United Arab Emirates

The Dubai Mall is a huge shopping mall that also houses a huge aquarium besides other attractions.

The Dubai Fountain has a great water show with fountains, lights and music. It is located next to Dubai Mall and Burj Park. In the evening its show can be seen every 30 minutes. We have seen it from Burj Khalifa‘s Observation Deck as well as from the waterfront and it is spectacular. When you are shopping at Dubai Mall, stop by to see the show!

The Burj Khalifa Skyscrapper is currently the worlds tallest building. It is really, really tall. Dwarfing everything else, we you already see it when we were approaching Dubai city. Even though we visited the observation deck at in the 124th floor and not the one even higher up, you look down on skyscrapers that appear tiny below you! Burj Khalifa is a great sight to visit and comes with a great view.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a marvelous piece and a must see when in Abu Dhabi. It was the wish of the late sheikh to build a new mosque and building it did cost several billion dollars. It is build using white marvel and can House 10,000 people. Additional 30,000 people can fit in the yard.

Corniche Beachbis a public beach in Abu Dhabi you can go to if you want to swim or just enjoy the sun. Since it is a public beach it is free of charge but you might have to bring everything needed yourself. And remember that is a public beach and too tiny swimwear might be frowned upon.

The Founders Memorial is commemorating the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahya. It is located next to the Emirates Palace Hotel at the corner of 18th street and Corniche Road. The best time to visit is after down when it’s already a little bit colder and the memorial is shown with its lights turned on. Then you can see that all the small stones form the portrait of the late Sheikh. The memorial is an great destination for stroll outside once it has cooled down.

Beside it’s excellent service, the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi is a known for its luxurious interior. All gold you see is said to be actual gold - and there is lots of it. We have been there for a cup of tea and a piece of there signature cake while listening to soft live music. This visit actually was our highlight of the trip.

During the night you will find many restaurants and bars and there is one which shows soccer live and open air at the beach.