Dubai is a huge shopping paradise and shopping is a special experience as everything is a bit bigger and more beautiful. Whether it’s the Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Marina Mall, Nakheel Mall, City Walk, Dubai Festival City Mall, the various souks or the Dubai Outlet Mall – here you will find the right gift for every bargain hunter. But none of these malls is as big and offers as much as the fantastic Dubai Mall.
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The Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall has been one of the largest shopping malls in the world since it opened in 2009. An exact ranking of “the largest shopping center in the world” is not clear. The reason for this is that the malls can be measured by different characteristics: either their total area, the area that is rented out, the number of shops or the annual customers. Other major malls include the South China Mall in Dongguan (Hong Kong), Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the Golden Resources Shopping Mall in Beijing (China) and the Mall of America in Bloomington (USA). If you are interested in shopping in the USA, you can also take a look at our guide Shopping in the USA with many tips.
With over 1200 shops, a 5* hotel (Address Dubai Mall), 22 cinemas, an ice skating rink, an aquarium and over 120 restaurants, the Dubai Mall is definitely a huge shopping paradise.
In the Dubai Mall you will find everything from fashion, watches, jewellery, accessories, beauty, perfume, electronics, furniture or art. There is also a very large supermarket in the basement with Waitrose.
The major department stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Galeries Lafayette or Marks & Spencer are represented here as well as the well-known luxury brands Chanel, Tiffany, Roberto Cavalli, Dior, Gucci, Armani, Louis Vuitton, Hermes or Dolce & Gabbana. You can also find all other international brands such as Billabong, Birkenstock, Bershka, Foot Locker, GAP, H&M, Hollister, Levi’s, Mango, Pull & Bear, Scotch & Soda, Superdry, Timberland or Zara. The choice is just huge! We also found the gold souk integrated into the mall with 200 jewelry stores modelled on an Arab market interesting.
But what else can you see and experience besides the many shops in the Dubai Mall?
Under the dome of “The Souk” you will find a real dinosaur skeleton. The Dubai Dino dates back to the late Jurassic period, is 7.6 meters high, 24 meters long and 155 million years old. Another well-known attraction in the Dubai Mall is the Dubai Ice Rink, a huge skating rink. A popular meeting place is the Dubai Waterfall. It spans all four floors of the shopping centre and is a remarkable indoor waterfall with stately dimensions. With a diameter of 30 meters and a height of 24 meters, the artificially built waterfall is a popular photo motif, especially because of the fiberglass sculptures that fall down the cascades like cliff jumpers.
From the basement of the mall you can reach the waterfront of Burj Khalifa Lake with the famous water games of the Dubai Fountains. The ticket counters and access for the Burj Khalifa (At The Top) visitor tours are also located in the basement of the shopping centre.
We have experienced the Dubai Mall both quite empty (especially on the morning and around noon), as well as insanely crowded. Especially in the evenings, when the time of the Dubai Fountains starts, it can get really crowded here in the corridors and in front of the shops.
Interesting facts about Dubai Mall
Here are some interesting facts and dates about the Dubai Mall:
Opening: May 2009
Location: Financial Center Street, Downtown Dubai
Builder: Emaar Properties
Opening hours: daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Metro station: Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station
Size: 1.1 million square meters
Sales area: more than 350,000 square meters
Floors: 4
Parking: 14,000
Shops: 1,200
Gastronomy: over 120 restaurants and cafe shops
Gold souk: Largest gold souk in the world with 200 jewellers’ shops modelled on an Arab market
Fashion Avenue: the world’s largest selection of international fashion companies under one roof
Multiplex cinema: 22 halls
Attractions: Ice Skating Rink, Indoor Waterfall, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Dubai Dino, VR Park and .m.
Annual visitors: 84 million (2019)
Website: The Dubai Mall
A map of Dubai Mall
On the following map you can guess the size of the Dubai Mall. A detailed list of all shops, restaurants and activities can be found on the official website of the Mall.
An overview map of the Dubai Mall
The Dubai Aquarium
Probably the most famous attraction of the Dubai Mall is the Dubai Aquarium with its underwater zoo. The aquarium is home to over 30,000 marine animals and over 140 species. The huge water basin is 51 meters long, 20 meters wide, 11 meters high, stretches over three floors and holds an incredible 10 million liters of water. More than 400 sharks and rays live in this basin, including one of the largest collections of sand tiger sharks in the world.
The huge aquarium in the Dubai Mall
If you want to dive a little closer into the underwater world, you can buy one of the different tickets (buy ticket now). The standard ticket for the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo costs just under €30. The “Explorer” ticket for 42 € includes the standard ticket plus a behind-the-scenes tour, a ride on a glass bottom boat and a submarine simulator. There are even tickets for special diving and snorkeling tours (e.B. “Shark Dives”) in the aquarium. These then cost up to 150 €.
Each visit begins with a walk through the 48-metre-long underwater tunnel under the aquarium. This acrylic glass tunnel offers a fascinating underwater view with a 270-degree view of the aquarium – 11 meters below the surface of the pool. Here you are on an equal footing with sharks, stingrays, sand tiger sharks, swordfish and over 140 other marine life. But also many small, large and colorful fish glide leisurely over the heads of the visitors.
The Underwater Zoo
After visiting the underwater tunnel, we continue to the underwater zoo of the Dubai Aquarium, which is located in the 2. and 3rd floor of Dubai Mall. The zoo is home to many smaller water basins with fish, jellyfish, octopuses and seahorses. Otters, penguins, owls, parrots and numerous reptiles such as snakes, lizards and turtles are also part of the Underwater Zoo’s inventory. In order to see them, however, you sometimes need a separate ticket. The entry into the “Penguin Cove” is not included in the standard ticket e.B. We thought that was a bit of a pity.
The Underwater Zoo also features the “King Croc” – one of the largest crocodiles in the world, with a length of 5 meters and a weight of 750 kilograms.
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