Tallest Building in the World: My Trip Up the Burj Khalifa in Dubai
Back in 2011, while vacationing in Dubai in the UAE, I visited the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalifa, standing 828 meters tall across 163 floors. Looking back, I wanted to gather my personal impressions from the trip together with the night photos I took from the observation deck.
Burj Khalifa in Downtown Dubai – 828 meters tall and 163 floors
You can spot the tower from afar in almost any neighborhood: even if you arrive knowing nothing about it beforehand, a landmark on that scale is impossible to ignore. Here is how heading up to the observation deck actually went.
Dubai Mall, tickets, and the high-speed elevator
The Burj Khalifa rises right next to the Dubai Fountain, the Armani Hotel, and the massive Dubai Mall. Whether or not it literally holds every mall-size record is beside the point – we wandered through it for three days straight :-) That is also where the public observation-deck entrance is located.
One practical catch with tickets: it is much smarter to book in advance for a specific time slot. Buying immediate same-day entry on the spot costs noticeably more (as I recall, the rush surcharge ran roughly around $50), unless you show up closer to the evening when lines thin out and tickets for the next slot are easier to grab.
From there you step into the high-speed elevator – reportedly climbing around 10 floors per second, and by my count the ride to the deck took about forty seconds. The elevator is an experience on its own, and for the first minute after stepping out it almost feels as if the tower is gently swaying. Naturally you feel like sitting down to catch your bearings, except there are no chairs or benches up there, so many visitors simply sit on the floor right beside the glass.
Evening outside Burj Khalifa after half a day walking around Dubai Mall – a bit tired, still thrilled
Observation deck and night views over Dubai
Tourists go up in scheduled groups, while heading back down is open whenever you are ready. Upstairs we walked around taking photos and bought a card for one of the electronic viewing telescopes: you can scan the live city below or switch to stored daytime images to compare how the exact same skyline looks in bright sunlight.
Just stepped off the high-speed elevator – getting my bearings at the top :-)
Evening city lights and glowing highways directly beneath the observation deck
Dubai’s skyscrapers look like miniature models from hundreds of meters up
Another wide angle looking down at Dubai’s night grid
Static shocks upstairs and the outdoor terrace
One quirky detail I did not expect: the upper deck is built largely out of glass and metal, and it holds a surprisingly strong static charge. Brush an elbow or hand against the metal railings by accident and you get a sharp enough zap to practically see sparks.
Pausing “next to” that very skyscraper :-)
One last souvenir shot from the observation level
Beyond the enclosed gallery, there is an outdoor terrace too – stepping out into open air at that altitude feels surreal, though standing on the wooden decking seemed to make the surrounding metalwork even more statically charged. After a while you naturally start feeling ready for solid ground again and head down to the Dubai Fountain: it stays humid near the water in the evening, yet crowds gather there every night just to soak up the atmosphere.