Dubai Guide
Things not to miss
1 Bur Dubai On the south side of the Creek, Bur Dubai is the oldest part of the city and home to many of its most interesting traditional Arabian heritage houses, as well as the atmospheric Textile Souk.
2 Deira North of the Creek, the bustling district of Deira is where you'll find most of Dubai's traditional commercial activity, much of it still conducted in the area's vibrant array of old-fashioned souks.
3 Sheikh Zayed Road Sheikh Zayed Road's dizzying array of skyscrapers – bounded to the north by the glittering Emirates Towers and to the south by the Burj Dubai, which will be the world's tallest building – represent Dubai at its most futuristic.
4 Dubai Marina The epicentre of modern Dubai, the vast new Dubai Marina development is the city's next Big Thing, home to a string of luxurious beachside resorts and an extraordinary number of cranes.
5 Bastakia Dubai's most perfectly preserved traditional district, with a fascinating little labyrinth of old-fashioned Arabian houses topped by innumerable wind towers.
6 Madinat Jumeirah An astounding mock-Arabian city, home to a string of lavish hotels and leisure facilities – the quintessential Dubaian example of opulent kitsch on an epic scale.
7 Emirates Towers A dazzling pair of triangular-topped modernist marvels, soaring high above the futuristic Sheikh Zayed Road.
8 Burj Al Arab One of the world's most instantly recognizable contemporary buildings, this superb, sail-shaped hotel towers gracefully above the coast of southern Dubai, providing the city with its most iconic landmark.
9 Jumeirah Mosque
The most impressive of Dubai's innumerable mosques, rising imposingly above the drab suburbs of northern Jumeirah.
10 Dhow Wharfage Home to hundreds of superb old Arabian dhows moored up along the Deira Creekside – one of central Dubai's most incongruous but magical sights.
11 Spice Souk The most atmospheric and old-fashioned of Deira's myriad souks, with narrow alleyways stuffed full of fragrant merchandise, from frankincense to rose-petal tea.
12 Jumeirah Beach Hotel Towering high over the beach in southern Dubai, this startlingly original wave-shaped hotel remains one of the city's most famous landmarks.