There a multitude of activities to do in Dubai that are fantastic for families and can also be done in the comfort of air conditioning - I'm not usually for one for staying indoors when it's a sunny day but this can be essential to enjoying your time in Dubai as it does get so very hot.
The Dubai Mall
I’m not usually a mall loving kinda girl particularly if overseas and traveling, I would usually save mall trips for when needs must at home. However the Dubai Mall is quite an experience and fantastic for families with kids as there are so many entertainment options. Inside the mall on the ground floor is the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. This is one of the largest suspended aquarium's in the world and houses thousands of aquatic animals comprising of 140 species. Even as a wee baby Master H was enthralled as we walked through the 48 metre tunnel surrounded by the sea animals above and around us. Dubai Mall also has an indoor ice rink, a fantastic family orientated attraction for children and teenagers.
One of the most impressive attractions in the Mall is the Dubai Mall Human Waterfalls. This amazing water attraction is a stunning 24 metre high waterfall that spans 4 levels of the mall. Beautiful human sculptures are suspended in the air appearing to plunge down along the waterfall. This visually appealing attraction is a great meeting point and and is certainly a crowd puller. For older children there is also Kidzania an 80, 000 sqft interactive play and learning “mini city”. And also SEGA republic a 76,000 sqft indoor theme park where there is over 150 amusement games. For those that like just a good old shopping experience there is a vast number of shops including over 60 children's retailers and a huge variety of family friendly restaurants and eateries.
Dubai Bus Tours
Dubai Bus tours is a great way to see the city, and escape the heat at the same time. This was great with Master H as we could hop on and off when needed and tend to him but still felt like we were out and about sightseeing. There are 3 main routes: the Beach Tour, City Tour and the Marina Tour these provide the perfect way to see Dubai in the comfort of air conditioning.
The Al-Fahidi Fort, Dubai Museum and Jumeirah Mosque
The Al-Fahidi Fort is well worth a visit and is believed to be Dubai's oldest building, it is home to the Dubai museum and situated in the old town. The museum is fully air conditioned and you can learn about the history of the fort and the development of Dubai originally from a pearl diving community to the discovery of oil in the 60's to the thriving metropolis it is today. The Jumeirah Mosque is a stunning building which is the only mosque in Dubai which opens it's doors to non-muslims. You can do an organised tour of the mosque which lasts around 75 minutes starting at 9.45am on Saturday's to Thursdays. Unfortunately we were not able to do this tour at this time as it clashed with Master H's sleep time, so we just admired the building from outside.
The Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building at 828 metres. The building is spectacular and can be seen from all over Dubai. The Burj Khalifa's viewing decks provide a stunning bird's eye view of Dubai.
The Spice Souk
Dubai’s Spice Souk is a traditional style market selling souvenirs, bags of spices, incense and traditional medicine’s. This is a world away from Dubai's modern shopping centres and is a lovely way to spend a morning.
Atlantis the Palm
This man-made island stretches over 1km into the Arabian Gulf. Located on the Palm's outer breakwater is the Atlantis Hotel and Resort. The Atlantis Hotel is made up of two towers linked by a beautiful archway and features four Celebrity Chef restaurants. Atlantis is also the home of the Aquaventure water park which boasts Dubai’s highest waterslide, and Dolphin Bay, where guests are able to swim with dolphins. The water park is very popular for families.
There are a multitude of attractions for families in Dubai and everywhere is very baby and child friendly. If the heat is too much for you there are an abundance of child friendly activities so you can keep your little ones cool in the air conditioning. All of the cafe's and restaurants we went to we were warmly welcomed with our little guy which reminded me of how a baby can always provoke a smile out of strangers, an international language that everyone understands.
Note: This trip was done in 2015
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