Hours: Daily 8:30am-1am.Admission: Observation Deck Entry: Adults 125AED (immediate entry 400AED), children 4-12 95AED, children under 4 free. Location: Entry from Dubai Mall, Sheikh Zayed Road, Downtown. Official site: http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/

Dubai has the glitziest, the widest, the deepest…  and Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building. Dubai’s landmark building is the Burj Khalifa, which at 829.8 m is the tallest building in the world. Check out the exhibit on the building’s history, then take the fastest lift in the world to the observation deck on the 124th floor. Hold on to your hat – it only takes a few seconds. It is not for the faint-hearted but is well worth it, as the views will blow your mind. The views across the city skyline from this bird’s-eye perspective are simply staggering. The slick observation deck experience includes a multi-media presentation on both Dubai and the building of the Burj Khalifa (completed in 2010) before a high-speed elevator whizzes you up to the observation deck for those 360-degree views out across the skyscrapers to the desert on one side and the ocean on the other. Night-time visits are particularly popular with photographers due to Dubai’s famous city-lights panoramas.

Back on the ground, wrapping around the Burj Khalifa, are the building’s beautifully designed gardens with winding walkways. There are plenty of water features including the Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain, modelled on Las Vegas’ famous Fountains of Bellagio. Book tickets online in advance and go at sunset, which is my favourite time as you get to see both day and night from the top.

Burj Al Arab

The Burj calls itself ‘the world’s only 7-star hotel’ and, whether or not you agree, it certainly one of the most iconic buildings in Dubai.

Soaring to a height of 321 metres, the Burj is designed to resemble a billowing sail and the exterior of the Burj Al-Arab is lit up by a choreographed coloured lighting show at night. There are various viewpoints from which you can take photos but one of the best is from the public beach next to it. From here you will get the ultimate Dubai shot of you on the beach with the Burj in the background. It is one of the most photographed structures in the world, and consistently voted the world’s most luxurious hotel. It is too expensive for the average visitor so here’s a little secret tip from me to you: go for a drink at the Dhow and Anchor in the hotel opposite (Jumeirah Beach hotel) and sit out on the terrace for an even better view – but don’t tell anyone I told you!

For those without unlimited credit, the way to experience the over-the-top opulence is to go for dinner at the underwater Al-Mahara restaurant where floor-to-ceiling glass panels in the dining room walls allow you to view sea life while you eat. Or, book afternoon tea at the Skyview Bar (a minimum spend is required) on the 27th floor with its amazing panoramic views of the city.

Mall of the Emirates

Mall of the Emirates is one of the city’s most famous malls with the spectacular (and surreal) Ski Dubai facility inside. The indoor ski slope is complete with chairlifts and a penguin enclosure, all at a continuous temperature of -4 degrees Celsius. There’s also a cinema complex and a family entertainment centre with a whole host of rides aimed at both the big and small. The shopping opportunities are boundless as are the eating options, offering every conceivable world cuisine.

Ski Dubai – Mall of the Emirates

The Deira Spice Souq sells every imaginable spice with stalls overflowing with bags of frankincense, cumin, paprika, saffron, sumac and thyme as well as the fragrant oud wood, rose water and incense. The market was established in the 1830s and features restored wooden archways and wind-towers. For a much less touristy experience, head to the fish market where you’ll find loads of local action.

The Gold Souk

Dubai. The name has almost become shorthand for a certain type of lifestyle: an oasis of top-notch hotels, world-renowned restaurants and frankly bizarre attractions, all in the middle of the desert. Not a city to rest on its laurels, the Emirati powerhouse is constantly thrusting forwards and there is always something new to see. So, where to start? Here is our guide …

Built in the last few years, Dubai Marina throngs with spectacular twisting skyscrapers, while just next door is Jumeirah Beach Residence walk (or ‘JBR walk’ if you want to sound like a local). The Marina and JBR is a city within a city with amazing architecture, pretty cafés and bars – ideal for people-watching, high-end hotels and some of the best restaurants in the city, including Frankie Dettori’s Frankie’s Italian Bar & Grill and Gary Rhodes’ Twenty10.

