Dubai

The tallest building on earth at 828 metres — ride the ear-popping lift to the 'At the Top' decks for a god's-eye view over the city, the palm and the desert, best at sunset as the lights come on. Book a timed ticket ahead; it's the definitive Dubai experience.

Head into the red dunes for the classic Dubai adventure — 4x4 dune-bashing, a camel ride and sandboarding, then a Bedouin-style camp with a barbecue, shisha and belly dancing under the stars. Touristy but genuinely thrilling, and a reminder that the desert is what all this rose from.

Not just a mall but a city under one roof — 1,200 shops, a giant aquarium with sharks, an ice rink, a waterfall and the Burj Khalifa entrance, at the foot of the tower. Overwhelming, air-conditioned and quintessentially Dubai; even shopping-haters come to gawp.

The world's largest choreographed fountain, dancing to music and light on the lake at the foot of the Burj Khalifa every evening — jets shooting 150 metres into the air. Free, and genuinely dazzling; grab a spot on the promenade or a terrace table and watch a couple of shows.

The soul of old Dubai — the glittering Gold Souk and the fragrant Spice Souk in Deira, reached by hopping a wooden abra water-taxi across the Creek for a single dirham. Haggle for gold and saffron, watch the dhows unload, and see the trading town Dubai grew from.

The sail-shaped hotel on its own island, the icon of modern Dubai and long billed as the world's only 'seven-star' hotel. You need a booking to get inside, but the view of it from Kite Beach or the Madinat boardwalk — especially at sunset — is one of the city's great sights, and free.

Stroll the yacht-lined Marina promenade past a wall of glowing towers, then hit the JBR beachfront 'Walk' — sand, warm sea, beach clubs and a strip of restaurants and bars that buzzes till late. The best evening in new Dubai, all lights, water and people-watching.

The huge waterpark at the tip of the Palm — record-breaking slides, a lazy river, a shark-filled lagoon and a private beach, wrapped around the pink Atlantis resort. The best family day in Dubai, and a blast whatever your age; go early to beat the queues for the big drops.

A modern re-creation of an old Arabian town — a souk of craft and lamp shops, palm-lined waterways plied by abras, and restaurant terraces framing the Burj Al Arab. Touristy but beautifully done, and the best spot for that postcard photo of the sail-hotel over the water at golden hour.

The best-preserved corner of old Dubai in Bur Dubai — a warren of restored wind-tower houses, art galleries, courtyard cafés and the excellent Dubai Museum nearby. Quiet, shaded and human-scaled, it's the antidote to the towers; join a cultural breakfast to 'meet the locals'.

The tallest observation wheel in the world, 250 metres up on its own island off the Marina — a slow, air-conditioned turn with a view over the coastline and the skyline. Ride it, or just walk the Bluewaters promenade beneath it; spectacular when it's lit up after dark.

An observation deck 240 metres up the Palm Tower, with the whole fronded island laid out below and the Marina skyline beyond — the only place you really grasp the scale of the engineering. Best in the late afternoon; pair it with the Nakheel Mall and The Pointe below.

A 150-metre golden picture frame straddling Zabeel Park, framing old Dubai on one side and the new skyline on the other — with a glass skywalk across the top and a gallery imagining the city's future. A clever, photogenic stop between the two Dubais.

A serene, twin-minaret mosque in white stone, and one of the few in the UAE open to non-Muslims — on a guided 'open doors, open minds' tour that's as much about understanding Emirati life and Islam as the architecture. Warm, welcoming and genuinely illuminating.

Beyond the fine dining, Dubai eats brilliantly and cheaply — a shawarma and fresh juice from a Deira hole-in-the-wall, or a proper Emirati spread of slow-cooked lamb machboos, harees and luqaimat dumplings drizzled in date syrup. Seek out the old-town cafés; this is the real taste of the city.