Dubai Mall, the largest shopping center in the world, is located in Downtown Dubai. The building is located next to the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. You can reach the Burj Khalifa without leaving the shopping center.
On the square behind the shopping center you can find the largest dancing fountains in the world, The Dubai Fontain.
The Dubai Mall has more than 1,300 stores, an aquarium of 10 million liters of water, a cinema with more than 20 rooms, an Olympic skating rink, …
To accommodate all this, the shopping center has a floor area of 550,000 square meters.
In this article we take you into this crazy complex.
How big is The Dubai Mall
Shop till you drop
The shopping center has a total floor space of more than 550,000 square meters, which is the equivalent of 110 football pitches. This area is spread over 4 floors, lower ground, ground floor, first floor and second floor.
In the meantime it has more than 1,300 stores, 200 restaurants and 14,000 parking places.
When you are tired of shopping, there are plenty of attractions to do and sights to admire. You can admire the sharks of more than 5 meters in the Dubai Aquarium or King Croc, a giant crocodile, in Underwater Zoo.
But there are many more things to do, these are discussed later in this article.
What stores are there in The Dubai Mall?
The most beautiful, largest, most famous,…
It goes without saying that you will not come across sloppy or unfinished boutiques here. You will think, yes yes nothing for me, far too expensive … Unfortunately you are wrong, in addition to the huge expensive brands such as Rolex, Hermes Prada, Chanel, Cartier, Louboutin, … you can also find the less expensive ones find brands. Consider for example H&M, Diesel, Guess, …
There is much more besides clothing in The Dubai Mall. This way you can find one of the most beautiful Apple Stores in the world. When visiting this electro giant you can go past the store to a terrace with a wonderful view of the Burj Khalifa and the world famous Dubai Fontains. Definitely worth taking a few selfies.
For a complete list of all stores you can visit the official website of The Dubai Mall or via the special app for IOS or Google Play of this shopping center.
Are stores tax free at The Dubai Mall?
A question we have been asked several times, do you have to pay VAT in the shops of The Dubai Mall? The answer to this is yes, no, but actually it is. Sounds difficult but here we explain.
Since 2018, Dubai has applied a VAT rate of 5%, this rate is valid for purchases in retail. Some other sectors are taxed differently or not at all.
When you make a purchase in Dubai or in one of the other emirates, you can get 85% VAT refund as a tourist. We explain briefly how this works.
How can you shop tax free in Dubai?
When you make a purchase as a tourist in a store, you can ask at the checkout that you want to reclaim the VAT. After showing your passport, the cashier will add a tag to the back of the cash register ticket and record your purchase in the system.
The system used for this is Planet Payment.
With this cash register ticket you can then reclaim 85% when leaving Dubai. You can do this at the airport at a digital kiosk. These can be found for the check-in and for the security check.
However, there are different conditions. For example, you pay another 4.8 AED per validation of a cash register ticket, which amounts to approximately $ 1.3.
An example:
Sights and attractions in The Dubai Mall
The eye catchers of the shopping center
At the beginning of this article, we stated that the world’s largest shopping center does not only offer shops and restaurants. There are several things you really should do when visiting The Dubai Mall.
Here we list the main sights or attractions that the mall houses.
Burj Khalifa At The Top
The entrance to the Burj Khalifa is directly connected to The Dubai Mall.
For info & tickets you can visit our article about the Burj Khalifa.
Dubai Aquarium
Admire the sharks of more than 5 meters in the underwater tunnel of almost 50 meters.
More info & tickets about Dubai Aquarium.
Underwater Zoo
Do you dare to view the more than 750 kg crocodile?
More info & tickets about Underwater Zoo.
Dubai Ice Rink
Do you want to skate on an Olympic ice rink between shopping? It’s possible in this huge shopping center.
Dubai Dino
A dinosaur skeleton of 155 million years old.
You can find this handsome guy at the Cheesecake Factory where you can also enjoy delicious cheesecake while you look into the distant past.
Kidzania
A nice playground for the children with different attractions.
VR Park
Experience virtual reality at the highest level! Join a drone over Dubai or challenge your partner to a boxing match without injury.
