Must-see attractions Bur Dubai, Dubai - Lonely Planet (2024)

Dubai Museum

Bur Dubai

The city's main historical museum charts Dubai's turbo-evolution from fishing and pearling village to global centre of commerce, finance and tourism. It…

Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Bur Dubai

Anyone keen on delving deeper into Emirati culture and history should take advantage of the activities, Emirati meals and tours offered through this…

Al Fahidi Historic District

Bur Dubai

Traffic fades to a quiet hum in the labyrinthine lanes of this nicely restored heritage area formerly known as the Bastakiya Quarter. Its narrow walking…

Alserkal Cultural Foundation

Bur Dubai

This nonprofit foundation runs the most dynamic cultural space in the Al Fahidi Historic District. Galleries showcasing traditional and cutting-edge works…

Al Seef

Bur Dubai

In the early 1900s this historical area was Dubai's trading hub, during a period when the pearl diving industry was being developed. Stretching some 1.8km…

Perfume House

Bur Dubai

This waterfront museum is part of the Al Shindagha Museum restoration project and is the former home of a Dubai sheikha who loved all things perfume. The…

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House

Bur Dubai

Recently restored as part of the new Shindagha Historic District development, this grand courtyard house served as the residence of Sheikh Saeed, the…

Shindagha Historic District

Bur Dubai

Strategically located at the mouth of Dubai Creek, Shindagha was where the ruling sheikhs and the city elite lived until the 1950s. While a few of the…

Crossroads of Civilizations Museum

Bur Dubai

This private museum in the Shindagha Historic District provides a fascinating glimpse of Dubai's historic role as a trading link between East and West. On…

Bur Dubai Souq

Bur Dubai

Dubai's oldest souq (market) flanks a central arcade canopied by an ornately carved wooden roof. Friday evenings here are especially lively, as it turns…

Saruq Al Hadid Archaeology Museum

Bur Dubai

Only discovered in 2002, Saruq Al Hadid sits deep in the desert sands of the southern reaches of the Dubai emirate and is believed to have been an iron…

Zabeel Park

Bur Dubai

This sprawling park, where lots of palms and other greenery provide plenty of shade, is a weekend family favourite. It brims with activity zones,…

Majlis Gallery

Bur Dubai

Dubai's oldest fine-art gallery was founded in 1989 by British expat Alison Collins and presents mainly paintings and sculpture by international artists…

XVA Gallery

Bur Dubai

Tucked into the Al Fahidi Historic District since 2003, XVA has a knack for ferreting out top-notch up-and-comers from around the Middle East and India…

Dubai Frame

Bur Dubai

Opened in January 2018, this 150m rectangular 'picture frame' sits in Zabeel Park, right between historic and modern Dubai, and provides grand views of…

Museum of Illusions

Bur Dubai

Opened in September 2018, this museum is fast becoming a favourite for families and Instagram fans, with several of the 'illusions' frankly looking a lot…

Green Wall

Bur Dubai

Truly impressive and truly green, this living wall is touted as the Middle East's largest, measuring some 6m in height and 212m in length. Its green cred…

Dubai Creek House

Bur Dubai

Step back in time to retrace history at the Dubai Creek House, part of the Al Shindagha Museum restoration project. The Birth of a Nation exhibit takes…

Grand Mosque

Bur Dubai

Dubai’s tallest minaret (70m high) lords over the more than 50 small and large domes that give the city's largest mosque its distinctive silhouette. Today…

Wafi City

Bur Dubai

Ancient Egypt gets a Dubai-style makeover at this lavishly designed hotel, residential, restaurant and shopping complex, complete with pyramids,…

Coffee Museum

Bur Dubai

This cute private museum in a historic Emirati home offers an aromatic bean-based journey around the world and back in time. Learn about the importance of…

Coin Museum

Bur Dubai

This is a highly specialised museum which will appeal to anyone with an interest in rare and historic coins. Located near the Diwan Mosque in the Al…

Hindi Lane

Bur Dubai

Until the completion of a new temple in Abu Dhabi in 2020, only a tiny and ageing double-shrine, tucked behind the Grand Mosque since 1958, serves the UAE…

Creek Park

Bur Dubai

One of the emirate's oldest and largest parks stretches for 2.6km along Dubai Creek and is mostly popular with Bur Dubai expats, who arrive on weekends to…

Diwan Mosque

Bur Dubai

The distinctive ornate flat dome and slender minaret of this snowy white mosque watch over the Al Fahidi Historic District. Non-Muslims may only visit the…

Children’s City

Bur Dubai

This colourful cluster of Lego-style buildings in Creek Park was designed for kids to playfully explore scientific concepts, the human body, space…