Top Things To Do In Dubai For Young Adults

Things to do in Dubai | Generation Z, who were born between 1997 to 2012, are a curious lot who reportedly prefer making memorable experiences over buying material possessions during their travels. This mindset allows them to have more engaging and authentic experiences no matter where they are and fosters a sense of community and belonging that evades so many of us.

If you’re part of this diverse cohort and are travelling to the United Arab Emirates soon, pack your itinerary with these things to in Dubai that will leave you fulfilled and awed.

What To Do In Dubai

Step Into The Museum Of The Future

This futuristic museum is a gateway to what is yet to come and its architecture evokes these sentiments. The circular building represents humanity, the green mound atop it represents the Earth and the void represents the unknown future.

There are seven floors dedicated to different exhibitions: three floors focus on outer space resource development, ecosystems and bioengineering, and health and wellbeing, while the other floors showcase near-future technologies in the health, water, food, transportation, and energy sectors. The last floor is dedicated to children. The exhibits combine immersive theatre and themed attraction, making it one of the best places (here are a few more, in case you're wondering) for Gen Z youngsters to check out in Dubai.

The Information | Museum Of The Future

Address: Museum of the Future, Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre 2, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Opening Times:

• The museum is open daily from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm.

• Last admission is at 7:00 pm.

Ticket Prices:

• General Admission: AED 159 (approximately INR 3,610) for visitors aged four and above.

• Children under four years old: Free of charge (no pre-booking required).

• People of Determination: Free of charge for the visitor and one caregiver (no pre-booking required). You will need to present a People of Determination ID at the customer service desk.

• Pioneer Pass: AED 399 (approximately INR 9,060). This offers flexible admission anytime between 9:30 am and 7:00 pm on your selected date, priority entry, and AED 50 (approximately INR 1,135) credit for the lobby retail shop (to be used on the same day).

Important Notes:

• Tickets are date and time specific, so it's highly recommended to book in advance online to secure your preferred time slot.

• You can make a single change to the date of your booking up to 24 hours before the originally scheduled date. Ticket purchases are generally non-refundable.

• Allow at least two-three hours to fully experience the museum.

• It is advisable to arrive early for your timeslot to avoid any potential delays. If you miss your timeslot, the museum will try to accommodate you in the next available slot, but this may be limited during peak hours.

Culture Hop At Alserkal Avenue

Once an industrial area in the centre of Dubai, Alserkal Avenue is now home to over 70 contemporary art galleries, visual and performing arts organisations, designers, home-grown and entrepreneur-led businesses, and community spaces—and one among the many offbeat destinations, including these, to visit in Dubai.

It is the first such precinct of its kind to exist in the UAE and invites visitors to stop by for independent movie screenings at the arthouse theatre of Cinema Akil or see local thespians take to the stage at the performing arts venue of The Junction. From checking out contemporary galleries like Carbon 12, Leila Heller Gallery and Gulf Photo Plus, to attending a painting class at thejamjar, working out at a boutique gym called CRANK, and fuelling up on speciality brews at the hipster-inspired café of Nightjar Coffee Roasters, Alserkal Avenue is a popular hangout spot for Gen Z.

The Information | Alserkal Avenue

Address: Alserkal Avenue, 17th Street, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Opening Times: Generally, Alserkal Avenue is open daily from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. However, individual galleries, cafes, and other businesses within Alserkal Avenue may have their own specific opening hours.

Ticket Prices: Entry to Alserkal Avenue itself is free. You can wander around and explore the various spaces without any admission fee. However, individual events, workshops, or special exhibitions held within the galleries or other venues might have their own ticket prices.

Catch Up With Friends In Eclectic Cafés

Gen Z live life to the fullest and enjoy trying out new things, which is why you will find them in fun and eclectic cafés and restaurants like the Brass Monkey, Wavehouse Dubai, the Hive Board Game Café and the Unwind Specialty Boardgame Café. All these places foster community interaction and relaxation which is what makes them so appealing.

Hive has over 500 strategy, mystery and card games, hundreds of books, and a plethora of workshops and events at any given time.

Unwind indulges in people’s nostalgia and revisits board games that bonded family and friends together with their selection of 500 plus games and learned “Game Masters” at hand.

Wavehouse at Atlantis, The Palm offers surfing, bodyboarding and bowling experiences alongside world-class gastronomy while Brass Monkey has retro arcade games, billiards tables, bowling lanes, virtual reality racing car simulators and more to keep visitors occupied.

Walk Along The Dubai Creek Harbour

The Dubai Water Canal is a 3.2 km-long waterway that extends from Dubai Creek in Old Dubai through Business Bay, before finding its way back to the Arabian Gulf. The manmade channel, which opened in 2016, meanders through the centre of the city and invites visitors to run, walk and cycle along the 6.4 km waterfront on either side of it. You can also hop aboard one of the many abra boat rides that make their way along the canal's calm waters for an especially leisurely afternoon. Also adorning the waterway are five pedestrian bridges, offering key vantage points to take in Dubai’s glimmering skyline. One of these, known for its distinctive purple-hued archway, was renamed the Tolerance Bridge in November 2017. The best time to visit is early morning when the sun comes up or around sunset.

