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Dubai is home to the world’s tallest tower, largest mall and the planet’s only seven-star hotel. With all these modern wonders, it’s no surprise that Dubai hosted 10 million global visitors last year—and aims to hit a record-breaking 20 million visitors in 2020. Starting today, it can add virtual visitors to that list, as Dubai becomes the first city in an Arab country to be added to Street View in Google Maps.

Start your tour with a drive on Sheikh Zayed Road, the longest road in the Emirates that runs in parallel to the coastline. Peer up at the city’s iconic skyscrapers and high-rise towers that, in some cases, reach more than 1,000 feet into the clouds. On one side, you can see the city’s elevated and driverless metro system.


Along Financial Road, pass Dubai Mall, home to thousands of shops. But with an average of 75 million visitors every year, the mall is more than just a retail space. Inside is a 10 million-liter aquarium -- one of the largest suspended tanks in the world -- and a facing it there is a flock of famous dancing fountains.

Most of Dubai’s buildings were constructed in the last decade, but if you’re curious to go back to where it all began, visit Deira. Here, the great-grandfathers of present-day merchants set up shop, creating one of the region’s biggest markets and establishing a major link in the time’s global trade routes.


Finally, no visit of Dubai is complete without touring the Dubai Creek. Known for its fusion of past and present cultures, and its trading connections with countries around and beyond the Arabian Gulf, along its banks you can see merchant dhows docked and bazaars bustling with silks and spices.


It’s hard to believe that a city not much larger than 4,000 square kilometers has become such a hub of modern culture with more than 200 nationalities mingling daily, as well as a center for trade and tourism in just four short decades. We hope that you’ll be inspired to explore its wonders in person, but until then, they’re just a click away.

Posted by Mohamad Mourad, Regional Director for Google, Middle East and North Africa