Burj al-Arab
A hotel shaped like a dhow sail, planted on its own man-made island 280 meters off the beach.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Dubai offline.
Nearly 40% of the building's total height is non-occupiable — the two V-shaped wings form a vast structural mast with a massive atrium between them rather than stacked rooms. The translucent fiberglass facade was engineered to block the desert sun by day and serve as a glowing illuminated screen after dark.
What to look for
- The curving private bridge — the only land connection between the artificial island and the mainland
- Where the two wings spread apart into a V, enclosing the atrium that fills most of the building's visible bulk
- The helipad near the roof at 210 meters above ground — high enough to be visible against the sky from the surrounding beachfront.
The hotel is currently closed for roughly 18 months of interior renovation; the exterior and island approach are the draw from the outside.
Burj al-Arab is one of 33 sights worth the detour in Dubai, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Dubai pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Dubai
- Burj KhalifaHalf a mile of reinforced concrete, straight up — the tallest structure on Earth since 2009.
- Dubai MallIn 2023 it drew a record 105 million visitors — up 19 percent year-on-year from the 88 million recorded the year before.
- 23 MarinaFifty-seven swimming pools stacked into one tower — and since 2026, visible war damage on the skyline.
- Palm JumeirahSand and stone stacked on the Persian Gulf to form a palm shape — only legible from the air, and reportedly still sinking 5 mm every year.
- Rose Tower (Rose Rayhaan by Rotana)A 333-metre hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road that actually outreaches the Burj Al Arab — and most people walk past it.
- Princess TowerFor three years this 413-metre block of apartments was the tallest place anyone called home on Earth.