The tallest building in the world by a margin nothing has yet threatened, with three observation levels at three quite different prices.
At 828 metres and 163 floors, the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest building in the world since 2010 and the margin over second place is still around 200 metres. Adrian Smith designed it for SOM, using a Y-shaped buttressed core that lets the tower step inward as it rises — a form derived, the architects say, from the Hymenocallis desert lily.
It was renamed on the day it opened. It had been Burj Dubai throughout construction, and became Burj Khalifa after the ruler of Abu Dhabi, whose emirate had just bailed Dubai out of a debt crisis. Nobody said this at the ceremony and everybody understood it.
The observation decks
Three, and the difference matters.
At the Top — levels 124 and 125, at about 452 metres. The standard ticket, with an outdoor terrace on 124. This is the one most people should buy.
At the Top SKY — level 148, at 555 metres, plus lounge access and a separate lift. Roughly two to three times the price. The view is higher but not dramatically different, and 148 is fully enclosed.
The Lounge — levels 152 to 154, the highest accessible point, sold as a food-and-drink experience rather than a viewing ticket.
Timing and price
Non-prime slots — early morning and late evening — are considerably cheaper than prime sunset slots, which cost roughly double and book out weeks ahead in season.
The useful trick: there is no time limit once you are on the deck. Book a non-prime slot ending shortly before sunset and you get the desert light, the sunset itself and the illuminated city for the cheaper fare.
Book online. Walk-up tickets, when available at all, cost substantially more.
What you see
North to the Creek and old Dubai, west to the Marina and the Palm, east to the desert running out flat to the horizon, and directly below the Dubai Fountain and the mall. On a clear winter day the visibility is excellent. In summer the haze frequently reduces it to a few kilometres, which is worth knowing before paying for a sunset slot in August.
Practicalities
Entry is through the lower ground floor of The Dubai Mall, which is a ten-minute walk from the metro and signposted. Allow half an hour from the mall door to the lift.
The lift travels at 10 metres per second and takes about a minute.
Security is airport-style. Large bags are not allowed and there is no cloakroom.
More Landmarks
Burj Al Arab
The sail-shaped hotel on its own artificial island, which you cannot enter without spending money, and can photograph for nothing.
Palm Jumeirah
Ninety-four million cubic metres of dredged sand in the shape of a palm tree, now a suburb with a monorail.
Dubai Frame
A 150-metre gilded picture frame with a glass floor, positioned so old Dubai is on one side and new Dubai on the other.