Dubai Mall – The World’s Most Visited Attraction

Shop until you drop at Dubai Mall, home to more than 1,200 shops, 120 restaurants and cafes; 22 cinema screens, an Underwater Zoo – and the world’s biggest candy store. Not surprisingly, you will find this incredible venue featured in almost all of our Egypt and Dubai tours.

Waterfall in Dubai Mall

The spectacular 30-metre wide and 24-metre tall waterfall in Dubai Mall.

Everyone already knows that Dubai is a city of opulence and extremes, and Dubai Mall is certainly no exception. One quite often reads that Dubai Mall is the biggest shopping mall in the world, but much depends on what factors are taken into account. While Dubai Mall is certainly the biggest shopping complex in terms of total area, it is not the biggest in terms of leasable space.

How Big is Big?

Main Entrance to the Dubai Mall

Main Entrance to the Dubai Mall.

Dubai Mall covers an area of 13 million square feet which is equivalent to just over 50 football fields. However, the mall’s internal floor space only accounts for 5.9 million square feet, of which 3.77 million square feet are actual leasable space. The sheer size of the mall is virtually impossible to visualize until you actually visit the place.

The site is also home to three massive car parks which can accommodate a total 14,000 cars. All three parking lots include valet services and well-designed car locator ticketing systems so that shoppers don’t have to worry about finding their vehicles after they have finished shopping.

When it comes to actual shopping, visitors certainly cannot complain about a lack of choice either, considering that Dubai Mall has a total of 1,200 different shops where you can find virtually anything you can think of.

Dubai Mall – The World’s Most Visited Area

Diver Waterfall Dubai Mall

Diver up close in the waterfall that runs through Dubai Mall’s entire height.

In 2009, the first full year that the mall was open for, roughly 39 million people visited, and this number has been increasing year on year. In 2012, Dubai Mall officially became the most visited destination in the world, with a total of 54 million visitors, knocking New York City down into second place with 52 million visitors.

If you think this is astonishing, then you will be even more astonished to learn that the mall received just over 92 million visitors in 2015.

So Much More Than Just a Shopping Mall

Despite being called a shopping mall, and despite the fact that it is home to 1,200 shops, Dubai Mall is so much more than just an oversized shopping complex. Instead, it is a place where millions of people go to enjoy world-class entertainment, fine dining and more.

In fact, Dubai Mall has a total of 22 cinema screens, and 120 cafes and restaurants to suit all tastes. It is also home to a luxury 250-room hotel

The mall is not one of the top Dubai tourist attractions; it is “the” top attraction simply because it is also home to a number of other top attractions. In fact, Dubai Mall is home to some of the city’s best attractions, which gives you all the more reason for visiting this vast complex.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

Aquarium in Dubai Mall - world's largest shopping mall, UAE

The Aquarium in Dubai Mall – The world’s largest shopping mall, UAE.

One of the biggest crowd pullers at Dubai Mall is the indescribable Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo.

In Dubai, nothing gets done in half measures, and this attraction is no exception. Most first-time visitors actually need a few minutes to recover their senses once they step inside this venue. There are over 350 different species of marine animals here, including Sharks and a number different Rays.

Apart from all the spectacular marine life on display, the actual layout and design is in itself an incredible sight which you really do not want to miss. This venue has already won several different awards, and it is so easy to see why.

As is to be expected, our Egypt and Dubai packages do not include admission tickets for any of the venues located in the mall, such as the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo for example.

Sega Republic

The mall was also home to a spectacular theme park called Sega Republic. This venue had everything you need to keep a family entertained for days on end, including 15 different rides, bumper cars, a laser maze, motion simulators, and literally hundreds of other games.

Unfortunately, the park’s main theme was devoted the Sonic the Hedgehog video game by Sega, and when the licenses to the theme expired, the operators were forced to close. At the time of this article being written, Sega Republic was still closed, but work at the site is ongoing in order to fully separate from the Sega theme.

Other very popular venues at the mall include places like the Rainforest Café and KidZania.

Rainforest Café

A few Rainforest Café’s have been opening up lately, but none of them come close to the Rainforest Café at Dubai Mall. The café has been designed to emulate a typical rain forest, and this being Dubai, you can be sure that no stone has been left unturned. If you visit, expect to be seated in the midst of tropical ruins, in an environment which almost has you believing that you are in an actual rain forest.

As an added bonus, the Rainforest Café faces the aquarium, thereby making the overall experience even better.

KidZania

KidZania, on the other hand, is a huge edutainment theme park for kids. In short, the park is based on an “education through play” principle, and it allows kids to get a taste of adult life by means of role-play in a child-sized city. Children really love this venue, and they could spend several days here without ever getting bored. And, while we are on the topic of children, your kids will be very glad to discover that Dubai Mall is also home to the world’s biggest candy store.

Just imagine the look on a child’s face when they step through the door of a 10,000 square-foot candy store.

Visiting Dubai Mall with Egypt Tours Plus

As many people have long since discovered, there is no shortage of Dubai tourist attractions to choose from when you visit this opulent city. However, none of them can be compared to Dubai Mall. If the mall was devoted entirely to shopping, then perhaps it would not be such a major attraction, but there is so much else for you do see and do at the mall, and this is what makes it an attraction not to be missed.

If you are contemplating booking one of our unforgettable Egypt and Dubai tours, you can look forward to visiting this vast mall during your stay.

Apart from visiting the mall as part of a tour, you can also visit it on your own in the evenings once your day tours have come to an end. In fact, we highly recommend visiting the mall on your own in the evenings, even if you only make one such visit.

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Last Updated on July 17, 2020