Burj Khalifa: Visiting The World’s Tallest Building

There are some tourists who just LOVE getting up early. I sometimes see them on my way to work even in deepest, darkest winter when most people would happily have an extra hour in bed than go out in the biting cold. But no, there they are, the hardened keenos, taking pictures of Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square at 8am, when it’s only just getting light, or queuing outside the natural history museum at ridiculous o’clock as if the dinosaurs are going to crumble away by afternoon. You even see them at weekends! I know they may still be on a different time zone but you are on holiday – CHILL OUT! Have a lie in.

On the other hand, there’s us. We don’t completely waste the day but our philosophy is, ‘you’re not on holiday if you don’t have a lie in’. For us, 9am is an acceptable time to set the alarm. Sure, with Mrs T in tow this has  been curtailed somewhat and as she gets older I can imagine it will only get worse (she’s currently 5 months old). Still, we’re never usually at breakfast before 9am.

That is until yesterday when, bleary-eyed, we dragged ourselves out of the room for breakfast at 6.45am. One other solitary table was occupied by a middle aged couple, presumably up for their flight – why else? What made us get up at such an hour? Well, we were off to see one of the few ‘cultural’ sights in Duba i- the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.

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Completed in 2009 it stands at 828m high. The second highest skyscraper in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, comes nowhere near at 601m while London’s latest effort, The Shard, is a mere 309m.

Of the three of us, my husband Paul is the worst for getting up in a morning. So you can imagine his displeasure when I booked an 8.30am slot on the website two days before. Well, he should count himself lucky, there were tickets available as early as 4am, yes, 4AM!! If you ever go, don’t just turn up and buy tickets on the door, it will set you back a jaw dropping £70 per person rather than £19.

For the next two days Paul didn’t stop moaning about the impending early start. I calmly listened to his complaints: “I’m on holiday. Why do we have to get up so early? What a ridiculous time to get up. Can’t you get anything later?”. I just gritted my teeth, knowing from experience it is best not to bite, so I let his comments wash over me like the tide rolling onto the shore.

It eased, for a bit. Then we discovered we’d booked the same day as the Dubai marathon which happened to start and finish outside the Burj. Brilliant. Knowing London roads grind to a standstill on marathon day, Paul was determined to cancel: “What a joke. They should have told us. It should have been put on the website in big capital letters- THE MARATHON IS ON. I bet we won’t get refund. Forty bloody quid down the drain”.

It wasn’t until we formulated a plan that he was happy. We decided to get a taxi to the nearest subway train stop (which had an element of excitement as we’d never been on it before – although I don’t think much of the city’s population have either). It would take us to a stop by the mall attached to the Burj. Perfect. We were told the first one left at 7am.

Of course, when we awoke on the morning not only was it foggy, thereby potentially rendering our trip completely pointless, but we were also told by the taxi driver that the subway doesn’t start running until 1pm as it is Friday – the holy day. Helpful. After a long discussion, my husband getting a tiny bit frustrated, the driver took us around the road closures and it was fine – got there at 7.30am feeling like proper tourist keenos!

Now the experience is called ‘At the top of the Burj Khalifa’. Do not be fooled! Do not think, as my husband did, that you get you go right to the top, above the level of the nearby airport’s flight path and into the tiny spire thing resting in the stratosphere. No. You are allowed a ‘mere’ 452 metres up. Pretty high, admittedly, but it is not even the highest observation deck in the world – that accolade goes to the second tallest building, the Shanghai World Financial Centre which sits at 474m.

Level 124 it was to be then, in the ‘fastest elevator in the world’. It took a mere 30 seconds to get there, faster than most department store lifts with only three floors. Due to its speed, it does make you feel a bit dizzy and causes a few ear popping issues. Thankfully, Mrs T was asleep so no repeat of our flight out here – phew. One middle aged man wasn’t so lucky, he staggered out of the lift like a teenage lad on his first drinking bender, vomit forming at his mouth.

Once at the top the views were stunning, we were above the fog looking down at the clouds, swirling around the other skyscrapers like white candy floss around a stick. All our earlier efforts were rewarded as we gazed down at the city just as the fog started to clear and the sun beat down on the masses of shining buildings adorning the overdeveloped city. Despite not being at the top, the views across the Emirate were still impressive with people going about their business below resembling ants.

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The experience gives a 360 degree tour, half inside, half outside. It was busy. Lots of Asians armed with fancy cameras jostling to get pictures. Many hadn’t twigged that if you went inside you got a better view with room to actually move you arms to take a picture. There were also several telescopes where you could see a live view, one on a cloudy day and one at night.

What surprises me about the whole experience is they didn’t give it the ‘big tour’ – especially for the price. Unlike our visit to the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpa a few years back, there was no guide telling us about how it was built and its history and generally bigging it up. A few information boards were displayed at the bottom but by then Mrs T had just about reached her tolerance level. We also turned down a picture of us, taken on the way in of us standing by a green screen showing the view from the Burj (not us actually at the top) which they tried to flog us for £50.

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It did feel like we were part of a conveyor belt of people, stuffed into the elevator and up onto the viewing deck. But, it was an experience worth getting up for and once at the top you could spend as much time as you liked (or could tolerate alongside the other tourists).

After descending back down 124 floors we had a mooch around downtown Dubai. The ‘Dubai Mall‘ is amazing. It has pretty much every high street and designer shop you desire and designer kids stores I didn’t even know existed: Ralph Lauren, Diesel, Gucci, Dior etc. Mrs T though went home empty handed.

We then joined a handful of other Brits cheering participants on in the marathon as they neared the last few miles. It was barely 10am and we had got ready, had breakfast, been up the tallest building in the world and watched some of the marathon. “Wow!” We marvelled. All this stuff you can do if you get up earlier. Even Paul was claiming we should no longer waste our days and vowed to get up at 8am forever more.

