“A complete guide on best photography locations (including famous rooftops) for travellers and photographers who wants to capture scenic photos in Dubai”

Dubai (Dubay ~ دبي)

Dubai the tourism capital of the Middle East attracts around fifteen to twenty million tourists every year. Home to approximately every nationality, the city offers almost everything from beauty, peace and luxury.

So if you are a photographer, traveller or tourist, planning to visit Dubai in the near future but has no idea which locations and spots would be great to take stunning photos and which exact time suits each scenery, don’t worry! I am going to add all those details here for you :)

Things to consider ahead of your visit to Dubai

Before we start, remember you are probably visiting a different continent, coming from a very different weather, so keep the below brief in mind before booking for your trip.

Weather conditions of Dubai

You are probably coming from a very cold or different atmosphere so keep in mind, Dubai belongs to a very hot and humid part of the planet earth. At least eight to nine months of straight long summer with temperature touching 50 degree Celsius during day time. On top of that is the humidity which is not really ideal for your photography equipment, because it can create dew factor inside your camera which will lead to fungus before you will even know.

Here is the more practical example. While your stay in Dubai, you will be riding taxis or a vehicle on short term rental. Inside the vehicle, the temperature will be about fifteen to twenty degree celsius and your camera bag is also part of that atmosphere. But the moment you bring it out, yourself along with your camera is now filled with watery solution, created by the humidity. That’s not good. I know you must be thinking that camera equipments are weather sealed these days but why take unnecessary risks? Now lets talk about your subjects of photos. The view woudln’t be clear for your eyes and camera sensors. Everything beyond 500 to 700 meters will be foggy and not clearly visible so forget about details in your photos.

No photography months (in my opinion): May till September

Ideal months for photography: November till March

What's so ideal about these months? Weather is clear, no humidity, temperatures are down, expectation of clouds in the sky is up and above all, it will be famous foggy season.

Photos you want to capture in Dubai!

It’s very important you have a proper plan on what you are going to capture. Mostly photographers visit Dubai to capture skyline, high-rise buildings and deserts, which is quite ideal considering the incredible structure and beautiful red sand deserts of the United Arab Emirates but going to a location at a wrong time and under wrong conditions can ruin your plan.

So ideally, once you are done with your initial plan then only you should be booking your hotel because hotel roof tops are the best locations to capture skylines, cityscape and architectures. Not every hotel has roof top neither every roof top is ideal so make sure you know what are you booking.

The laws of Dubai

If you are a street photographer, dont forget to take a note that as per UAE laws, you are not allowed to take photos of individuals without their prior consent. You can surely hire models if you like but people passing by shouldn’t be part of your composition, especially with recognisable faces.

For those who are after buildings and structures, make sure you are not capturing some private property. There will be some incidents where a security guard may approach you to remove yourself from the property and get a permission letter first from the building management. Places within the downtown Dubai have such protocols so be prepared for that.

Recommended solution? Point out where you will be shooting. Do some research through Internet and fellow photographers to check if such permissions are required.

The top 10 locations & spots for photography in Dubai

Let’s talk about the best locations in Dubai to take majestic photographs.

Burj Khalifa & Downtown Dubai

We have to start with iconic Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai. The world tallest building lies in the centre of Downtown Dubai, like a master piece gemstone in the crown. Its huge and majestic which attracts attention automatically when you are under its shadow. During day light, the building can be spotted from miles which lights up at night with LED show.

There are many spots to capture amazing photos of Burj khalifa with the downtown Dubai in the background. Some of my favourite location are listed below:

Roof top - Index Tower Dubai

Index Tower (click for location) is an 80 storey skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This gigantic tower lies opposite to iconic Dubai Mall and has both residential and office workspaces. Access to this building is not easy so there are two ways to get access. First option is get someone who is residing or working in the building so he take you along which will completely rule out the possibility of security asking you questions. Second is to send email to the building management and ask for permission, specifically for taking photos. The second option might take a bit long but it worked for me in the past.

Don’t forget, Index Tower’s roof top is beyond its last floor which means you will have to climb a steel ladder to actually go up there, the almost 84th floor. A security guard will be accompanying you and if the weather isn’t ideal for you to stay there, you will be asked to come down.

Entry fee: none

Likelihood of rejection: very high

Ideal time to shoot: Sunset, during fog and evening during Burj Khalifa’s LED Show

Roof top - Shangri-La Hotel Dubai

Probably one of the most beautiful roof tops in Dubai, Shangri-La Hotel (click for location map) provides beautiful corner view of the Burj khalifa along with all the skycrapers of Downtown Dubai. Because its a hotel, accessability to the roof top is very easy. You just need to book some restaurant reservation or a night stay at the hotel and they will easily enrertain your request. Some years ago, the accesss was available for free, even for walk-in photographers but after overwhelming demand, the hotel has put a price on it.

