When it comes to bucket list items, iconic landmarks often take up a chunk of the real estate. There’s the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Opera House in Sydney, the Empire State Building and Lady Liberty in New York City, and (of course) the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
I’ll be totally honest — of all the above listed landmarks, I only became aware of the Burj Khalifa more recently. Dubai is still such a young city, and I never had dreams of visiting its desert landscapes and oceanfront promenade until I knew such places existed. See, while I grew up dreaming over the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State, I hadn’t ever before heard of Dubai.
Maybe that’s why this booming, glorious city has thrust itself into the spotlight. As if out of nowhere, Dubai was suddenly placed on the map by bloggers, influencers, famous architects, and rich businessmen. It became a land of milk and honey, where dreams come true and life is best lived lavishly. I have to admit, I don’t mind a lifestyle like that at all.
Dubai became a land of milk and honey, where dreams come true and life is best lived lavishly.
And so my travels took me to Dubai, and to all the landmarks that come with it. I rode a jetski past the sail-like Burj al Arab, traipsed through that iconic desert on foot, and now, stepped out onto the 124th floor ledge of the Burj Khalifa. As the tallest free-standing structure in the entire world, this didn’t even put me at the very top. In fact, I didn’t even come close.
The Burj Khalifa has 160 storeys and took six years and 22 million man hours to build. Home to private residences, corporate spaces, a hotel, and this public viewing deck (At The Top), it can be seen by day piercing even the clouds in the sky, and by night, sparkling with a dazzling light effect reminiscent of the stars.
The tallest free-standing structure in the world, the Burj Khalifa has 160 storeys and took six years and 22 million man hours to build.
If you want to learn more about the Burj Khalifa and its construction, you can check out their (very informative and interesting!) website here. If you plan to visit on your own, you can do so by buying tickets online or at the Burj Khalifa itself. I would strongly recommend that you book online in advance, since when we arrived the ticket desk was actually completely sold out for the day. Luckily, a set percentage of tickets are reserved for tour companies and we were able to find some still available online.
