The city of high-rises #TheCityDiaries

Popular as the vacation spot of United Arab Emirates, Dubai is a scintillating city of high-rises and shopping malls. Transformed from a desert destination to the city of dazzling lights, people from all around the world visit Dubai for its sales, bargains, and fun experience it offers to family.

A few friends have recently moved to Dubai or travelled to the city to witness its famous glory. And yes, I do have postcards from the place which my sister’s best friend got for me. (I LOVE POSTCARDS!)

Famous for attractions such as the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building) and larger-than-life shopping malls, Dubai has many cultural highlights and glamorous add-ons to offer. Take a stroll around the city and you will realise that Dubai has more to offer than what meets the eye.

Best time to visit Dubai: October – April (i.e. 2 months away. Start planning!)

There are more than 400 flights available to Dubai on Cleartrip, among which 30 are non-stop. There are frequent flights from India for Dubai from Mum/Delhi. If you ask me which airline to pick from the many, I would go with Etihad. Why? Because my friends always refer it as the best! Its accolades go beyond the air.

Let’s dig in a little about the famous attractions which attract tourists from all around the world:

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa is Dubai's landmark building, which is 829.8 m high and the tallest building in the world. The building provides a bird-eye view of the city’s skyline and is simply stunning, imagine a 360-degree view out across the skyscrapers with the desert on one side and the ocean on the other. Fascinating? That it is. 

Night-time visits are particularly popular with photographers due to Dubai's famous city-lights panoramas.

Dubai Museum

Housed in the Al-Fahidi Fort, which was built in 1787 to defend Dubai Creek, is the famous Dubai Museum. In its history, the fort served as a residence for the ruling family, seat of government, garrison, and prison. 

Restored in 1971 (and again extensively in 1995), it is now the city's premier museum.

Bastakia (Old Dubai)

Built in the late 19th century to be the home of wealthy Persian merchants, Bastakia is the home to Old Dubai.  

Lined with distinct Arabian architecture, narrow lanes speak the history of Dubai.

Dubai Aquarium

Dubai Aquarium houses 140 species of sea life and is one of the city’s top tourist attractions. If you enter the Underwater Zoo, you can walk through the aquarium tunnels. 

To keep the entire family happy, the Aquarium also offers Cage snorkelling and shark diving activities.

Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is the city's premier mall that provides entry to the Burj Khalifa as well as the Dubai Aquarium. Looking for more entertainment options? The mall also has an ice-skating rink, gaming zone, and a cinema complex. 

It is famous for the annual Dubai Shopping Festival in January and February and the Dubai Summer Surprises Festival in July and August.

Jumeirah Beach

Dubai is blessed with long stretches and golden sands. The strip of sandy white beach is the most famous among all in Dubai – Jumeirah Beach. 

The beach has excellent facilities with plenty of sun loungers, restaurants, beautiful hotels, and water-sport operators offering jet skiing.

After reading this wanderlust-worthy list of attractions in Dubai, I am sure you are planning to visit the city. Make sure you include the following list of Dos’ and Don’ts in your list:

• Drinking: Drinking or being drunk in public is not tolerated in Dubai. The legal drinking age is 21. 
• Public displays of affection: Holding hands, kissing or getting cosy with your partner can get you arrested or lead to imprisonment. 
• Homosexuality: Homosexual acts are illegal and subjectable to severe punishment.
• Swimwear: Wearing bathers outside the beach is against Dubai's decent laws and swimsuits in general should be modest. Nudity at beaches is illegal.
• Clothing: Woman's clothing may be considered indecent if it is tight, transparent, above the knee or shows her stomach, shoulders or back. Men should wear T-shirts at all times and short shorts can attract the wrong kind of attention.
• Conversation: It is illegal to "harass" women - this includes unwanted conversation and prolonged stares or eye contact.
• Photos: Taking photographs of people, particularly women, without permission is illegal and can lead to arrest or fine.
• Drugs: The UAE laws on drugs are extremely strict and include death penalty or life imprisonment.

Have a safe and amazing trip! Don’t forget to send me some postcards from your travels.

Until we meet again,
Keep the Wanderlust ON!
@WanderlustGirl_

Disclaimer: All the pictures have been sourced from google.