Downtown Dubai, Burj Khalifa and Business Bay

Downtown Dubai is the district of Burj Khalifa, the 828 m tower opened on 4 January 2010, and of everything built at its feet: The Dubai Mall, the lake and its fountain, the Opera. By day people come for the shops and the aquarium; in the evening, for the view from the top and then the show below. This page follows an evening, from late afternoon into the night.

Late afternoon: up Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa was designed by the American architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), with Adrian Smith as lead architect, for the developer Emaar. The At the Top observatory is on levels 124 and 125, at 452 m; a premium ticket also takes you to level 148, at 555 m.

• Levels 124 and 125: from about €45 per person through resellers, with up to an hour at the observatory.
• Levels 124, 125 and 148: from about €77; an hour on level 148, then as long as you like on 124 and 125.

Tickets cost more at peak times, from 1 pm to 7 pm local time, according to resellers. Sabaro suggests booking the slot just before sunset: you see the city by day, then watch its lights come on. Times on this page are local Dubai time: 4 hours ahead of London in winter and 3 hours ahead in summer.

After dark: the Fountain

Back on the ground, walk to Burj Khalifa Lake, a 12-hectare body of water. The Dubai Fountain, designed by the California firm WET Design, opened here on 8 May 2009: it stretches 275 m, its jets reach about 150 m, and more than 6,600 lights illuminate it. It reopened on 1 October 2025 after several months of renovation.

The show, set to music, is free from around the lake. According to the 2025 schedule, it runs every 30 minutes in the evening from 6 pm to 11 pm, with two performances in the early afternoon; check the times on the spot. For a closer view:

• the Boardwalk, a walkway out on the lake: AED 20 (UAE dirhams, about €5);
• the lake ride, 30 minutes by boat: AED 68.25, from about €16 through resellers.

The evening: dinner by the lake, or the Opera

Dubai Opera

A few minutes' walk from the lake, Dubai Opera opened on 31 August 2016 with a performance by Plácido Domingo. Designed by architect Janus Rostock of the British group Atkins, the building takes the shape of a dhow, the traditional sailing boat of the Gulf, with the stage and auditorium in the bow. The hall seats about 2,000. A one-hour guided tour is available from about €19 per person. The Opera stands in The Opera District, the part of Downtown that Emaar launched in 2013.

Dining in the district

Restaurants are spread between The Dubai Mall, Souk Al Bahar and the hotels. Palace Downtown, on the edge of the lake, has four restaurants and bars, including Thiptara and Ewaan. For the city's leading tables, see the Food and dining theme; for alcohol, served in licensed hotels and restaurants, see the Alcohol and rules of conduct guide.

By day: The Dubai Mall and the aquarium

The Dubai Mall, opened on 4 November 2008, has more than 1,200 shops, an Olympic-size ice rink and the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo: more than 300 marine species behind an acrylic panel 32.88 m wide and 8.3 m high. Tickets start at about €65 through resellers. The aquarium is open Sunday to Wednesday from 10 am to 10 pm and Thursday to Saturday from 10 am to 11 pm, last entry one hour before closing. It is the place for hot afternoons and family days: see the Family and Shopping themes. During the Dubai Shopping Festival, from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027, promotions, concerts and drone shows fill the city.

Business Bay and the canal

South of Downtown, Business Bay is a business and residential district launched in 2003, built along the extension of the Creek. That extension reaches the sea through the Dubai Water Canal, opened in 2016: from the mouth of the Creek in old Dubai to the Jumeirah coast, Creek and canal form a 24 km waterway. Business Bay station, on the metro Red Line, is next to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station. Marasi Bay marina, home to The Lana, is in Business Bay.

Closed for now

• The Museum of the Future, opened in February 2022, has been closed since September 2026 to renew its exhibitions. It is due to reopen in the first quarter of 2027, with new experiences.
• Armani Hotel Dubai, inside Burj Khalifa, has been closed for renovation since 1 April 2026; reopening is announced for early 2027.

Staying in Downtown

Staying in Downtown puts the tower, the Fountain and the Opera within walking distance, and you walk back after the last show. Three hotels in the Sabaro selection are in the district:

• Palace Downtown, on Old Town Island at the edge of the lake: an Arabian-style palace within walking distance of Burj Khalifa, the Fountain, The Dubai Mall, Souk Al Bahar and the Opera. Rooms are 51 m² with a balcony, facing the lake or the Fountain; the palm-fringed pool looks onto the tower. From about €590 a night for two in March 2027.
• The Lana, in Business Bay on Marasi Bay marina: opened in 2024 by Dorchester Collection and designed by Foster + Partners, with a rooftop infinity pool facing Burj Khalifa, a Dior spa and nine restaurants and bars, including Jara by Martín Berasategui and Riviera by Jean Imbert. About 20 minutes from DXB airport. From about €580 a night for two in March 2027.
• Armani Hotel Dubai, inside Burj Khalifa: closed for renovation, reopening announced for early 2027.

Prices were recorded on 19 October 2026, taxes included, plus any nightly tourism fee. Downtown pairs well with a few beach nights in Jumeirah, on Palm Jumeirah or in Dubai Marina.

Getting there and around

Downtown is about 11 km from Dubai International Airport (DXB), around 30 minutes by taxi, and 36 to 40 km from Al Maktoum International (DWC), south of the city. The metro Red Line stops at Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station, linked to the mall by an 820 m air-conditioned footbridge. Old Dubai is about ten kilometres away. More in the Getting around Dubai guide; for a long layover, see the Dubai stopover guide.

New Year's Eve

On 31 December, Emaar puts on a midnight fireworks show from Burj Khalifa, with lights and the Fountain; roads in the district close from the afternoon. See New Year's Eve at Burj Khalifa. The programme for 2026-2027 had not been announced as of 19 October 2026.

Crowds, photos and safety

The Fountain area and New Year's Eve draw large crowds. Stay alert in public places and at events; the "Travel advice" table on this page gives your country's advice for the area. The view from the tower reaches far: in the regional context of 2026, taking or sharing images of strikes, debris or the security situation is a criminal offence. Each country's advice is in the Dubai and the regional situation guide.

For an overview of the destination, see Dubai.