If you happen to be in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and fail to visit the Burj Khalifa and the Museum of the Future, then you have not truly visited Dubai.
Earlier this year, I attended the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. After four days in Abu Dhabi, I took a taxi to Dubai and arrived in under two hours. I was dropped at the entrance of the Museum of the Future along Sheikh Zayed Road.
I entered the bustling venue, full of tourists, mostly white visitors, where the reception and ticketing areas are located, and met Patrick Tumwizere, a Ugandan national who has been working at the museum since 2022.
Meeting someone who understands your language in a foreign country is always comforting, and we connected easily.
“We opened the museum on February 22, 2022. When you enter, you’re in the year 2071, as the exhibitions are based on ongoing research into alternative energy sources once fossil fuels run out, including harvesting energy from space, the sun and the moon to Earth,” he said.
He added that current research also explores using artificial intelligence (AI) to restore damaged ecosystems, prevent wildfires, and introduce or enhance species capable of withstanding harsh and changing climatic conditions.
According to Tumwizere, the museum, which falls under the Dubai Future Foundation, reflects where Dubai wants to be in 2071, when the UAE will celebrate 100 years. He said the museum is therefore a centre for research and innovation in partnership with various global organisations.
During the interview, he was repeatedly interrupted by visitors arriving at the Museum of the Future.
He explained that entry requires online booking two to three weeks in advance because of high demand, with guides using the system to manage visitor flow.
“In winter, from October to April, you need at least two weeks’ booking, and from November to December, up to a month,” he said.
He also noted that some visitors without bookings are turned away, while my own entry had been pre-arranged by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.
The museum is open daily from 9.30am to 8pm.
Entry costs AED169 (approximately Sh5,915) for visitors aged four and above, while children below that age enter free of charge. Free Wi-Fi is also available on site.
VIP “Pioneer” tickets cost AED399 (Sh13,965) and offer priority entry and other benefits. They help visitors avoid queues of about six to 10 minutes, as 45 people are admitted at a time, and are mainly used between 9am and 11am before crowds build up.
At the entrance, there is also a café and luggage storage area. The building has paid basement parking.
He said the building, a torus-shaped architectural masterpiece standing 77 metres tall, has seven floors, with the sixth and seventh floors housing offices.
The journey begins on level five at the Orbital Space Station, which offers a simulated space shuttle experience.
Level four houses the Healing Institute, where visitors learn about restoring ecosystems damaged around the world using AI and bio-design technology. Level three is Al Waha, meaning oasis in Arabic, a space designed for relaxation and meditation where visitors can disconnect from technology and reconnect with themselves through therapeutic experiences.
Level two is Tomorrow Today, which showcases immediate, real-world innovations focusing on sustainability, AI, robotics and smart city technologies.
The level highlights groundbreaking prototypes and solutions designed to address current environmental and urban challenges, including transport.
Finally, level one is dedicated to children aged between four and 10 years and is known as Future Heroes.
After visiting the museum, I went to a metro station near the building, which took me to the Burj Khalifa station on the Red Line.
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, standing at 828 metres.
The entrance is through the famous Dubai Mall, where there is a reception counter called At The Top on the lower ground floor.
Before entering the mall is The Dubai Fountain, the world’s largest choreographed dancing fountain system, located on the 30-acre Burj Khalifa Lake in Downtown Dubai. It is popular for photo sessions with the Burj Khalifa in the background.
Opened on January 4, 2010, the Burj Khalifa stands as a breathtaking testament to human ingenuity and ambition. The architectural marvel encapsulates the futuristic vision and rapid development synonymous with Dubai itself.
It offers millions of annual visitors unparalleled 360-degree panoramic views of Dubai from its multiple observation decks, protected by glass barriers reaching heights of up to 300 metres. The highest observation decks are on floors 124 and 125, while the topmost viewing area is on level 148.
Photography services are available at the observation decks to help visitors preserve memories of the experience.
Inspired by the Hymenocallis flower, the building features three sections arranged around a central core, with luxury residences accessed separately through Dubai Mall. It also houses a signature dining experience on the 122nd floor, home to the world’s highest lounge.
The building contains 26,000 hand-cut glass panels, and cleaning the exterior takes three months.
Regarded as one of Dubai’s leading tourist attractions, At The Top, the Burj Khalifa observation decks, contributed to the city’s 19.59 million international visitors last year, representing a five per cent increase from 18.72 million in 2024.
According to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, 48 per cent of visitors included the attraction in their itinerary, with December marking the first time Dubai welcomed two million tourists in a single month.
Standard entry to At The Top costs AED199 (about Sh7,000) for access to floors 124 and 125, with peak viewing hours between 3pm and 7pm.
The Gold experience, priced at AED449 (Sh15,715), offers fast-track priority access, avoiding queues, and includes access to floors 124, 125 and 148, plus entry to the SKY Lounge, guided multilingual tours, refreshments and free Wi-Fi.
The Platinum experience, costing AED769 (Sh27,000), adds access to levels 152 to 154, along with floors 148, 124 and 125. It also includes VIP lounge service at 585 metres and refreshments at the Armani Hotel. Both Gold and Platinum tickets are fast-track options with priority entry.
Children below the age of three enter free of charge, and the building also offers free Wi-Fi, cafés and shopping outlets.
As visitors exit, the walls display month-by-month construction progress details, including work that began in 2004, sometimes carried out during summer temperatures of up to 44°C.
Tickets can still be purchased at the ground floor of Dubai Mall, subject to availability, although visitors may face long waits or sold-out time slots during busy periods.
In the evening, as I left near the Dubai Mall entrance, the mall lit up with advertising displays from major brands, projected across the world’s largest LED screens stretching along its entire eastern façade.