Dubai shore excursions: City Walk

Located between Jumeirah and Business Bay, the home of the iconic Burj Khalifa, City Walk is a lifestyle community housing hotels, homes, high-end retailers, restaurants, wellness centres and more.

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City Walk opened throughout 2016 to 2020 and is a multi-block lifestyle destination offering retail, hotels, dining, and year-round activities based on Dubai’s social calendar (Dubai Shopping Festival, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Eid, Dubai Summer Surprises and so on).

The project spans an entire neighborhood within Dubai, covering 10 million square feet or about 176 football fields.

It offers sidewalk cafes along Safa Street, an enclosed mall that’s home to living trees and a host of chic shops and unique restaurants, and beautifully designed outdoor spaces between its boulevards.

The project is largely modelled on modern London and other European cities, with shopping and entertainment combined through the use of an ever-changing calendar of events and standout venues, such as The Green Planet and Roxy Cinemas.

During the winter months when most cruise ships call in Dubai, you can stroll along the European-style pedestrianised boulevards, stretching several blocks from the city towards Jumeirah.

There are a huge selection of local and international boutiques, arranged around excellent indoor and outdoor dining options including some hip venues at La Ville Hotel and Suites, such as Graze and Chival.

For those looking for a taste of local cuisine there’s the Emirati fusion spot Sikka Cafe, as well as Cocoa Kitchen for desert, and other restaurants that reflect Dubai’s international, cosmopolitan character such as the Indian restaurant Farzi Cafe, and the French cafe, Aubaine.

On the weekends, during which most homeporting cruise ships do their ‘turnarounds’ in Dubai, there is a range of entertainment on offer, from live musical performances in the main square to mimes, acrobatics, and live art shows.

City Walk in Dubai is a good options for cruise passengers in Dubai looking to do some independant exploring, enjoy good food and shopping, while also getting great views of the Burj Khalifa.

The project is also popular for special occasions, such as romantic dinners. Many of its restaurants are among the best in the city, such as Toro + Ko, a high-end Barcelona-style tapas restaurant, Aya, celebrating Japanese cuisine, and LookUp Rooftop Bar, a playground for the young and young at heart.