Observation deck guide
6 min read
We sell tickets to four of Dubai's observation decks, and they differ more than their heights suggest. The Burj Khalifa takes you highest, Sky Views looks straight across at it, The View looks down on Palm Jumeirah, and Dubai Frame frames old and new Dubai for the lowest price. This guide sets out what each one includes, as its own site describes it, with the official prices beside ours.
| If you | Go with |
|---|---|
| Want the highest view | Burj Khalifa, SKYLevel 148 is 555 m up; the standard At the Top decks, Levels 124 and 125, are at 452 m. |
| Are on a budget | Dubai FrameAED 50 for adults and AED 20 for children aged 3 to 12, at the official price. |
| Want to see Palm Jumeirah | The View at the PalmIts 360° open-air deck, 240 m up, looks over Palm Jumeirah, the Arabian Gulf and the skyline. |
| Want the Burj Khalifa in your photos | Sky ViewsFrom floors 52 and 53 of the Address Sky View, 219.5 m up, you look straight across at the Burj Khalifa. |
| Want a thrill | Sky ViewsIts official ticket includes one ride on the Glass Slide, a glass tube outside the tower, for riders 120 to 200 cm tall; our ticket does not include it. |
| Have a child under 3 | Burj Khalifa or Dubai FrameBoth let under-3s in free. |
| Use a wheelchair | Any of the fourAt the Top and Sky Views are wheelchair accessible throughout, Dubai Frame lets people of determination and 2 companions in free, and The View's Level 52 deck is reached by lift. |
| Want to be up at sunset | Book aheadAt the Top suggests a Level 124 slot about 120 minutes before sunset; The View closes at 20:00 and Dubai Frame at 21:00. |
The Burj Khalifa has the highest decks: Levels 124 and 125 at 452 m, and Level 148 at 555 m on the SKY ticket. The View at the Palm is 240 m up on Level 52, with The Next Level lounge at 250 m; Sky Views is at 219.5 m, and Dubai Frame is 150 m tall.
Height is not the whole story. Dubai Frame shows old Dubai to the north and new Dubai to the south, The View looks down on Palm Jumeirah and the Gulf, and from Sky Views you look straight across at the Burj Khalifa itself.
At the Top takes you to Levels 124 and 125, where you can stay as long as you like. SKY adds Level 148, with priority access and refreshments in the SKY lounge; our Burj Khalifa guide compares the two.
Sky Views' official ticket covers the observatory, a 46 m glass floor and one ride on the Glass Slide, a transparent tube outside the tower from level 53 to level 52; riders must be 120 to 200 cm tall. Our Sky Views ticket covers the observatory and the glass floor, and does not include the Glass Slide.
The View's standard ticket starts at the Palm Jumeirah exhibition, then a lift takes you to Level 52 in 45 seconds. The Next Level, on Level 54, is a separate ticket from AED 190, with fast-track entry.
At Dubai Frame the visit starts in the Old Dubai gallery on the mezzanine, then a lift climbs 48 floors in 75 seconds to the bridge and its glass walkway.
Adult prices on the official sites: At the Top from AED 189, SKY from AED 399, The View from AED 115, Sky Views AED 89 and Dubai Frame AED 50.
For children, Dubai Frame charges AED 20 for ages 3 to 12, Sky Views AED 69 for ages 3 to 8, and The View from AED 80 from age 3. At the Top and Dubai Frame let under-3s in free.
Our prices are on each card above, read live, with our cancellation terms beside them.
At the Top opens 10:00 to 20:00, The View 09:00 to 20:00 and Dubai Frame 08:00 to 21:00, every day. Plan on about 90 minutes at the Burj Khalifa and about 35 minutes at Sky Views, and longer if you like at either.
For sunset, At the Top suggests booking Level 124 for about 120 minutes before it. Sky Views asks you to arrive 30 minutes early, and Dubai Frame 10 to 15 minutes before your slot.
At Dubai Frame children under 12 must stay with an adult, and at Sky Views children under 17.
Prams stay downstairs: At the Top keeps them at the counter, Sky Views in its lobby luggage room and Dubai Frame at the Gate 4 counter. None of the three allows outside food or drink.
At the Top and Sky Views are wheelchair accessible throughout. Dubai Frame lets people of determination and 2 companions in free, and The View's Level 52 deck is reached by lift, though its Level 54 lounge only by stairs.
At the Top is entered from the lower ground floor of The Dubai Mall, and Sky Views through the Dubai Mall Metro link. Dubai Frame is at Gate 4 of Zabeel Park, near Al Jafiliya Metro station, and The View is in The Palm Tower on Palm Jumeirah, a short walk from the Palm Monorail's Al Ittihad Park station.
