The Dubai Mall

Are you looking for information about the Dubai Mall ? This article is entirely dedicated to this mall 😊

In Dubai, you know it : they don't do things by halves. Islands created from scratch, gigantic amusement parks, the highest tower... and the biggest and most famous shopping mall in the world: the Dubai Mall.

In this gigantic shopping area, where it is good to take refuge when it is more than 104 °F (40°) outside, a whole city is waiting for you! It would take you two full days to discover  all the stores and entertainments that this place has to offer!

An expansion of the mall is even in progress at the moment (to be continued!). For the moment, here is a small tour of the property...

A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT DUBAI MALL

Considered the largest shopping mall in the world, the Dubai Mall opened its doors on November 4, 2008.

At the helm of this project was the real estate developer "Emaar Properties" who wanted to open a shopping mall unlike any other?.

After four years of work and 14.5 billion euros of investments, the bet is a success, because the Dubai Mall is a paradise of excess! It offers about 500 sq mi of retail space (800,000 square meters) on more than 621 sq mi (a million square meters), with four floors, 1,000 stores, hundreds of restaurants and cafes and 14,000 parking spaces. Not to mention the many attractions on site: a giant aquarium, an Olympic-sized ice rink and a ton of entertainment for adults and children.

Some numbers on the Dubai Mall:

• More than 50 million people visit each year (more than 750,000 visitors/week).There were 37 million in the first year.

• The mall also had a record number of visitors in 2014 with 75 million visitors, and in 2015 with 92 million visitors.

• The mall occupies an area of more than one million square meters, more than 698 sq mi to be precise (1,124,000 square meters).

• It has more than 1,150 stores, 160 restaurants and cafes and 14,000 parking spaces. 20,000 people work there.

WHERE IS THE DUBAI MALL?

The Dubai Mall is in downtown Dubai, not far from the business district.

It is located at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, and at the heart of a huge urban complex including hotels, an artificial lake and the Dubai Fountains.

HOW TO GET THERE?

Here is the exact address of the Dubai Mall:

The Dubai Mall
Financial Centre Road
Downtown Dubaï
Dubai

• Subway :

The subway is the most convenient way to avoid traffic jams (especially on weekends).

Take the Red Line and stop at the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station.

From this station, you will have direct access to the mall via the link bridge, an 820 meter long air-conditioned walkway. You can either walk or use the conveyor belt, while enjoying the beautiful view of Burj Khalifa and the city. You will also have access to wifi. You can even take the red line directly from the Dubai airport to come directly to the Burj Khalifa.

• Bus :

There are two buses that serve the Dubai Mall about every 15 minutes. Take line 27 or line 29. You will arrive at the Grand Drive entrance on the lower first floor of the Dubai Mall.

From your hotel, you may also be able to take one of the 12 free shuttle buses that the mall offers.

• Car :

On Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai's main avenue, you'll quickly find the mall since it is in the center of Dubai, and signs indicating it are everywhere. Just follow the direction "Financial Center Road / Dubai Mall".

On site, you will find several parking lots with more than 14,000 covered spaces: Grand parking, Fashion parking, Cinema parking, Zabeel parking.

Note that if you wish, valet parking is available.

• Taxi :

You can of course take a cab or use an Uber. Just watch out for traffic jams due to the crowds on the Dubai Mall side. Check out my article on cabs in Dubai to learn more 🙂

WHAT ARE THE OPENING HOURS?

The Dubai Mall is open every day:

• From 10am to midnight on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,
• from 10am to 1am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Note that you will find fewer people in the morning; however the mall is crowded in the evening and on Fridays.

WHAT CAN YOU DO THERE?

The Dubai Mall is not a place like any other. It's a shopper's paradise, but it's also an entertainment paradise!

In this space of epic proportions, you'll also find many food outlets and unusual attractions. It's impossible to get bored!

shopping

At the Dubai Mall, you will find everything: electronics, household goods, fashion and accessories for men, women and children, beauty products and perfumery, furniture, toys, books, handicrafts...

