Dubai Mall: The World Beneath One Roof

Dubai Mall is not really a mall in any sense you have encountered before. Yes, it has over 1,200 shops. But it also contains a full-size Olympic ice rink, an indoor aquarium with a tunnel you can walk through surrounded by sharks and rays, a 155-metre indoor waterfall, a dinosaur skeleton in the atrium, a virtual reality park, a cinema complex, and enough restaurants to eat somewhere different every day for months. The aquarium alone is worth seeing — the main tank holds 10 million litres of water and houses more than 33,000 animals. You can see it from the outside for free through a viewing panel, or pay for a tunnel walk or even a diving experience. The fountain show outside on Burj Lake is free and runs every 30 minutes from 6pm. People stake out spots around the lake well before each show, which tells you something about how good it is. For shopping, the mix ranges from international luxury labels in Fashion Avenue to high-street brands and independent retailers. Navigating it requires some planning — download the mall's app, which has indoor maps, before you arrive.