During the day, the views are equally as stunning as in the evening, and many people jog around the Marina for that reason. Behind the Address Hotel you can take the Dubai ferry, which is great for visitors and locals alike as it takes you out into the sea and past the famous Atlantis Hotel on the man-made Palm Jumeirah. The ferry takes you up the coast and drops you just inside the Creek at Bur Dubai where you can enjoy some of the ‘old’ Dubai after experiencing the ‘new’.

The Gold and Diamond Park and Museum (Sheikh Zayed Road) is a one-stop shop for jewellery lovers with 118 manufacturers and 30 retailers all under one roof. The complex’s museum presents the history of Arabic jewellery production and also offers short tours of the manufacturing plant.

Saturday to Thursday 1pm and 1.30pm; 6- 11pm every 30 minutes
Friday 1.30pm and 2pm; 6- 11pm every 30 minutes

Spectacular and exciting and free! If you’ve been to Vegas, maybe you have seen the Belaggio fountains already. But trust me! Dubai does it taller, bigger, louder and it’s just jaw-dropping to watch these fountains. Best to go at night to see the light show too.

The fountains are situated at the base of Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall – the world’s biggest mall and something to experience in itself. There are numerous restaurants alongside the fountains and it is a good idea to book into one of them and dine on the terrace (in winter) to see the fountains in all their glory. I think The Mango Tree is one of the nicest places to dine, but the Rivington Grill is also a great spot.

The musical repertoire of the fountain show includes Sama Dubai; Baba Yetu (an award-winning song in Swahili), the Arab world’s top-selling dance number Shik Shak Shok, and the signature piece of world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Con te partiro: Time to Say Goodbye. Speaking of which, time for me to say goodbye and wish you a wonderful visit to Dubai!

There are a myriad of activities where you can get a closer look at the sea life. Glass bottom boat tours (on top of the tank) are particularly popular. Cage snorkeling and shark diving activities are also on offer.

A desert safari is a chance to get a flavour of the Bedouin existence from years gone by. Numerous companies offer desert safaris but check them out before booking (you can also ask me via Tripbod.com). Be sure to ask what time you will finish and be dropped back and whether they plan to stop anywhere on the way, and especially what extras you may need to pay for and what kind of food will be offered.

You get driven in a four-wheel drive vehicle to an authentic-style campsite where you can try hubbly bubbly (Shisha) or maybe indulge in some barbecue food. If it’s adventure you want then you can head off on a desert drive, watch falcons fly, and dream of desert adventures. Back at camp after sunset I find it a magical experience just to sit in the darkness and stare at the stars, which is a simple pleasure too often forgotten.

Khamees Bldg. Al Satwa Road, Dubai, U.A.E.; 971-(0)4-331-5353

This is where I take diehard curry fans. We go once a month without fail. One of Dubai’s longest-serving restaurants, Ravi is usually full, with diners from all over the world. There are no white tablecloths, no wine list,  no snooty waiters, just honest Pakistani curry served up by friendly staff. My favourite dishes are chicken boti, chicken handi, mutton tika, daal and mutton kebab, and the bread is fresh, fluffy and hot. A whole family can eat here for less than 100dhs. Ravi has recently been refurbished, with the addition of a ‘family’ area, but I think it’s more fun to sit outside or in the main area to soak up the atmosphere.

Dubai Creek separates the city into two towns with Deira to the north and Bur Dubai to the south. The creek has been an influential element in the city’s growth, first attracting settlers here to fish and pearl dive. Small villages grew up alongside the creek as far back as 4,000 years ago, while the modern era began in the 1830s when the Bani Yas tribe settled in the area. The Dhow Wharfage is located along Dubai Creek’s bank, north of Al-Maktoum Bridge. Still used by small traders from across the Gulf, some of the dhows anchored here are well over 100 years old. You can visit here, watching cargo being loaded and unloaded on and off the dhows. Dhow workers often invite visitors onto the vessels for a tour, where you can gain insight into the life of these traditional sailors. Many of the dhows here travel onwards to Kuwait, Iran, Oman, India, and down to Africa’s horn. This tiny remnant of Dubai’s traditional economy is still a bustling and fascinating place to wander around.

