Handpicked experience · Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE
The tower is tall enough that Ramadan timings differ by floor — residents above the eightieth wait two minutes longer to break the fast, and higher up, three.
Drive past Dubai city's iconic landmarks such as the Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, and Burj Khalifa
Visit the Dubai Museum and see multiple exhibits that showcase how life evolved in Dubai.
Get to ride on the Abra, a traditional wooden water taxi, across the river as you enjoy the sunset
A building that shifted the horizon enough to need a ruling
A chance to watch one sunset twice in an evening
City, coast and desert from a single vantage
An appointment on the 124th floor
The drive north along the coast between two emirates
Dubai's principal sights across a full day
A full day from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, covering the city's landmark sights and including admission to the observation level on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa.
Here is a consequence of height that almost nobody anticipates.
During Ramadan the fast ends when the sun's disc has fully set. That is a precise event, and it happens later the higher you stand, because a taller vantage point sees over the curve of the earth for a few moments longer.
The tower is tall enough for this to matter. Dubai's religious authorities issued guidance dividing the building by floor: residents up to about the eightieth floor keep standard city timings, those from roughly the eightieth to the hundred and fiftieth wait an additional two minutes before breaking the fast, and those higher still wait three.
The same logic runs in reverse at dawn, which arrives at the top before the bottom, so those upper residents begin their fast slightly earlier as well.
Rulings of this kind exist because the situation had never come up. A religious practice calibrated to the visible horizon met a building that changes where the horizon is, and someone had to work out the answer floor by floor.
You can see the effect yourself without any of the theology. Watch the sun go down from ground level, then go up — and if the timing works out, watch it set a second time from the deck.
The ticket here is for the observation level at the 124th floor. There is a higher deck in the building, reached separately, and this is not it.
That is worth knowing rather than discovering at the lift. The 124th gives you the full view over the city, the coast and the desert behind it; the higher level mainly gives you more altitude.
Entry to the deck is by timed slot, so the day's schedule is built around it rather than the other way round.
The drive between the two cities takes a significant share of the day in each direction, and the eight hours quoted include it.
The view depends heavily on air clarity. Haze and dust are common and can flatten the horizon considerably, which no operator controls. Late afternoon into dusk generally reads better than the middle of the day.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Because the fast ends at full sunset, and a higher vantage point keeps the sun's disc in view for a little longer.
Guidance sets about two extra minutes for residents above roughly the eightieth floor, and three for those higher still.
Yes, in reverse. Daybreak reaches the upper floors first, so those residents begin their fast slightly earlier.
Dubai's religious authorities, because the situation had no precedent — the practice assumes a horizon the building moves.
Yes, and without any theology. Watch sunset from the ground, ride up, and with the right timing you catch it setting again.
The observation level on the 124th floor. A higher deck exists in the building but is reached separately and is not included.
No. It runs on timed slots, so the rest of the day is arranged around that appointment.
It depends on the air. Haze and dust are common here and can flatten the horizon, which no operator can control.