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Dubai Travel Guide

It’s hard to believe when confronting the sheer scale of Dubai, but most of the city was built in just the last 50 years. It makes the world’s biggest shopping mall, tallest skyscraper, and a host of ultra-luxurious hotels all the more bewildering. Still, amid all the glamor and superlatives, there are vestiges of a pre-skyscraper Dubai, in its winding souks and the vast empty desert that surrounds the city. Here’s how to navigate both sides of this always-growing metropolis.

Plan Your Dubai Trip

The Small Concept Hangouts Challenging Dubai’s Maximalist Reputation
The city continues to live up to its reputation for excess, but now there are more places than ever to stop and take a breath. 
How to Make the Most of Your Layover in Dubai
You’d be amazed at how much you could squeeze in on a 24-hour layover. From culture to beaches (even spas!), here’s everything you could reasonably fit into one day
35 Best Hotels in Dubai
We’ve eliminated the guesswork and rounded up 36 of our favorite Dubai hotels, for all budgets, ages, and travel preferences.
Explore the Inspiring Parts of Dubai with Photographer Rhiannon Taylor
Produced by Condé Nast Traveler with Conrad Hotels & Resorts | Rhiannon Taylor continues her journey at Conrad Dubai where she connects with photographer Katarina Premfors and explores famed Dubai markets followed by a tour of Fossil Rock and a round of Dune Bashing in the desert.
Andrew Zimmern's Back-Alley Tour of Dubai Dining
Some of the city's most surprising and delicious flavors hail from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and more.

More from Dubai

Air Travel
This Airline Is Phasing Out Paper Boarding Passes
Charge up your phones: It now takes a mobile boarding pass for most passengers to get onto Emirates' flights in Dubai.
News & Advice
Inside the Unveiling of Dubai's Atlantis The Royal, Including Beyoncé's Live Performance
We attended the exclusive three-day Grand Reveal Weekend of the new ultra-luxury resort—here’s what went down. 
Inspiration
A Local’s Guide to Dubai, UAE
Designer Latifa Al Gurg on the United Arab Emirates.
News & Advice
Dubai Airport Is World's Busiest for International Travel (Again)
The airport has seen one billion passengers pass through in the past 58 years, and has emerged as a go-to stopover destination.
News & Advice
The New Dubai Pass Is an All-Access Ticket to the City's Major Attractions
Basically, you're getting unfettered access to 33 attractions for the price of three.
News & Advice
Dubai’s Quest to Be the 'Most Active City In the World'
The city is becoming an epicenter for global fitness trends.
News & Advice
Dubai's Floating 'Queen Elizabeth 2' Hotel to Open This Month
The renovation has been a decade in the making.
Destinations
Dubai: The Layover Hub That’s Truly Worth Sticking Around For
Here's what to do in the global hub if you've got a few hours, a day, or maybe even three.
Destinations
What to Do in Old Dubai: Our Guide
A historical neighborhood where colorful wooden dhows bob, and there's not a mega-mall in sight.
News & Advice
Surprise: Dubai Is Getting a Minimalist Hotel
Can Dubai even do subtle? We’re about to find out.
Inspiration
The Louvre Abu Dhabi Just Opened an Art Gallery on a Highway
For art lovers on the go.
News & Advice
Dubai Breaks Its Own Record With New World’s Tallest Hotel
It's a mere meter taller than the previous record holder.
News & Advice
The World's Largest Picture Frame Just Opened In Dubai
And it's stirred up quite the controversy.
Destinations
The Best Chef's Tables and Counter Dining in Dubai
As one of the world’s top business hubs, Dubai is catching on to the growing demand for a table for one. That means more chef’s tables and counter seating at some of the city’s best restaurants
Destinations
Where to Eat When You’re Gallery Hopping in Dubai
The city’s coolest art centers are clustered in three major districts. Here’s what to see and where to grab a bite when you’re culture-crawling.