Whenever we are in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is like a magical attraction for us. The sheer size of the skyscraper, the central location in Downtown Dubai, the magnificent view from the “At the Top” observation deck, the direct location on the huge Dubai Mall with its 1,200 shops, the beautiful Burj Park and of course the amazing Dubai Fountain… around the Burj Khalifa you can really experience a lot.
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Things to know about the Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is located in the middle of Dubai in the city of Downtown and with its 829.8 meters is currently the tallest building in the world. The design consists of three building columns arranged around a central axis. In total, the Burj Khalifa has 163 floors. The highest point, which can be reached with one of the 57 lifts, is located at an altitude of 638 meters. Further up you will only find rooms for the electronics and maintenance of the building. The lowest floors are used as a hotel (Armani Hotel Dubai), on the other floors there are offices and luxury apartments. In the 124th and 125. Floor there is the observation deck “At the Top”, from where you can look in all directions. Another observation deck “At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY” is in 148. floor at an altitude of 555 meters (tickets at GetYourGuide).
View of the Burj Khalifa with the Dubai Steel Heart
20 interesting facts about Burj Khalifa
Here are some interesting facts about the Burj Khalifa in Dubai:
– Construction period: 2004 – 2010
– Opening: 4 January 2010
– Address: 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd, Downtown Dubai
– Emaar Properties (one of the world’s largest real estate companies) is the developer of Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai and Dubai Mall
– Construction costs: about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars
– Height to peak: 829.8 meters
– Floors: 163
– Since April 2008 it is the tallest building in the world
– The initial name of the tower was Burj Dubai, i.e. Tower of Dubai
– The design consists of three building columns arranged around a central axis
– From a distance of 95 kilometers you can see the top of the Burj Khalifa
– 26,000 glass panes adorn the exterior facade
– A cleaning company takes up to 3 months to clean every single window
– Up to the ground floor there are 11,300 steps
– There are 2 viewing platforms: “At the Top” (124th floor) and “At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY” (148th floor)
– The Burj Khalifa sways up to 1.5 meters at the top in each direction
– In total, the Burj Khalifa has 57 lifts
– It has the highest passenger elevator in the world
– The highest restaurant in the world is located at an altitude of 441 meters at the 122. floor
– The world’s highest lounge, “The Lounge”, stretches through the 152nd, 153th. and 154. storey
The observation deck “At the Top”
Floors: 124 and 125
Height: 452 meters
Admission: 33-50 € (depending on time)
Tickets: here
Whenever we are in Dubai, a visit to the Observation Deck at Burj Khalifa is simply part of it. It’s just fascinating to see from a bird’s-eye view how the city continues to change. The entrance to the observation deck is located on the lowest floor of the Dubai Mall and is well signposted everywhere. After a short security check, we first pass some information boards and monitors, where you can learn about the history and construction of the world’s tallest tower. From there, one of the lifts goes with a fabulous speed of 10 meters per second in less than a minute to the 124. floor.
From the outdoor terrace in the 124th Floor has a breathtaking view of the Dubai skyline and the water fountains. When you look down there for the first time, you are really impressed. Everything else seems really small. However, you also need a little weather luck to enjoy the view, because often a haze bell hangs over Dubai.
From the entire floor you have a 360 degree view over Dubai. You can see the Burj Al Arab, the Dubai Frame, the Palm Island and even the archipelago Of The World. Since 2018, the windows have also been home to the famous “Angel Wings” by American artist Colette Miller, which we had already seen in Los Angeles.
Also the 125. Floor offers great views over the city, but without an outdoor terrace. Thus, one does not get into the open and can only look down through the window.
The observation deck “Burj Khalifa SKY”
Floor: 148
Height: 555 meters
Admission: 85-120 € (depending on time)
Tickets: here
If the observation deck “At the Top” is too low at 452 meters, you can go a little higher. The highest viewing platform of the Burj Khalifa is located 555 meters above the ground – so another hundred meters higher. We cannot say whether we really see more here, because we had not been here yet. The difference to the normal viewing platform “At the Top” is the height and also the price of the entrance. This is 2-3 times as expensive, incl. a plate of Arabic delicacies, pastries and soft drinks.
Der Burj Park
Burj Park is located on a small island in Burj Lake, within walking distance of Dubai Mall and the world’s tallest tower, burj Khalifa.
