The once-obscure city of Dubai is today one of the world’s most beautiful metropolises and its skyline is one of the most futuristic. In 2019, almost 17 million tourists travelled to the city, whether it was to shop for some of the world’s best brands, to escape the winter blues or for business.

Home to one of the world’s best airlines, DXB airport is a giant hub and many travellers crisscrossing the world have a Dubai layover of at least a couple of hours.

If you have a long layover in Dubai, you may be wondering what to do in Dubai during that period. So just follow me, as I show you some things to see in Dubai during a stopover, based on my own experience stopping in the city on several occasions and for different numbers of hours.

What To Do In Dubai During A Layover

When it comes to a Dubai layover, there’s no one-itinerary-fits-all solution. What you should do in 5 hours, is very different from what you can see in 12-hour layover in Dubai, for example.

If you don’t have much time but still want some comfort at the airport, you can book your Dubai Airport lounge entry in advance. See the details here.

On another note, if you have already visited Dubai once or twice and want to see more, you would most likely follow a different itinerary than first-timers. Just for the record, here I’m considering that you have a daytime layover and that you’ve never been to the city before.

It’s important to remember that the lines to most attractions are long, so you’ll save a lot of time if you buy your tickets to attractions online. You can find tickets to all attractions here.

The main attractions you can visit during your long layover in Dubai include:

Burj Khalifa: The tallest building in the world, one of the main Dubai attractions
Dubai Aquarium: A giant aquarium located at Dubai Mall, with thousands of fish including hundreds of sharks and rays (a great Dubai attraction for kids and the whole family)
Dubai Miracle Garden: A new attraction in Dubai with landscaped gardens with millions of flowers. It’s a very instagrammable place in Dubai.
Dubai Gold Souk and Dubai Creek: The so-called Old Dubai, a part of the city that’s really worth visiting.
The Museum of the Future: One of the newest attractions in Dubai, with a futuristic design

Can You Visit Dubai During a 4-Hour Stopover?

This is something I was asked in the past and the answer is no, you can’t. Dubai International Airport (DXB) is a huge place and it will take you long to get out of the plane, go through immigration and leave the airport.

Also, returning to the airport, clearing immigration again and getting to your departure gate, will take a lot of time.

I recommend leaving the airport only if you have a minimum of 6 hours and, even so, it would be quite tight.

6 Hours Dubai Layover

If you have a full 6-hour layover in Dubai, it’s important to remember that, in fact, you only have about 3 hours to spare.

I recommend taking a taxi. Dubai Metro system is very good and modern, but since it’s very long, it can take time to get from A to B.

What To Do In Dubai During a Layover — Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world

The main place you should visit on your stopover is Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Take a taxi straight there, and buy your ticket online and skip the first line – you’ll have to take a second one.

The views from up there are absolutely amazing. But if you don’t want to go all the way up there, you can just admire this futuristic construction from the ground, explore the malls and photograph the dancing fountains, which are an attraction in their own right.

From here, take a taxi to Jumeirah beach, where you can pose for pictures with the Burj al Arab hotel in the background. It is the world’s tallest hotel and is considered the only seven-star.

Unfortunately, you can only go inside if you are a hotel guest or if you have a booking in one of the restaurants. Nearby you can also visit the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, also iconic with its wave-like design.

Dubai Layover — Jumeirah beach with the Burj Al Arab, Dubai’s most famous landmark

8-Hour Layover In Dubai

In addition to the Burj Khalifa and Jumeirah beach, you can stop at the souks (bazaars) in the Deira district on the way back to the airport.

The most popular part is the Gold Souk, a covered part of the bazaar with shops selling gold jewellery at a reasonable price, if compared with other places.

Can you visit Dubai during a layover? — A shop in the Gold Souk

Another interesting area in the same complex is Al Sabkha Souk, where you can buy exotic spices, including saffron, from the many shops and stalls. Here the colours and smells will take you back to Old Arabia.

10-Hour Stopover In Dubai

In 10 hours during the day, you can see quite a lot of the main attractions in Dubai. In this case, I suggest you start visiting the Gold Souk and Al Sabkha Souk, then take a cab to visit Burj Khalifa and the dancing fountains.

A short walk from Burj Khalifa is the famous Dubai Mall, which until recently was the world’s largest shopping mall by area, with over 1,200 shops.

Even if you’re not that much into shopping, Dubai Mall is a Dubai attraction worth visiting. It has an ice rink and a giant aquarium, apart from several cinema rooms and an amazing indoor waterfall.

I highly recommend visiting the Dubai Aquarium, with its 400 sharks and thousands of marine life, including giant rays.

One of the highlights of the visit is when the staff dive to feed the fish or to do some maintenance. You can buy your tickets online and save time.

You’ll be saving a lot if you buy a combo ticket including Dubai Aquarium and Burj Khalifa. Click here to see details.

After that, you can either:

Spend the last part of your day at Jumeirah beach for the sunset with Burj al Arab hotel in the background, before returning to the airport.
Visit the Museum of the Future, a futuristic exhibition centre and the Dubai Frame, two of the newest Dubai attractions, located between DXB Airport and Burj Khalifa.

The Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina are also places worth visiting. But considering their distance from Dubai Airport, I don’t recommend visiting them during a layover in Dubai of less than 12 hours.