A few of my friends from Osaka have been in Dubai and came to stay with us in Al Ain for a few days. While they were still planning their trip, they asked me if I was interested in going up the world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa - with them. Of course I was! I like getting a bird's eye view of places and Bryn isn't the ideal travel companion when it comes to that kind of thing!
I'll show you a few of my photos, then give you my opinion and advice on the attraction (take it or leave it.)
Overall...I wasn't impressed. First, it was expensive! 200 Dirhams (about US$55) for the regular ticket. You only go about 2/3 of the way up. Granted that's way higher than you can get in any other building in Dubai (and maybe the world? I'm not sure...) if you're paying that much you want to go all the way up! The views were actually pretty 'eh' if you ask me. The viewing deck was on the wrong side of the building, and faced back towards the desert. Decent views and all, but I wanted to see iconic Dubai things like the Palm and the Burj Al Arab, but they are only visible from inside the building.
Here's my advice if you are visiting Dubai and interested in going up the Burj Khalifa. My number one tip is don't bother. It's a waste of money. Go get a manicure instead! However, if you're rich and want to say you've been up the world's tallest building, keep these things in mind!
-Go in the morning. My friends had read to go in the afternoon, so I booked the time they wanted. I'm sure the goal was to see the sunset, but we were way too early for that. Also, because the sun was getting lower, the views I thought were most desirable/iconic were completely washed out. I would have much rather seen it in bright morning sunlight. (It also cost less to go in the morning!)
-Book ahead online (here). Even though you can buy tickets at Dubai Mall, they do sell out early, so don't expect to show up, buy tickets and hop on the elevator.
-Don't bother with the Fast Track ticket. It didn't seem necessary, but of course maybe we just got lucky. The few people who did have Fast Track Tickets waited just as long as those of us with regular tickets.
-Get there 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled time...not 16, 15.
-Leave your shopping in the car or in the lockers when you go in. Nothing's worse than waiting in line to go through security, only to be sent out to put your Zara bag in a storage locker (no, this didn't happen to us, but we saw it).
Yeah, so my review of At The Top is a pretty scathing one, but if someone had told me these things I would be 200 Dirhams richer! Oh well, it was definitely an experience (and shared with friends which made it all the better)!
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