Dubai’s stock exchange and leading international financial institutions are housed in a complex of six buildings surrounding an impressive central 80m-high triumphal arch called The Gate. An intriguing architectural landmark designed by the American firm Gensler Associates, it sits on an axis with the twin Emirates Towers and the World Trade Centre, effectively framing these two landmarks.
Dubai International Financial Centre
Downtown Dubai
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
7.82 MILES
The Burj Al Arab's graceful silhouette – meant to evoke the sail of a dhow (a traditional wooden cargo vessel) – is to Dubai what the Eiffel Tower is to…
1.26 MILES
The Burj Khalifa is a stunning feat of architecture and engineering, with two observation decks on the 124th and 148th floors and a restaurant-bar on the…
8.12 MILES
One of Dubai’s most attractive developments, Madinat Jumeirah is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Arab village, complete with a souq (market…
3.91 MILES
All that glitters is gold (and occasionally silver) along this covered arcade where dozens of shops overflow with every kind of jewelry imaginable, from…
5.6 MILES
This long, pristine stretch of white sand, a little way north of Jumeirah Public Beach, is a major draw for sporty types, with a range of activities on…
12.11 MILES
Sharjah's heritage and arts areas are anchored by one of the region's most dynamic art museums, a treat for committed art-lovers and casual visitors alike…
9.41 MILES
Housed in an air-conditioned hangar the size of 28 football fields, IMG Worlds of Adventure is the world’s largest indoor theme park. The US$1 billion…
3.52 MILES
The city's main historical museum charts Dubai's turbo-evolution from fishing and pearling village to global centre of commerce, finance and tourism. It…
Nearby Downtown Dubai attractions
0.1 MILES
It's always worth stopping by this top-notch gallery, which is the only one in the UAE focused entirely on fine-art photography. While providing a…
0.11 MILES
More an art showroom than a classically curated gallery, Opera caters to collectors of artistic heavyweights in genres as varied as pop art, calligraphy…
0.11 MILES
Don't be deceived by the relatively small gallery space here; the emphasis is firmly on quality rather than quantity. This is one of the pioneering…
0.12 MILES
In a fabulous space taking up the entire ground floor of Gate Village’s Building 10, this highly regarded gallery shines the spotlight on midcareer and…
0.14 MILES
Two wooden bridges link the massive Dubai International Finance Centre to Gate Village, a modernist cluster of 10 midrise stone-clad towers built around…
0.25 MILES
Although neither the tallest nor the newest skyscrapers in Dubai, the twin, triangular towers coated with silver-coated aluminium panels and topped with…
1.02 MILES
Compared to its cloud-touching cousins, the 149m-high World Trade Centre seems small today, but when completed in 1979 was actually Dubai's first…
1.07 MILES
One of Dubai's oldest parks, pocket-sized Al Khazzan has been given a total reboot and is now entirely solar-powered, giving it the right to the title to…