1 destination · 28 things to do

United Arab Emirates

Dubai is the city that built a skyline out of the desert in a single generation, and it is far easier to do well than its reputation for excess suggests: a driverless metro, winter sunshine when Europe is grey, beaches inside the city limits and a run of record-breaking sights that are genuinely worth the hype. The Burj Khalifa still holds the title of the tallest building on earth, with observation decks stacked from Level 124 to a lounge at 585 meters, and at its feet the Dubai Fountain dances on the lake every half-hour after dark. The Dubai Frame frames old town and new, the Palm Jumeirah spreads out below The View, Atlantis keeps the biggest waterpark in the region, and the desert begins less than an hour from the hotels, with dune drives, camels and dinner under the stars. This guide books the city properly, from sunset slots on the Burj and timed abra crossings of the Creek to the cool-season calendar of Global Village and the Miracle Garden, and pairs it with the older Dubai visitors too often miss: the wind-tower lanes of Al Fahidi, the spice and gold souks of Deira, a guided morning inside the Jumeirah Mosque and a day trip to Abu Dhabi for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Louvre. Then it matches you to the right hotel, from fountain-view suites in Downtown and resort life on the Palm to smart budget bases by the Mall and the Marina, because in a city this spread out, where you sleep decides how you spend your days.