácido Domingo in 2016 and able to turn into an open hall.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Record-breaking Dubai: from the Burj Khalifa to the Opera

The tallest building

How the Burj Khalifa was designed and built, and why it changed its name on opening day.

Water in the desert

The Dubai Fountain and the artificial lake around which the whole district is laid out.

Nods to the old Gulf

A souk of arches and an opera house shaped like a dhow: tradition reimagined in 21st-century Dubai.

Keep exploring

More routes in Dubai

Back to Dubai
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