The mall is the fashion capital of the Middle East. Indeed, out of the 1150 stores it contains, 450 are luxury boutiques of the most prestigious designers and brands such as: Bloomingdale's, Galeries Lafayette, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Chloé, La perla, Tiffany & Co... These stores are located in the "Fashion Avenue" of the Dubai Mall.

Among the stores present, you can also find much more affordable brands like Zara, H&M, Etam Paris or Topshop.

If you really want to shop at the Dubai Mall, go during the sales period in January: the Dubai Shopping Festival.

You can also find:

• the world's largest shoe store (9,000 square meters), "Level Shoes District";
• the world's largest candy store (930 sqm), "Candylicious". Once in the candy paradise, you will definitely find it hard to resist the temptation!
• The largest indoor gold souk in the world, the "Souk Al Bahar". (It is located in the FF, but if you don't like the bling, prefer the Gold Souk in Old Dubai).
• A "Pork Shop": a special store to buy pork (the emirate being a Muslim state, this is the only place where you can buy some).

Note that the mall offers an outdoor shopping experience in winter in the area "The Village/The Grove". The roof of these tree-lined walkways is retractable.

The Dubai Mall also has two supermarkets.

Visit the aquarium and the Underwater Zoo

The Dubai Aquarium and the Underwater Zoo are must-sees on your trip to Dubai!

Both located inside the mall (ground floor, first floor and second floor), they are awe-inspiring for both young and old.

The Dubai Aquarium is the largest suspended aquarium in the world. Its walls are already visible from the aisles of the mall (it is the second largest glass wall in the world: 107ft 10.48819in wide, 27ft 2.7in high, 29.52 in thick and a weight of 245 tons).

You will be able to see - free of charge - a large part of the more than 33,000 aquatic species that its enormous tank houses (one of the largest in the world, its tank contains 10 million liters of water and its dimensions are 

167ft 3.87in long x 65ft 7.4in wide x 36ft 1.07in high).

Moreover, once inside you'll have a wide choice of activities available (they're not free, but they are experiences you will never forget!).  First of all, you will be able to see the other marine and terrestrial animal species that can be found in the Underwater Zoo, such as spider crabs, penguins, otters, snakes or bats. Afterwards, you could, among other things:

• visit the backstage area,

• access the underwater observatory,

• watch the animals eat (sharks, rays, otters, piranhas),

• visit "King Croc", the star of the aquarium, a crocodile that is 40 years old and weighs 750 kg,

• take a transparent boat ride to see the marine animals of the reservoir from a different perspective,

• go cage diving with the sharks...

SKATING AT THE DUBAI ICE RINK

You are probably wondering how the installation of an ice rink in the middle of the desert is possible? It's simple, the mall uses a high technology that allows it to maintain the refrigeration of the ice. You know it now: in Dubai, nothing is impossible!

So it's at the FF of the mall that you can watch people skating and discover yourself the pleasure of sliding on the ice, on an Olympic size ice rink no less! You can even take a beginner's or advanced course if you so wish.

HAVE FUN IN AMUSEMENT PARKS

« Sega Republic »

Here's a (Sega-themed) park that even adults love! It's actually an arcade with 170 slot machines and many thrill rides (there are 15 main attractions, including simulation games and roller coasters).

Only children taller than 360ft 10.7in m can enter this 76423.76ft² park located on level 2 of the mall (between Kidzania and the cinemas) and spread over two floors.

If your child is less than 1.10m tall, they can still access the two areas dedicated to them. The cost is 40 AED/hour (they will be your responsibility).

Please note that there are weight and height limits. For six of them, you need to be between 1.10 m and 1.30 m tall, for two you need to be between 1.30 m and 1.40 m tall. And for the others, you will have to be over 1.40 m

 « KidZania »

Located on the 2nd level of the Dubai Mall, "KidZania" is a theme park specially designed for children between 4 and 16 years old. It is a miniature city of 79652.93ft², in which they can walk around all day. It is a replica of a real city with cobblestone streets, small buildings, stores, restaurants and even a hospital!