Despite our enthusiasm, no doubt brought on by overexhaustion, the next day normal activity was resumed and we schlep down to brekkie at 9.30. Well, we are on holiday!

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Going Up The World's Tallest Building Burj Khalifa, Dubai

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Wander Mum

I've always loved to travel so when my two daughters came along, I didn't stop. Travelling as a family can have its ups and downs but I love showing my children the world and helping others navigate travelling with children in tow.

52 Comments
    1. Thanks! Haha – true – we are starting to get better and have realised there are definitely some advantages like no queues, things like that.. Xx

  1. I saw the lift experience on a programme last night (Travel Guides!), to be honest I think it looks even more beautiful on a cloudy day! 🙂 #mondayescapes

  2. hahaha I am one of the crazy ones who loves to wake up early and go explore while on vacation. By hubby not so much hahaha, I always have to drag him out of bed.
    We were at the Burj Khalifa during our honeymoon 😀 we went up at night and it was stunning. I always wondered how it looked like during the day!

    Thank you so much for joining #MondayEscapes
    Packing my Suitcase recently posted…Saving money while in ParisMy Profile

    1. Haha – my hubby is definitely the less enthused one – working on him though. I’ve heard it’s amazing at night! Thanks for hosting #mondayescapes

  3. Good for you, getting up early. I must admit, now we don’t have a child in tow all the time, my husband and I tend to get up earlier on holidays but then need a snooze before dinner!
    Fabulous experience and very spooky photos.
    ps – love the new website – so fresh and gorgeous!
    #citytripping
    Trish recently posted…Fine dining: Noel Corston at NC@EX34My Profile

  4. They certainly know how to do big! Interestingly my friend Hamish is a construction engineer and he spent over a year in Dubai on the Burj al Arab hotel project, which was at that time anyway the tallest hotel in the world. His task was to design the construction of the huge fish tank behind the reception desk – a very impressive feat in its own right apparently! Loved your post and pictures – like Vegas, Dubai is a place I must get to one day to whet my curiosity….
    Wilbur recently posted…A Little Piece Of JapanMy Profile

  5. I chuckled when you mentioned Burj Khalifa as a cultural sight, thinking about it now – it actually is. Possibly the best summary of the whole of Dubai in one building – huge, dazzling and a great view to boot. I know a lot of people who went there to witness the sunrise, I bet those were the 4:30am people. Nope, not gonna happen for me. Lol.
    Pinay Flying High recently posted…Saturday Brunch Only For The Champions at Champions, Marriott Marquis City Center DohaMy Profile

  6. We seem to get up early a lot on holiday to beat the crowds, but the kids aren’t happy about it. We try to have a mix of lie-ins and early starts but places like Mt St Michel where we went recently are so much better early without the crowds than elbow to elbow by late morning. I think seeing this view above the clouds is better than without but the way you describe the whole experience doesn’t sound that appealing I must admit.
    Phoebe @ Lou Messugo recently posted…A visit to the Picasso Museum, AntibesMy Profile

    1. Hey Phoebe – I agree – it does pay to get to popular places early and beat the crowds. I think a lot of these skyscraper experiences can be a bit crowded with people jostling to get pictures of the best view!

  7. Fantastic views.. I’m going to enjoy via your photos as I’m not one for heights. I am a morning person though like Ruth – especially now I have a couple of toddlers. We try to pack in our sightseeing etc into the morning so we can lunch and siesta in the afternoon. There is always a way to sneak in a little nap!
    Katy recently posted…Photo journal – trip to Hobart, AustraliaMy Profile

  8. It’s funny because I have mixed feelings about Dubai and your experience on the Burj somehow summarises them perfectly! I have never been, but I expect it to be amazing and at the same time a conveyor belt with people following pre-defined patterns. I guess the only way to figure out if it’s true is for me to go and I hope to do so one day 🙂
    Marta recently posted…A day trip from Madrid to Toledo: of history and artMy Profile

  9. wow, looks stunning! I’d love to go to Dubai. def on the list. 4am tickets for £70 -wow. I guess for sunrise hey. I remember going up the World Trade centre two months before they came down :/ #citytripping

  10. We didn’t make it up the Burj Khalifa when we were there last year but I agree with you that the Dubai Mall was pretty cool. We really liked the fountain show in front of the Mall as well.

  11. Those pictures are incredible! What good luck to get morning tickets so you could see the buildings above the clouds. I just think its stunning. Thanks for sharing. #citytripping

  12. We didn’t visit it when we were there in 2010 and I am kind of glad. I feel like many of these tallest towers seem kind of lackluster. I feel like they are way overpriced and we would do better having me go up to snap a few pics (which is the best part in my opinion) and then be on our way. Versus paying for us all to go up (7 tickets for our big fam adds up quick). Thanks for sharing #citytripping
    Mama Munchkin recently posted…Dreaming of Paris? No Better Time than NOW! #sponsoredMy Profile

    1. Tickets for 7 would certainly have been an expense! It was a good experience to be so high up but, you are right, probably not necessary for you all to go up!

  13. Oh I’m not an early riser when I’m on a holiday. Waking up at 7am and have breakfast at 8am is fine by me. But not at 4 or 5am. Hence I prefer sunsets to sunrise hahaha…your photos are amazing especially the view above the fog. #Citytripping

  14. What an amazing view above the clouds! I definitely want to visit and good tip to buy tickets in advance – what a big difference in price if you end up buying them at the door. We are definitely not morning people but try to make the most of mornings since Little T has his nap in the afternoon. Still tough though! #CityTripping
    Cindy recently posted…Review: Four Seasons Hotel PragueMy Profile

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