‘At The Top’ of the World’s Tallest Skyscraper – Burj Khalifa, Dubai

When we visited Dubai, a ‘must do’ activity was to visit the observation platform atop the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa. This eye-catching 828-metres (2,717 feet) skyscraper is located in the heart of Downtown Dubai, adjacent to the huge Dubai Mall. Top tip: We booked tickets via the UAE Groupon page – it cost half what it would have done if we’d bought tickets on the day. Groupon covers a lot of Dubai attractions, so it is well worth signing up.

Vital Statistics

The Burj Khalifa, which means “Khalifa Tower” after Sheikh Khalifa, was inaugurated in 2010. It took 5 years to build, with the external structure completed on my birthday (October 1) in 2009. Dubai is known as having an oil-based economy, but a decision was taken to build a Dubai that would encourage tourism. The Burj Khalifa is the centrepiece of the new Downtown Dubai, which also includes the Dubai Mall, a 30-acres Khalifa lake, 30,000 homes in at least 19 residential skyscrapers, nine hotels and 7.4 acres of parkland.

The Burj Khalifa has 57 lifts (elevators) and 8 escalators. There are 2,909 stairs from the ground floor to the 160th floor … obviously we chose the elevator!

Design

The Burj Khalifa was designed by Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The design was inspired by the flower of the Tiger Lily (Hymenocallis). From the top, looking down, it resembles a Y shape. The structure is basically a buttressed central core that supports the height, with three wings. These three ‘wings’ maximise the outward facing opportunities for apartments and hotels etc. It has a special cladding so that it can cope with the hot Dubai summer.

From the Outside

Before we ventured into the Burj Khalifa, you can’t help but admire it from the outside. From the rooftop pool in our hotel, we often took an evening dip and watched a light show on the skyscraper in the distance! Here’s some views of the outside …

Burj Khalifa from the ground!

Burj Khalifa through an art installation

Experience

I purchased tickets, via Groupon, before we left the UK. On our first visit to the Dubai Mall we visited the ticket desk to book our timeslot for the experience. We decided to book for mid-morning the following day, in the hope the weather would be clear for good views.

The following morning, we arrived 10 minutes before our allocated timeslot. Our backpacks were searched and we were invited to follow the route towards the elevators. Along the way there are exhibits to look at, along with windows through which you get a bird’s eye view of the skyscraper.

One of the displays on the walk to the elevators

Elevator

The elevator holds 10-12 people, one of which is the attendant. There was one other couple in the lift with us. The roof of the elevator had a screen telling you some facts and some moving imagery, and there was a floor level countdown … wow, it moved quickly! In no time at all we had reached floor 124. You step out into a floor-to-ceiling windowed observatory, and the views take your breath away. You can walk the whole 360 degrees, viewing the scenery from every possible direction. We could see the Arabian Gulf and the Marina, the desert, and if you looked down you could see Downtown Dubai and the impressive lake.

Burj Khalifa – view from floor 124

Burj Khalifa – another view from floor 124

If you feel ok (you are high up and you can often feel a bit lightheaded) you can climb a single staircase to reach floor 125, an open-air terrace.

Floor 125 – Burj Khalifa’s open-air viewing platform

There are some high-powered telescopes here, and it was really hot! Conversely, the air-conditioning on floor 124 was lovely! Let me show you our experience in pictures …

Powerful telescopes pointed out all the landmarks on the screen

Shop

Not wanting to miss a marketing opportunity (!) there’s a really good merchandise store on floor 124. You can buy everything from a pen, to keyring, t-shirts, a set of toy Dubai police cars, glasses – even Lego sets. And yes, the children did spend a little of their pocket money here!

Once you’ve finished shopping, and have seen all the views, you wait for the next elevator to return you to the ground. You can spend as long as you like ‘At The Top’.

Oh, and we saw this before we took the lift back down ..,.

Verdict: Worth the Entry Fee?

Oh, definitely worth it. Especially if you get the deal with Groupon. I believe that if you book direct, online, in advance, you also get a good saving against the ‘just turn up and pay’ price. There was a more expensive option, and that was the premium ‘At The Top Sky’ experience where you go up to floor 148. These tickets are often twice the price as the ones we had … and to be honest the views are the same! We were lucky in that there was little to no cloud around at the time of our visit – this can be a problem. You can also book evening tickets, to see the city all lit up at night-time.

Toby on floor 124 of the Burj Khalifa

Huw felt a little lightheaded while on the top floor. It didn’t stop him from taking in all the views, but he felt better once back down on the ground! The children LOVED it, as I’m sure you can see from the photos. It really was an amazing view and a fun experience!