From beaches to coffee spots and everything in-between…
Dubai is an incredibly exciting and fast-paced place, but what makes it thrilling are the hidden gems tucked away in the most unexpected places. We’ve decided to help you discover them!
Al Serkal is a constantly evolving diamond in the rough – an industrial warehouse site in Al Quoz that houses some of the city’s coolest arts & culture venues. Tour the galleries, grab a coffee in the A4 Space – a community destination with a little café, library, screening room and regular pop-up stores.
Psst… the very awesome JamJar – a gallery and arty space that feels like you’re walking into an oil painting – has just opened up in Al Serkal Avenue and offers everything from art classes to exhibitions, alternative theatre to workshops.
Al Serkal Avenue is located in Al Quoz. The closest metro station is Noor Bank, after which it’s a 9 minute taxi ride away.
In the heart of Dubai’s beautiful Al Fahidi Historical District is The Coffee Museum – a café, shop and cultural experience rolled into one awesome space. Not only can you drink the delicious coffee here but also learn all about its origins, check out some very cool antiques and hang out in a lovely majlis. If you want to have a go at making your own coffee creations at home then there’s all sorts of Barista equipment to buy, and there are books on everything from home-roasting to recipes and the history of coffee.
The Coffee Museum is a 9 minute taxi ride from Al Fahidi metro station.
Think you know downtown? Think again – have you ever been to Burj Park, an amazing green 3-hectare island in the Burj Lake? With spectacular views of Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Fountain (especially at night when everything is illuminated by very cool light cubes), the park is linked to the rest of Downtown by bridges and has a promenade going all the way around the edge. The perfect place for a picnic! It was ideally designed for high end range of corporate events and exhibitions including banquets, weddings, concerts and product launches. It is just a walking distance from The Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.
Burj Park is a 15 minute walk from the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall metro station.
A complete gem of a park offering welcome green space underneath the skyscrapers of Jumeirah Lake Towers, JLT Park offers kiddos the chance to run, chase, or kick a ball across vast lawns. There are a couple of playgrounds to suit both tiny tots and older children, along with sandy patches for building sandcastles. The park is located next to Cluster P in Jumeriah Lake Towers.
The newest hidden destination in the UAE is The Yard, a 350,000 square-foot extension added to the existing Last Exit D89 in Al Khawaneej.
In addition to restaurants, shops and landscaped areas, The Yard is also home to Dubai’s first ‘Promise Bridge’. Also known as a love locks bridge, it’s an ode to the original Ponts des Arts bridge in Paris where people can make symbolic pledges to their loved ones by attaching padlocks to the bridge, usually with their initials on them.
Blending a rural farm environment with urban accents, The Yard also features playful murals, similar to the vibrant artwork displayed across buildings at La Mer. An 18-metre-high windmill, a water mill, a wishing well, decorative vintage pick-up trucks, farm animals and bird houses make The Yard incredibly insta-worthy.
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