A great place for breakfast or lunch, with a twist! If you’ve always wanted to know about Islam but were too afraid to ask, here’s your chance to get the low-down. For example, previously I wondered: why do women wear an abaya? How long can camels survive in the desert? Why do Muslims face a certain way to pray? All the answers came from here, and more specifically the centre’s charismatic host, Nasif. Don’t be surprised if you leave with a whole new understanding and appreciation of the Muslim world.

The centre is run by an Emirati man who married a European woman and is a great place for cross-cultural understanding, as the name suggests. I love to come here for breakfast or lunch, and I always buy a bar of Camel chocolate on the way out. If, like me you are cheeky enough, when everyone has left, ask kindly if they would mind you climbing on to the roof to admire the views. Time it right and you can be up there when the call to prayer is sung – it gives me goose bumps just writing this.

Location: Al-Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai

Dubai’s excellent museum is housed in the Al-Fahidi Fort, built in 1787 to defend Dubai Creek. The fort’s walls are built out of traditional coral-blocks and held together with lime. The upper floor is supported by wooden poles known as “handels”, and the ceiling is constructed from palm fronts, mud and plaster. In its history, the fort has served as 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. The entrance has a fascinating exhibition of old maps of the Emirates and Dubai, showing the mammoth expansion that hit the region after the oil boom.

Dubai’s architectural, cultural and maritime heritage is showcased at the Heritage and Diving Village, with displays related to pearl diving and dhow building – two of old Dubai’s historic economic mainstays. There are also recreations of traditional Bedouin and coastal village life, with Persian homes, a traditional coffeehouse and a small souk where potters and weavers practice their handicrafts at the stalls. Local music and dance are performed from October to April and visitors can get advice from practitioners of traditional medicine.

The Bastakia Quarter was built in the late 19th century to be the home of wealthy Persian merchants who dealt mainly in pearls and textiles, and were lured to Dubai because of the tax-free trading and access to Dubai Creek. Bastakia occupies the eastern portion of Bur Dubai along the creek and the coral and limestone buildings here, many with walls topped with wind-towers, have been excellently preserved. Wind-towers provided the homes here with an early form of air conditioning, with the wind trapped in the towers funnelled down into the houses. Persian merchants likely transplanted this architectural element (common in Iranian coastal houses) from their home country to the Gulf.

The Bastakia Mosque may not be the largest or most glitzy mosque in the United Arab Emiratesbut it has to be one of the most photogenic. This lovely little mosque has exquisite lattice-work detailing made more beautiful by the blindingly white facade. Nearby you can see the last remnants of Dubai’s city walls, built in the mid-19th century from gypsum and coral.

Jumeirah Mosque is considered by many to be the most beautiful of Dubai’s mosques. An exact copy of Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque that is eight times its size, the Jumeirah Mosque is a fine example of Islamic architecture. This stone structure is built in the medieval Fatimid tradition with two minarets that display the subtle details in the stonework. It is particularly attractive in the evening when lit with floodlights. The Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding organises guided tours of the mosque designed to try to foster a better understanding of the Muslim faith. Tours begin at 10am daily, except Fridays.

Hours: Sat-Thu 8:30am-8:30pm, Fri 3-8:30pm. Admission: Adults 2AED, children 1AED

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum was the Ruler of Dubai from 1921 to 1958 and grandfather to the current ruler. His former residence has been rebuilt and restored as a museum that is a fine example of Arabian architecture. The original house was built in 1896 by Sheikh Saeed’s father, so he could observe shipping activity from the balconies. The original home was demolished but the current house was rebuilt next to the original site, staying true to the original model by incorporating carved teak doors, wooden lattice screens across the windows and gypsum ventilation screens with floral and geometric designs. Thirty rooms are built around a central courtyard with wind-tower details on top.