Dubai Frame

Rising from Zabeel Park, the Dubai Frame is exactly what its name suggests: a colossal picture frame made of two 150-metre towers joined at the top by a 93-metre bridge. Built by Dubai Municipality and opened in January 2018, it neatly frames the city’s two faces, with the older districts of Deira and Bur Dubai to the north and the gleaming towers of Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown to the south.

Past, present and future

A visit starts at ground level in the Old Dubai gallery, which uses projections, effects and imagery to recreate life in the city before the oil era. A lift then carries you up to the Sky Deck, where the bridge offers panoramic views in both directions, sections of glass floor beneath your feet and augmented reality screens that help pick out landmarks. On the way out, the Future Dubai gallery imagines what the city could look like in the decades ahead through immersive projections.

Planning your visit

Most guests spend around an hour. The Frame is currently open daily from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, including weekends and public holidays, with adjusted hours during Ramadan and some holidays. Infants under three enter free, children aged three to twelve have a reduced ticket, and people of determination plus up to two companions currently enter free. Food, drink, smoking and pets are not allowed, and large bags and strollers are left at the Gate 4 counter. Late afternoon is a good time to see the city in daylight and then lit up after dark.