We particularly liked the pustules in Burj Park. This spectacular installation is the largest of its kind to date, which is very fitting given its location , next to the tallest building in the world. The sculpture “Dandelions” aims to capture the delicate nature of flowers by using a heavy material – namely metal. In the evening, by the way, the pustules are illuminated in different colors, which looks really great.
The water fountains “The Dubai Fountain”
The Dubai Fountain is a captivating water, music and light spectacle on the 12-hectare man-made Burj Khalifa Lake in downtown Dubai. They are the tallest fountain in the world and were designed by WET Design, a California-based company that is also responsible for the fountains at Bellagio Hotel Lake in Las Vegas.
The 275-metre-long and USD 218 million fountains consist of five different-sized circles and two arches and feature powerful jets that shoot the water at impressive heights of up to 150 metres. Over 6,600 WET superlights and 25 color projectors create a visual spectrum of over 1,000 different water expressions, accompanied by classical to modern Arabic and Western music. The choreography takes place in a rhythm of 20 to 30 minutes and can be admired daily between 6 pm and 11 pm – and completely free of charge. You can see the water fountains from every point around the lake.
If you want to get a little closer to the fountains, you can use the new “Dubai Fountain Boardwalk”. The Boardwalk is a brand new floating platform within Burj Khalifa Lake that allows you to get closer than ever to the Fountains. The entrance fee is AED 20, which is about 4.50 €. In addition, you can also book a Lake Ride (approx. 15 Euro per person), where you will be driven around the lake with a small boat.
Downtown Dubai
It is also recommended to take a stroll in Downtown Dubai. Around Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard there are mainly small bars, cafes, restaurants, offices, apartments and hotels. But you can also discover some beautiful photo spots here.
The most beautiful photo spots for the Burj Khalifa
Around the Burj Khalifa there are various beautiful and extraordinary photo spots. Whether with the Wings of Mexico, the Steel Heart or from the Palace Hotel… the Burj Khalifa is always a great photo motif. in an extra post we have described these special photo spots and their location in more detail.
Starbucks Global Icon City Mug of Dubai
We are collecting the Starbucks Mugs from the cities and islands we visit on our travels. Unfortunately, not every city that has a Starbucks store with an own mug. But if the city has an own mug we like to collect them as a souvenir. We only collect city mugs from the "Global Icon Series", which was released in 2008. You can see our complete collection here: Starbucks - Our collection of Mugs from the Global Icon SeriesDubai has several Starbucks stores and also its own cup of the Global Icon series 🙂
The Starbucks City Cup of Dubai
A map with all attractions in Dubai
On Google MyMaps we have marked all important sights and attractions in Dubai.
A map with all attractions in Dubai
Our travelogues from Dubai
Dubai is an insanely diverse city and has quite a few attractions to offer. In our previous vacations, we had gotten to know the city only as a classic "stopover destination". Thereby, we didn't really have much time to explore the many sights of the city. And the desert metropolis is a true photo and Instagram paradise. One motif is more beautiful and spectacular than the other. The tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa), the largest building in the world in the form of a picture frame (Dubai Frame), the largest shopping center (Dubai Mall), the largest Ferris wheel (Ain Dubai), the largest flower garden (Dubai Miracle Garden), the tallest hotel (Burj Al Arab) to the largest fountain system in the world (The Plam Fountain) and many more.
In addition, Dubai has developed so rapidly in recent years, so that we now had enough time to explore the desert metropolis on the Persian Gulf a little better due to a longer vacation. Here you can find our travel reports about the city of superlatives.
» The 20 most beautiful Photo Spots & Instagrammable Places in Dubai
» The Swissôtel Al Murooj & our first long-haul flight with baby
» Burj Al Arab – Photo Spots & Tea Time in the Skyview Bar
» Das Hotel Atlantis the Palm, Lost Chambers Aquarium & Aquaventure Waterpark
» Dubai Miracle Garden & the Dubai Butterfly Garden
» The Pointe – The Palm Fountain at Palm Jumeirah
» Al Seef Dubai, Dubai Museum, Spice Souk & Gold Souk
» Dubai Marina – JBR, The Walk, The Beach & Ain Dubai
» Dubai Frame in Zabeel Park & Dubai Garden Glow
» La Mer – Beach, Shopping & Boardwalk in Jumeirah
» Dubai Creek Harbour – The new harbour district in Dubai
» Dubai Mall, Dubai Aquarium & the Underwater Zoo
» Burj Khalifa – The most beautiful Instagram photo spots
» Burj Khalifa – Things to know, At the Top & Dubai Fountain