Entry fee: dine in or night stay

Likelihood of rejection: close to none

Ideal time to shoot: Sunsrise, sunset and evening

Damac Maison Distinction (Downtown Dubai)

Damac Maison Distinction (click here for location) is another beautiful high rise hotel in downtown Dubai. This luxurious hotel is just 4 kilometers away from Burj Khalifa and provides stunning views during both sunrise and sunset. Due to the fact that there are no photo bummers in between Damac Maison and Burj Khalifa, you should be expecting stunning photos from this spot.

Ideally you should book a night stay at the hotel because I dont think there is another way to get admittance into this building. Hotel staff are extremely friendly, polite and professional so while booking, you make sure to get a balcony view, preferrably on their top floors facing Burj Khalifa and the downtown Dubai. I fear if you wouldnt raise this request, you will end spending time at the wrong side.

Entry fee: night stay

Likelihood of rejection: close to none

Ideal time to shoot: Sunsrise, sunset and evening

Adress Hotel - Dubai Mall

Probably one of the most expensive and luxurious option in this list. Address Hotel is a 5 star hotel which provides overall luxurious, unique and stylish views of overall downtown Dubai. The property is simply opposite both Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa and one can just walk from it to reach Burj Khlifa on foot.

Keep in mind, there is almost no way you can get admittance in this hotel without prior booking. Rest assured, you will be getting more than what we call “value for money” during your stay and the photos you would take will simply blow one’s mind away.

As mentioned before, if you cannot go on top of the roof, make sure your room/suite has balcony and its on the top floors of the hotel, facing Burj Khalifa. That’s it, you need nothing but a camera with tripd and perhaps some filter kits to do the long exposure during LED shows on Burj Khalifa with dancing fountains :)

Entry fee: night stay

Likelihood of rejection: moderate to high

Ideal time to shoot: Sunset and evening

Let me take you to some other parts of Dubai now :)

There are many more attractions in Dubai which can be captured in several versatile way. One of such things is Sheikh Zayed road view from above. You have two options to capture. Book a helicopter ride which will give you around 20 minutes ride over majority of Dubai or you go to some roof tops.

Considering the price of a helicopter ride, I would suggest going to roof top bars and restaurants :)

Rooftop - Four Points by Sheraton Hotel Dubai

This hotel (click for location) which is not super expensive has one of the nicest staff to assist you during your stay there. To be at the roof top, its not really required to book a night stay there but if you can, that would be great.

The Hotel has a roof top bar cum restaurant which will start serving an hour before sunset. This famous hotel of Dubai lies right on the Sheikh Zayed road and provides beautiful view of the city along with the busy Sheikh Zayed road road beside it. You just need to make sure one thing and that is to occupy the spot on the corner of outdoor sitting area, otherwise the composition would be a bit more challenging.

Entry fee: roof top bar booking

Likelihood of rejection: none

Ideal time to shoot: Sunset and evening

I think enough of roof tops, let me take you to some landscape and wide angle views :)

Like any developed city, there are always some far away spots from where you can take photos of the whole city with all its beauty. Dubai also has similar spots from where you can capture the entire cityscape with beautiful views of sea and creek.

Two of such spots are personal favorite;

Dubai Creek Harbour

Below photo was taken somehwere close to March 2017 when the project was under construction so don’t expect details in the water when you go there because they are gone already but the scenery is still there.

Entry fee: none

Likelihood of rejection: high (without permit/permission)

Ideal time to shoot: sunset

Al Jaddaf Walk (Creek View)

Jaddaf walk (click for location) on Dubai Creek is an adjacent area to Dubai Creek harbour. Dubai has a total of nine miles long natural salt water creek channel which is connected to its harbour and Jaddaf is one of those areas which are connected to it. The beauty of these connected landmarks are that they provide natural elements to the city’s scenary, especially when its the time for sun to set. This particular spot is a very suitable location to capture sparkling Burj Khalifa along with Dubai’s skyline duirng the famous LED show.

The below image was taken during a beautiful sunset with magical layers of thin cloud formation. It is important to remember that such clouds formations are not everyday thing in Dubai. During summer and humid weather conditions, you will end seeing a flat sky with no visible clouds.

Entry fee: none

Likelihood of rejection: none

Ideal time to shoot: Sunset

Dubai Camel Race

Organised by Dubai Camel Racing Club, this superb event happens only once a year. Almost a week long event showcases multiple race events with participants from the whole Middle East. With the start of winter season, Dubai Camel Racing Club will announce its schedule for the yearly event, which is available both on their social media and website. For more information of upcoming racing events, please visit https://www.dubaicrc.ae

Dubai Canal

The famous landmark project of Dubai Canal (click for location) is a well known sightseeing sopt among all the residents and tourists visiting Dubai. Inaugurated in 2016, Dubai Canal provide magestic views of the city from several spots. One of the most visited and photographed among such spots is the curved view of the Tolerance bridge which takes the beautiful Burj Khalifa along with adjacent skyscrapers into one composition. If you explore scial media posts of any known photographer based in the UAE, there is no way that you wouldn’t find this beautiful scenary on their page.

