Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower), Dubai (must see)

For many years now Dubai has been looking for alternative income outside the oil business and has expanded into tourism. Many amazing skyscrapers have gone up and it is in the new Downtown Dubai area that you will find yourself at the foot of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

This incredible tower is also incredibly beautiful, looking as if it has just stepped out of a Sci-Fi movie. It stands 829.84 meters high in a 27-acre park with 6 palm tree-lined paths, six water features, gardens, and flowering trees. In a country where water is scarce, this lovely park is kept flourishing by using the water created by the building’s condensation system.

The tower boasts 160 stories of residences, offices and other attractions, 46 stories of maintenance, broadcasting and communications areas and 2 underground parking lots. It’s enough to make you giddy just to stand on the ground looking up to the spire far away on the top!

The residences are luxury apartments and hotels. On the 76th floor there is a swimming pool, on the 122nd floor there is an excellent restaurant, on the 124th floor you can admire the panoramic city view from the observation deck; a nightclub is waiting to welcome you on the 144th floor and a mosque is to be found on the 158th floor.

The tower costed $1.5 billion to build. Dubai ran into debt during the world crisis and was bailed out by the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Hence, the tower was named in his honor instead of Burj Dubai as originally intended.

Tip:
Best reserve tickets online minimum 1-2 days in advance to jump the queue. There are several ticket options offered; with choosing the 2nd highest platform option you can save some serious money.