50 Things You Have To Try In The City

Whether you’ve just arrived in the emirate or have been here forever, here’s how you can really enjoy everything the city has to offer

01 Rise in a hot air balloon

See the desert from a basket 4,000 feet in the air. This is the only hot air balloon experience in the world that flies with a falcon – it's released at 4,000ft to circle the balloons as the sun rises. After you land, you’ll enjoy a breakfast and ride in a 1950s Land Rover across the dunes to a Bedouin camp. a Balloon Adventures Dubai, Al Ain Road, Dubai, Dhs1,195. Tel: [phone]. Taxi: Motor City. ballooning.ae

02 Eat at Ravi’s

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but this no-frills Pakistani restaurant is a Dubai institution, thanks to its good Punjabi food and cheap prices – it even counts Snoop Dogg and Craig David among its fans. Tuck into heaped plates of biryani, curry, and grills, and you’ll still manage to walk away with change from Dhs100. a Al Dhiyafa Road, Satwa, Dubai, daily 5am to 3am. Tel: [phone]. Taxi: opposite Inner Co-operative Society.

03 Head to the top of Dubai Frame

One of the city’s newest attractions, the 150-metre-high Dubai Frame offers panoramic views of old and new Dubai. There’s touchscreen displays pointing out some of the city’s most important landmarks and there’s also a small museum inside so you can learn about the city’s history, too. a Dubai Frame, Zabeel Park, Dubai, daily 9am to 9pm. Dhs50, Dhs20 children. Metro: Al Jafiliya Metro Station. dubaiframe.ae

04 Brunch at Al Qasr