At 828 metres the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, and At The Top puts you on its 124th and 125th floors. The ascent is part of it: one of the fastest lifts in service covers the distance in about a minute, opening onto an outdoor observation terrace with high-powered telescopes that let you look at the city in real time or switch to archive views of the same spot in the 1990s, when most of what you are looking at was desert. From here the geometry of Dubai reads clearly - Sheikh Zayed Road running north, Palm Jumeirah offshore, the Creek curving inland, and the desert closing the picture on the far side. Directly below, the Dubai Fountain performs on the lake, and the view from this height is unlike the one from the promenade. Allow around ninety minutes including security and the queue. Sunset slots sell out well in advance and cost more; book early if that is what you want.
From
AED 304
per person
SKY is the premium way up the Burj Khalifa, and the difference is not only the height. You check in at a dedicated lounge, skip the main queue, and ride to Level 148 - at 555 metres, the highest observation deck in the building and one of the highest in the world. Up there the terrace is open to the air, refreshments are served, and Guest Ambassadors are on hand to point out what you are looking at across a view that reaches from the Gulf to the desert. You then come down to Levels 125 and 124 at your own pace, where the interactive stations and the outdoor terrace are, and where the Dubai Fountain show plays out directly below you after dark. The whole visit runs about ninety minutes. Prime and non-prime slots are priced differently, and the sunset slots are prime - they sell out first.
From
AED 380
per person
Sky Views Dubai sits on the 52nd and 53rd floors of the Address Sky View hotel in Downtown, and it offers a different proposition from the Burj Khalifa: instead of looking out from the tallest building, you look across at it. The Observatory is a glass-floored corridor suspended between the hotel's two towers, so the city is directly beneath your feet - the Burj Khalifa on one side, the Dubai Fountain lake below, and Sheikh Zayed Road running out to the horizon. The Glass Slide is the part people book for: a transparent tube that spirals from level 53 to level 52 on the outside of the building. There is also an Edge Walk, harnessed and hands-free along an open ledge, available as a separate add-on. Visits are short - allow around thirty to forty-five minutes. Closed shoes are required, and the glass floor is genuinely unnerving if you dislike heights, so go with that in mind.
From
AED 144
per person
The View sits on the 52nd floor of The Palm Tower, and it is the one place you can see Palm Jumeirah as the shape it was designed to be. From ground level the Palm is effectively invisible - just ordinary streets and villas. From up here the whole thing resolves at once: the fronds, the trunk running back to the mainland, the crescent closing it off, and Atlantis at the far end. The observation deck runs a full 360 degrees, so the same visit also gives you the Marina towers, the Burj Al Arab and the coastline stretching away in both directions. There are enclosed and open-air viewing sections separated by a movable glass partition, so you can step out into the air when the weather suits. Half an hour is enough to see it, though most people stay longer around sunset.
4.8(46)
From
AED 144
per person
The Dubai Frame is the new addition to the marvellous architecture the city boasts of. Consisting of two vertical towers of 150 meters in height connected by a 100-square-meter bridge, the Dubai Frame is a highlight of the Dubai skyline. A tour of the Dubai Frame is a must if you do not have much time for sightseeing and also if you want to see the entire city at once.
From
AED 48
per person
It depends on the view you want. The Burj Khalifa goes highest, to 555 m on SKY; The View looks over Palm Jumeirah; from Sky Views you look straight across at the Burj Khalifa; and Dubai Frame costs least, at an official AED 50 for adults, which its own ticket channel bills as AED 52.50 once it adds 5% VAT.
The Burj Khalifa for height: 452 m from AED 189, or 555 m from AED 399. Dubai Frame for the price, and for old and new Dubai on either side of you: 150 m, an official AED 50.
The View, 240 m up, is the one for Palm Jumeirah. The Burj Khalifa goes higher, to 452 m on At the Top or 555 m on SKY.
At the Top is higher, 452 m against Sky Views' 219.5 m, but from Sky Views you look straight across at the Burj Khalifa itself, and its official ticket includes the Glass Slide.
The official prices are AED 50 for adults and AED 20 for children aged 3 to 12, and the Frame's own ticket channel bills an adult ticket as AED 52.50 once it adds 5% VAT. Under-3s, and people of determination with 2 companions, go free.
Standard admission is from AED 115 for adults and from AED 80 for children aged 3 and over. The Next Level costs from AED 190.
In Sky Views' own ticket, yes: one ride, for riders 120 to 200 cm tall. Our Sky Views ticket does not include it.
Dubai Frame, until 21:00. At the Top and The View both close at 20:00.
Prices, hours and rules checked on each deck's own website on 23 September 2026, and The View's again on 3 October 2026. They change, so check before you go. Sources: At the Top (Levels 124–125) · At the Top SKY (Level 148) · At the Top FAQ · Sky Views Observatory · Sky Views FAQ and visitor information · The View: tickets · About The View · The View: standard admission · Dubai Frame: plan your visit · About Dubai Frame · Dubai Frame: discover · Dubai Frame FAQ · Dubai Frame: book tickets
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