Similarly, The Viewing Point in Dubai Creek Harbour is an observation deck in Dubai that offers panoramic views of the magical Dubai Creek and a stunning skyline backdrop. The city's top attractions are visible from the new vantage point, including the Burj Khalifa and Sheikh Zayed Road, as well as newer structures such as the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library. The uniquely designed bridge is made of painted steel and allows visitors to witness the city's many different sides as the day progresses—from a peaceful sunrise and the daily bustle of boats going about their business to a beautiful night-time vista after sunset.

Visit Theme Parks

Dubai is home to some exciting adventure parks and rides where you can fully savour the thrills of being young. IMG Worlds of Adventure is an indoor theme park the size of 28 football fields. Featuring four zones, including one dedicated entirely to the Jurassic era, the temperature-controlled park has more than 20 rides and attractions, including "The Velociraptor," one of the tallest and fastest rollercoasters in Dubai which propels guests to 100 km in 2.5 seconds. Motiongate Dubai is a Hollywood-inspired adventure land featuring around 30 rides inspired by memorable action and animation films, including “Ghostbusters,” “John Wick,” “Shrek” and “The Hunger Games.” There are three zones dedicated to legendary film studios such as Dreamworks, Lionsgate and Columbia Pictures here.

Meanwhile, PlayDXB in Dubai Mall is the largest indoor virtual reality park in the world. There are more than 30 exhilarating rides that blur the lines between perception and reality spread over two floors. It caters to solo and multi-player experiences themed around horror, sports, adventure and more.

Other Must-Try Activities

Sing Your Heart Out At Karaoke: Who doesn’t love a karaoke night out with friends? From Lucky Voice Dubai and the Kung Korean Restaurant to The Other Office Karaoke and Mr Miyagi’s, there are plenty of places in town to gather together and sing the classics you and your friends grew up with.

Challenge Your Friends To A Race: Fasten your seatbelts and experience the thrill of burning rubber at the Dubai Autodrome. This fully integrated motorsports facility includes an FIA-sanctioned 5.39 km race and driving centre. Groups with a competitive spirit can speed through the Kartdrome for about 17 corners on a 1.2 km track. Those on the hunt for more fun can also sign up for a round of laser tag at the 400 sq km indoor arena. Designed as a glowing medieval maze, it's an ideal haunt for game nights. The building also houses a race school as well as a retail plaza.

Zip With XLine Dubai: They have the longest urban zipline and their branch at Dubai Marina offers twice the number of lines so that friends and family can ride in tandem. The XLine flies over land and water at up to 80 km per hour and takes you from 170 m from top to the ground level. Look out for the Princess Tower and Cayan Tower on your way down.

Brush Up On Your Golf: Spanning more than 60,000 sq ft with a rooftop terrace, Topgolf Dubai offers interactive golf games, live music, dining and more. The three-level entertainment venue at Emirates Golf Club promises plenty of fun for every visitor, whether they are a golf aficionado or not. Book any of the 96 climate-controlled hitting bays and score points with the micro-chipped balls against your friends. The bays also have fun games to keep visitors engaged such as the beginner-level “Angry Birds” and the intermediate “Top Shot.”

01 Aug 2024,

The Information | Dubai

Nearby Places to Visit: Dubai's strategic location in the UAE makes it a convenient base for exploring other emirates and attractions. This includes the capital city of Abu Dhabi (home to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Ferrari World), the cultural heart of Sharjah (known for its museums and heritage areas), the desert landscapes offering dune bashing and Bedouin experiences, the scenic mountains of Hatta, and the other emirates like Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Umm Al Quwain, each with their unique offerings, to name a few.

How To Reach: Dubai International Airport (DXB) is a major global hub with excellent direct flight connectivity from all major metropolitan cities in India. The flight duration is typically between three to four hours.

Best Time To Visit: The best time to visit Dubai is generally during the winter months (November to March). During this period, the weather is pleasantly warm, making it ideal for outdoor activities, sightseeing, and beach visits.

Visa Policy for Indians: Indian passport holders generally require a visa to enter Dubai and the UAE for tourism or business purposes. However, eligible Indian nationals holding a normal passport valid for a minimum of six months can obtain a single-entry, 14-day visa on arrival for a fee (approximately USD 63 or INR 5,370).

Indian passport holders with a valid US visa or a US Green Card, or a valid residence visa from the UK or an EU member state, may also be eligible for visa on arrival, provided these visas or permits have a minimum validity of six months.

For those not meeting the visa-on-arrival criteria, it is necessary to apply for a Dubai e-visa or a pre-arranged visa through authorised channels such as travel agencies, airlines, or through a sponsor in the UAE.

This story was first published on August 1, 2024 and it has since been updated.