Dubai. This is a city many people have heard of, and many want to visit. I have been privileged enough to get to visit this wonderful city and today I will be telling you all about my trip. So let’s begin.

I was in grade 5 and my family was planning to go to Pakistan for a month and a half. My parents decided that instead of taking a direct flight, which I would have hated, we would have a stop in Dubai. My mom was happy about that since she was born and raised in Dubai, and had wanted to go visit it for a while, but had not been able to.

The first attraction we went to was Dubai Mall. To get there from the airport, we rode the Dubai Metro, which is a rapid transit rail network that runs throughout the city. This was my first time riding the Metro and my very first time riding a train, since there are none in the city in which I live. I was quite excited about riding the Metro, and the experience didn’t let me down because the train was much faster than I had expected.

The first place we went to after getting to Dubai Mall, was the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. This is exactly what the name says, an aquarium inside a mall that you can walk under. This was probably my favorite place to visit in Dubai because it was very cool seeing lots and lots of different species of fish, especially in an aquarium inside a mall. There so many different species of fish that I did not know that name of any of the species, except for the clown fish. There was also a countless number of species of sharks at the aquarium; I saw some Hammerhead sharks, as well as a few sand sharks and saw sharks. In the Underwater zoo, I saw crabs, starfish, and jellyfish, but what stood out most was the crocodile named King Croc. King Croc weighs over 750 kg and is over 5 m in length!

After visiting the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo,  my family and I explored the rest of the Dubai Mall and did some shopping.

Next, we went to Burj Khalifa. Burj Khalifa was built in 2010, and was the tallest tower in the world until late 2008; this tower is 8298 m tall and can be seen from more than 60 miles away. Seeing the Burj Khalifa in person was much different from seeing it in a picture. Both tower’s length and its lighting make it a breathtaking sight and I could not believe what I was seeing. We went for a tour inside the tower, and went all the way up to the 148th level observation desk. From there, we could almost see the whole city and the immense size of the city shocked me.

After leaving Burj Khalifa, we went to see the Dubai Fountain, which was very close to Burj Khalifa. Dubai Fountain is the world’s largest choreographed fountain system and is built on the 30-acre man-made Burj Khalifa Lake. The fountain has jets that shoot out water in a way that makes it look as if the water is dancing and it is truly a magnificent display. This was also something that looked much more better in person than in a picture.

Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, and the Dubai Fountain were all in Downtown Dubai, so travelling between did not take long. Our final stop of our day in Dubai was the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding. This was further away, and required us to once again use the Metro.

At the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) we learned about the different cultures of the many people who live in Dubai. We also learned much more about the traditional culture of the Arabs who lived in Dubai hundreds of years ago, and got to taste traditional food. With this experience, we learned that Dubai is a place that is much more diverse than most people believe. While at the SMCCU, we also got a chance to visit the Jumeirah Mosque and pray there.

So this was my recount of my extraordinary trip to Dubai; my family and I made sure to make use of all of our time exploring Dubai and seeing as much of this beautiful city as we could. This was an experience that I will always remember and cherish, and I hope to go back to Dubai another time.

Other Attractions in Dubai

Aside from the places I visited in Dubai, there are also numerous other attractions in the city. A few that I would like to go to whenever I visit Dubai again are Burj Al Arab, Dubai Museum, Ski Dubai, Hatta, and the deserts on the outskirts of Dubai. All of these places are destinations that I have heard are very exciting and have made me even more enthusiastic to visit Dubai again.

Below is a video that I watched before I went to Dubai in 2015 that shows many places that are top tourist attractions. Among them are several places to which I have been to, and several others that I would like to go to.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to Dubai and I can assure you that if you visit this city, which I really recommend you do, you will be amazed.

If you want to read more travel blogs, visit Nimra’s blog about her trip to and Abiha’s blog about her trip to Vancouver and Jasper.