Have fun in the largest virtual reality park in the world, VR Park.
Dubai Creek Tower replica
From 2023, the Burj Khalifa will no longer be the tallest building in the world. The Dubai Creek Tower is going to transcend this.
View the model of this mega project in The Dubai Mall now.
Hysteria
Pure horror, you will find this in Hysteria. You will find the most bloody scenes in this park.
Burj Khalifa Square
This immense square, at the foot of the Burj Khalifa and the exit of the shopping center, houses dozens of restaurants. From this place you can also see the wonderful light and fountain shows of the Burj Khalifa.
Dubai Fountain
At the bottom of the Burj Khalifa you can admire the largest fountain show in the world, the Dubai Fountain.
The Waterfall
This waterfall is perhaps the most photographed attraction of the shopping center. Time for a selfie when passing this huge waterfall!
Reel Cinemas
Enjoy a movie experience like never before at one of 26 screens in the largest and most luxurious cineplex in the world.
In addition to shopping and entertainment, you can also enjoy delicious food in more than 200 restaurants. From fast food to the most extravagant culinary dishes.
The restaurants are distributed throughout the shopping center, but most can be found at the Food Corner. This zone with all kinds of restaurants is located at the exit to the fountains.
However, if you want a cozy dinner with a view of the world’s largest fountain show, you can go outside next to Burj Khalifa Lake.
Here you can find dozens of restaurants with a unique view of the Burj Khalifa.
You won’t starve in The Dubai Mall.
Dubai Mall floor plan
Explore the floors of The Dubai Mall before you leave with these floor plans. If you want to view this interactively, you can do that on the website of The Dubai Mall.
Find a store in the shopping center
You can imagine that in a shopping center of more than 1,300 stores it will take a little while to find your favorite store that you want to visit.
To solve this problem there are various solutions in The Dubai Mall. For example, you can request a paper folder folder from the service desks that you can find everywhere. Well, a paper folder is a bit ninetees.
That is why you can find digital touch screens on all escalators where you can look up everything, shops, restaurants, attractions, … You will also see the route that you have to follow.
Because The Dubai Mall is so large and probably already forgotten the route after a few seconds, you can download an app that takes you to your place via GPS.
Navigation
Throughout the shopping center there is very fast and good Wi-Fi coverage, really excellent. The antennas that ensure this also guide you through the shopping center via the app from The Dubai Mall.
Yes you read that right, the app navigates you to your favorite store. When do you have to go left or right, do I have to take the escalator, …
How to reach The Dubai Mall by public transport
How to reach the Dubai Mall by public transport in Dubai? Oh yes, you will find out here. All information about public transport in Dubai can be found in the transport category of our Dubai Travel Guide. This way you can view the rates for every means of transport and what you should pay attention to when taking public transport in Dubai.
By Taxi
This is very simple, there is not a single taxi driver who does not know where The Dubai Mall is. Just report that you want to go shopping at The Dubai Mall and everything will be fine.
Would you like to know more about taxis in Dubai?
By Metro
Take the red metro line and get off at the Burj Khalifa / The Dubai Mall metro station. Via the Metro Link bridge you reach the largest shopping center in the world.
Want to know more about the driverless metro in Dubai?
By Bus
There are two buses that service The Dubai Mall every 16 minutes: route 27 from the Deira Gold Souk station and route 29 from Ghubaiba bus station. The buses arrive and depart from the tourist drop-off area.
Looking for more information about the Dubai buses?
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
The Dubai Mall can be found in Downtown Dubai, right next to the Burj Khalifa.
The Dubai Mall is 550,000 square meters and has more than 1,300 stores, 200 restaurants and 14,000 parking places.
The shopping center is open every day from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Shops close at midnight, restaurants stay open for an hour longer.
Bargaining is practically impossible in any store because they are all official sales points of international brands or chains.
No, there is a smoking ban over the entire shopping center. Vaping is also not permitted. There are places for smoking at every exit.
There is no strict dress code in the shopping center, but it is advisable to dress properly and not go there for example in swim shorts or bikini.
There is an excellent and fast WiFi connection throughout the entire complex.
