Every building in Dubai is an architectural landmark! Driving through the city, there’s so many amazing buildings to look at that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are the 7 that are definitely worth seeing.
- Atlantis at the Palm: Okay, okay, this is also in the Bahamas. However, like everything in Dubai, it’s bigger and glitzier. The iconic keyhole building makes for a great selfie background, and it’s only more beautiful on the inside. It has an aquarium, numerous restaurants, and is on the Palm Jumeirah (which will make a reappearance on this list!). Even if you don’t go inside, drive and see it up close!
- Wafi Mall: It’s next door to a pyramid, decorated with hieroglyphs and statues on the inside, and has a beautiful souk (a kind of market) with stained glass windows. From the outside, it looks nothing like a mall- the exterior perimeter is studded with statues, obelisks, and hieroglyphs. While the souk isn’t all too visible from the inside, it’s definitely worth a visit- for the stained glass, if nothing else!
- Ski Dubai: I learned how to ski here- in the middle of the desert. Granted, I fell down about a hundred times and developed a lifelong hatred for skiing, but for those of you who don’t abhor skiing or enjoy other winter sports, Ski Dubai will be a lot of fun! It was the first indoor ski slope in the world, and is located inside the Mall of The Emirates (which is beautiful by itself), and you can see it from inside the mall. Restaurants and coffee shops have windows opening to it, so you can eat dinner or drink a latte, watch people fall on the ski slopes, and thank your stars that’s not you anymore.
- Cayan Tower: Back in the day, when I was a young un, I called this the twisty tower. Sounded right. In fact, until all of five minutes ago, I still didn’t know the real name. I Googled “twisty tower Dubai”, and finally found out it’s called Cayan Tower. I like my name better, but that’s really not the subject here. Unlike the other buildings so far, it’s exclusively residential, so you can’t go inside- but really, all you need to see is the outside! This is one of the most striking buildings in Dubai.
- Palm Jumeirah: I told you the Palm would be back! It’s a little bit hard to believe the first time you hear it. The Palm is a floating, man made island in the shape of a palm tree. It has hotels, apartment buildings, and villas. Yes, really. Driving on the Palm is a must if you visit Dubai- at the very end is Atlantis. The hotel, not the city. Although, when you’re driving on a palm-tree-shaped-man-made-island, who are you to say the lost city of Atlantis *won’t* be at the end?!