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In a city brimming with superlatives, it’s hard to find the right way to describe Dubai Mall to tiny children—it is simply an amazing indoor adventure wonderland!
Yes, it is concrete and man-made (more on heading out to the desert and the other side of Dubai here), but most visitors will at some point plan to stop by and spend some time exploring the Dubai Mall and the surrounding Downtown Dubai area.
Far more than just a shopping centre, this mega 1.2 million square metre retail complex has over 1,200 outlets and 200 dining spots, making it the biggest indoor venue in Dubai (excluding Dubai Airport, which is a staggering 18 million sq ft!!).
It is also the most visited building in the world! In 2023, the mall received a staggering 105 million visitors!
So, how do you keep kids entertained in this mega-mall? Very easily! We’re sharing here all our favourite family-friendly attractions both in and around Dubai Mall + where to dine, and parts not to miss with kids.
We have a complete guide on how to plan your visit to the top attractions in Dubai Mall here.
The Best of Dubai Mall With Kids
Top 10 Dubai Mall Kids Activities
Here’s our pick of the top 10 activities families will love to experience in Dubai Mall.
1. Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo
The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo sits bang-smack in the middle of Dubai Mall and is truly unmissable. Whether you plan actually to go inside or not, it will be an utterly mesmerising experience for kids who love marine animals.
Famous for having the largest acrylic viewing panel on a suspended aquarium in the world, the giant screen measures 8.3m high by 32.88m wide and 75cm thick. From the Ground Floor through to Level 2, it can be easily viewed for free, giving a superb preview of the aquatic life inside.
Inside the aquarium, you can expect to experience hundreds of sharks and stingrays among the 140+ species on display. Within the zoo, there are plenty of add-on experiences to be enjoyed, from the glass-bottomed boat to caged shark walks, King Croc encounters, shark dives, ray encounter experiences, and feeding presentations.
Recommend for all age groups, but some hands-on activities have lower age limits, under 3’s go free.
Cost: Basic entry (1-years-old to adult) starts from 150 AED
2. KidZania Dubai Mall
In a similar model to KidZania branches that you’ll find worldwide, this is an incredible 7,000 m2 real-to-life city built just for kids!
The KidZania Dubai edutainment centre at the Cinema end of the mall, Level 2, incorporates over 40 real-life activities for kids to enjoy, from role-playing to critical thinking to crafts and sports. Kids work to earn their own KidZoos (money!) that can then be spent on leisure activities within the city.
One of the best Dubai Mall activities for kids, we recommend it is the perfect place for children 4 to 11 years old – they need to be independent of a parent/carer to join in, so it’s not the best for toddlers).
Cost: Starts from 195 AED for an Economy ticket or Premium 260 AED. Accompanying parents are 80 AED and toddlers (2 to 3 years old) 110 AED; Under 3 Free.
3. Play DXB (formerly VR Park)
A dedicated virtual reality theme park—the largest of its type in the world—lets players enjoy dozens of virtual reality experiences, from motion rides such as the popular Dubai Drone, in which a simulated roller coaster flies you past Dubai’s landmarks, to popular video game classics.
Height restrictions and age recommendations apply per ride. There are some activities for little ones, but we’d recommend that they be at least 8 years old to enjoy them properly.
(NB this park used to be called SEGA Republic when the Mall first opened, then renamed to VR Park, and most recently to Play DXB; you may still find older Dubai guides referring to SEGA or VR Park – it’s all the same place in the mall!)
Cost: Entry just to walk around the park is free. You can enjoy the Soft Park Soft Play for 120 AED or buy Pay & Play Credits with bonuses from 200 AED.
4. Dubai Ice Skating Rink
Can you believe a full-sized Olympic ice skating rink is sitting at the very centre of Dubai Mall? A superb way to cool down in the desert, the ice rink is open to all ages and abilities, and you can learn to skate through to advanced skaters, showing off their moves to the crowd.
You can rent all your ice skating gear, and instructors are on hand, so even complete novices can try it!
Recommend over age 2 and no pregnant women.
Cost: varies by peak and non-peak times. Pricing starts from 110 AED.
5. EKart Zabeel
In a new extension to Dubai Mall – Dubai Mall Zabeel, head to the 9th-floor rooftop for go-karting! There are standard track sessions available through to race events that can be organized in groups of up to 8
Drivers must be at least 14 years of age and 140cm.