But Dubai Canal can be tricky spot for photography. One of the reasons is timing of the shoot. In order to capture the famous scenary of the bridge with Burj Khalifa, you have to decide what time and spot you are going to pick becuase it may look very easy to decide but due the curved shape of the canal, sometimes it makes it very hard to create a symmetrical composition.

In my opinion, morning sunrise time is the best to shoot at this beautiful place.

Entry fee: none

Likelihood of rejection: none

Ideal time to shoot: sunrise

Palm (Jumeirah) Island

There is no way I am going to add introduction on Palm Jumeirah Island because I doubt if there is someone in this world who is not fimiliar with this incredible place. But for our topic, I will be adding couple of nice spots from where you can take some beautiful photos of Dubai city.

Spot 01: The Anantra North Residence (click for exact location)

This spot provides views towards the iconic Burj Al Arab and if weather is clear, you will be able to capture the entire skyline of Dubai along with Burj Khalifa too. Check the below photo :)

Well thats not it because you can turn your camera towards the right side of the city and will find some interesting highrise buildings sparkling during the night time. Not many photographers has taken this photo but I personally love the view.

Lets jump to the other side of the Palm Island. Compare to the views of this side where you can capture Burj Al Arab with seaview but on the other side the views are completely different.

Spot 02: Palm Jumeirah Corniche Area (Click for exact location)

From this side of the Palm Jumeirah Island, you will be able to capture stunning views of the Dubai Marina skyscrapers. Dubai Marina is famous for its highrise buildings, which are located in a cluster formation and can be located from miles.

If you are lucky, you can even include cruise ships along with these beautiful buildings in one composition.

Below photos are taken with Nikon D810 & 70-200mm F2.8 VR II (Lee 6 stops ND 100mm Deluxe Filter system)

Dubai Marina

What you have seen above is the side of Dubai Marina visible from Palm Jumeirah Island but the more closeup view of this beautiful highrise buildings is visible within the clustered area. Majority of the buildings (click for location) are residential which can even bring the opportunity of taking photos from a balcony or roof top (check Cayan Tower for instance) but if you dont have such opportunity in hand, dont worry because there is a spot which provides a stunning wide angle view of this area.

Dubai Marina has a creek channel which is being used by harboured small boats and ships to take tourists and residents into open sea. On top of this creek channel are many bridges which are ideal spots to capture this magnificent area.

Expo 2020 Dubai (Expo City)

Those who have visited Expo 2020 Dubai site (click for location) knows how diversly unique and fascinating it is. Architectural marvels from the around the world were brought into this amazing location to shawcase the beauty lies within this world. Though the event has ended already but Dubai has announced to keep the exhibition site and convert it into a small city or district.

If you are an architecture, fine art and abstract photographer, this site will be blessing for your eyes, ideas and imagination.

Dubai Creek - Bur Dubai

You must be wondering why the word “Creek” is coming again and again in this blog. The answer is simple that the entire City of Dubai is actually connected through this creek and majority of the beautiful landmarks are on it. If you book a small boat and ride along the creek, you will be stunned to see how different the city looks from in between the water.

On the other hand, Bur Dubai belongs to the older part of Dubai city. When the city was small, the entire trade was managed through it as medium of easy transportation. This part of the creek represent two main areas, the Bur Dubai and Deira, which are two main important districts for both trade and residential colonies. You will see old school mearchant vessels and wooden boats called Abrah which are the key mediums of public transportation to this date. Following the traditions, these small diesel engine equiped boats are manned with one captain and can accomodate up to 15 people. The fare for this traditional boat ride is fixed at 01 Dirham so there is no point to discuss affordability here. In case you want to ride a separate dedicated boat for yourself, you can hire one there.

In my opinion, this is an ideal place for street and travel photograpghers to capture the life of Dubai.

Below photos are taken with Fujifilm XT4 & Tokina 56mm/23mm F1.4X lenses.

Would You like to know about Best Photo Spots of Abu Dhabi as well? Click the picture below :)

This is not it :)

Remember, Dubai has world’s most fascniating buildings and architectural structures. Not just Burj Khalifa but the city is filled with hundreds of skyscrapers, decorated with beautiful colors and lights. So when you are out there, just roam around, especially on Sheikh Zayed road (World trade center Metro till JLT) to see these stunning works of art with your own eyes and you never know what catches your eyes and will end up giving you a stunning photograph.

Below are some of the similar shots taken in Dubai:

I hope you like this article and if you really do, leave a comment below with your thoughts. I usually respond to all comments and questions within the same day, so let me know if there is any information you need for your trip to Dubai.

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