"KidZania" is above all a tourist attraction with an educational purpose. It allows children to discover about sixty professions and to play the role of a policeman, a fireman or a cook. They can change jobs (and therefore uniforms) as many times as they want during their visit. They even get paid for it! They are given Kidzos (Kidzania's currency): "money" that they can spend in KidZania's stores.

Of course if you don't want to go inside with your kids, you don’t have to. Adults (Zupervisors) will take care of your children and make sure they are safe. You can take advantage of this time to walk around the mall or to relax in the parents' lounge (free wifi, coffee).

Be careful: in these two parks, children are kings! So if you don't like noise, don't go in.

If you have children too small for these attractions, you can take them to "Urbano's House", a playground where they can jump on an air mattress and listen to the storyteller.

« VR Park »

This park located on the second level of the mall is the largest indoor virtual reality park in the world (75347.37square feet).  It is pure fun for those who love video games and virtual reality experiences (shooting, skydiving, piloting, fighting...).

You can challenge your family and friends through many games and entertainment. You will laugh and cry; in short, you will feel the adrenaline rush!

Open from 10am to midnight every day.

« Hysteria », the cursed house

If you are a thrill-seeker and a fan of haunted houses, don't miss this park located on the 2nd level of the mall!

In this reconstruction of a mansion, you can go from room to room (15 in all) while trying not to jump out of fright! I didn't do it personally but according to the visitors, it's an extremely scary experience that deserves to be done, in spite of its rather high price and the short time it takes to finish it.

The legend of Hysteria: "the children of the family have disappeared and their desperate parents scour the corridors and rooms of the mansion to find them and discover who took them".

There is no time limit, but on average the attraction lasts 10 minutes.

The attraction is not recommended for children under 16 years old. Those under 13 years old must be accompanied by a parent (and will be under their responsibility).

SEE A MOVIE AT MEGAPLEX, “REEL CINEMAS”

"Reel Cinemas” is the largest cinema complex in Dubai. It is located on level 2 of the mall (it has its own parking lot) and offers 22 movie theaters, 26 screens (including a 3-screen projection for a 270° view), a restaurant, as well as special offers for a luxury experience (private room projection, reclining leather seats, personal butler service).

FLY AN AIRBUS

Here is an attraction not to be missed: the flight simulator that the airline company "Emirates" has set up in the mall! It also has an official store there: the Emirates Official Store.

Located on the 2nd floor next to the entrance of the Dubai Aquarium, you can put yourself at the controls of an Airbus A380: take-off, landing and piloting in various weather conditions... Everything is there to make you live a child's dream!

DISCOVER UNUSUAL THINGS

A visit to the Dubai Mall will allow you to see many unusual things, including:

• • the authentic 155 million year old skeleton of a Diplodocus. It is called the "Dubai Dino", is 24ft 11.21in high and 78ft 8.8in long and was discovered in Wyoming (USA) in 2008. It was exhibited at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences until the Dubai Mall bought it and installed it in the FF, in the "Souk Dome";
  • a huge 78ft 8.8in high waterfall decorated with statues of divers, the "Dubai Waterfall";
  • the replica of the most expensive car in the world, a gold Lamborghini Aventador estimated at 7.5 million dollars;
  • a sock vending machine...

EAT & DRINK

There are many food outlets scattered throughout the mall (over 120). They are classic or upscale restaurants and cafes that offer American, Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, British cuisine... as well as specialties for children.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

• Before entering the Dubai Mall, make sure your shoulders and knees are covered (respect the Dubai way of life). Also avoid public displays of affection.

• Pets are not allowed inside the mall.

• Smoking is not permitted.

• The mall is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

• You will find many information points, changing rooms, cell phone charging stations, and ATMs.

• Remember to download the "The Dubai Mall" app. Available on iOS and Android devices, it's easy to use and will help you organize your visit to the best of your ability: latest news and events, real-time parking information, store map, real-time notifications and much more.