Cost: Standard tickets start from 95 AED, race events 200 AED
6. Emirates A380 simulator
Fancy yourself piloting an Emirates A380 aircraft? A cutting-edge simulator can be found on the 2nd floor of the Dubai Mall where you can enjoy a 15, 30, or 60-minute instructed lesson on how to land this megalithic aeroplane at 12 of the world’s busiest airports. Recommended from 10 years+ (9 to 12-year-olds must be accompanied)
Cost: Varies by time peak/off-peak and if you have an Emirates Skywards card. Starting from 15 minutes off-peak AED 160. A full hour in peak time AED 650.
7. Admire the human waterfall
A totally free activity to enjoy with kids is to stand and admire the human waterfall in Dubai Mall. An utterly breathtaking indoor water sculpture, two large cylindrical walls 30 metres in diameter and 24-metres high span three floors of the Dubai Mall. It looks as though men are diving out of the water – utterly instagrammable!
(Also makes a good meeting point if kids get lost, everyone can point you to the giant fountain!)
8. Trampo Extreme
Time for the kids to burn some energy? A new branch of Trampo Extreme indoor trampoline park has opened within the Dubai Mall (2nd-floor Cinema end)
With eight different play attractions, from jumping to ball pools and challenging mazes, this is a great spot to come on a Dubai rainy day or when the days are too hot to keep them moving.
Bouncers should be 3 years+, three to 6 years olds need a guardian with them; Older kids, you can use their ‘shop and drop service’.
Cost: From AED 90/hour or a full day pass AED 240
9. The Burj Khalifa
The world’s tallest building is conveniently attached to the world’s largest shopping mall.
If you want to go all the way to “At The Top” Observation deck on level 124/125, we’d strongly suggest you pre-book your trip to Dubai Mall around this time slot.
Buying on the day costs exceptionally more, and tickets can sell out.
Do be warned, if you’re visiting at peak times such as over winter school holidays, even with a timed slot ticket, you should expect queuing through the Lower Ground Floor level of the Mall before you even get to the lift. (Bring your arsenal of kiddy queuing entertainment and anticipate you could be there for one hour+; strollers need to be checked).
Once you get to the top, you are obviously spoiled with spectacular city views as far as the eye can see over the thriving inner city and outward to the Arabian Gulf and the desert. It’s undoubtedly a kiddy winner, but do consider the cost when working out your Dubai budget.
Open to all ages, under 3’s are free.
Cost: Standard adult tickets start from 129 AED, and children (4 to 12 years) from 87 AED. Prices increase at peak times and if you add extra observation decks or experiences.
We have a detailed guide on how to visit the Burj Khalifa here – as well as other ticketing options and special treats you might want to consider visiting the world’s tallest tower or the benefits of seeing the Burj Khalifa at Night.
** Save with a Dubai Aquarium and Burj Khalifa combined ticket. This is one of the most popular combo tickets in town, and visiting both, plus stopping for a meal in the mall will take up the best part of a day on a Dubai stopover.
10. Dubai Fountain Show & Burj Khalifa Light Show
Watching the Dubai Fountains dancing show and seeing the Burj Khalifa light up at night is one of the best free activities with kids in Dubai. No matter how often we’ve seen this spectacular light and sound show, our kids are still mesmerised.
A big warning, though, if you are visiting with kids, especially on weekends (Friday to Sunday evenings), it can be exceptionally busy, to the point we wouldn’t recommend trying to get out to see it with small kids in strollers.
If you are smart and plan ahead though, you can beat the crowds. Don’t try to watch the show from the main mall entrance opposite Souk al Bahar (under the Apple store). This is the most congested and scarily crowded area with kids. You should aim to head outside about ten past and twenty to the hour, this gives you a good 20 minutes to find a comfortable position.
Another way to enjoy the fountains is to take an abra (traditional boat) ride on to Burj Lake and experience them up close or take a further walk around the lake to the 272m long Dubai Fountain Boardwalk (a small charge of 20AED), which lets you stand as close as you can among the fountains!
Alternatively—and this is our preferred option with children—time it with your dinner so you have seating and little mouths fed while enjoying several rounds of the fountain show. You can see our full guide to the best Dubai Fountain restaurants here.
There are also daytime shows that are much less crowded – though admittedly not AS spectacular as seeing the fountains at night – keep an eye out at 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM Monday to Thursday and 1:30 PM and 2:00 PM Fridays to Sundays.
The Downtown area of Dubai is all wonderfully pedestrianized, so on a pleasant day (i.e. not at the peak of summer!) you can easily walk to nearby attractions in Downtown Dubai. Some to look out for with kids include:
Remember, Dubai Mall is spectacular but just one of the many family-friendly attractions of the city. You’ll find our complete guide to the best of Dubai with Kids here.
