Burj Khalifa Visitor Guide: Tickets, Timing and Getting There

What the Burj Khalifa is

The tower has 163 floors above ground (154 usable plus 9 maintenance levels in the spire) and 2 basement levels. Construction began on 6 January 2004, it topped out on 17 January 2009 and opened on 4 January 2010, at a cost of US$1.5 billion. It was called Burj Dubai until the opening and renamed for Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then president of the UAE. It was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with Adrian Smith as chief architect, and is owned and developed by Emaar Properties. The Y-shaped plan takes its cue from the Hymenocallis desert flower. Inside are the Armani Hotel Dubai on the lower floors, residences and offices, the At.mosphere restaurant on level 122 and the public observation decks above. Its 57 elevators include double-deck cars that travel at up to 10 m/s. More in Burj Khalifa facts.

Which ticket for which visitor

There are three heights you can book, and the right one depends on budget and on how much you care about crowds. Compare all ten on the Burj Khalifa tickets page.

• First visit, on a budget — Levels 124 and 125 (At the Top, deck at 452 m), from $51 in a non-prime slot, rated 4.3 on 92,917 reviews of this ticket on GetYourGuide
• Fewer people, no queue — SKY level 148 at 555 m with 124 and 125, skip-the-line access and a lounge with snacks, from $109, rated 4.6 on 24,553 reviews
• A special occasion — The Lounge on level 152, the highest access sold, with canapés and a drink, from $209
• Families — The Dubai Aquarium combo, both on the same day in The Dubai Mall, from $87; ages 0 to 3 go free
• No car, one evening — A night city tour with hotel pickup and the deck ticket, 4 hours, from $132

How long to spend

The listings give the time at the top: about 1.5 hours for levels 124 and 125 and for SKY level 148, and 2 hours for the Lounge. Add the walk from the metro or a taxi drop-off through The Dubai Mall to the entrance, the security check and the queue for the lifts, which reviews say can be long on the way down. If you add a meal at the Burj Club, the listing allows 5 hours for the ticket and the 3-course lunch or dinner. With the fountain show and a walk around Burj Lake, half a day is a comfortable plan. For what to do once you are up, see what to do at the top.

When to go

Choose the month for the heat and the hour for the light. From November to March the average daily high stays between about 24 °C and 30 °C, while June to September averages 40 °C to 42 °C, which matters for the walk and the waiting rather than for the air-conditioned decks. The hour matters more for the view: the slots around sunset are sold as prime time and cost more, early slots are cheaper and clearer of crowds, and after dark the city and the Dubai Fountain are lit. Sunset on the 15th of the month runs from 17:31 in December to 19:11 in July. The table below gives each month. More: the best time to visit and opening hours and slots.

Getting there and the entrance

Take the Dubai Metro Red Line to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station. A covered link bridge runs from the station into The Dubai Mall, and the At the Top entrance and ticket counters are inside the mall on the lower ground floor, so you walk through the mall rather than to the foot of the tower. Allow time for that walk, which reviews describe as long, and arrive before your slot. Taxis and ride-hailing drop off at the mall's entrances, and the mall has parking, all paid in dirhams. The full route by metro, taxi and bus is on how to get to Burj Khalifa.

Before and after: the fountain, the lake and the mall

The Dubai Fountain sits in Burj Lake at the foot of the tower: 275 m long, with jets up to 152 m, built by WET Enterprises. The booking listings give the shows as 1:00 pm and 1:30 pm daily except Friday (1:30 pm and 2:00 pm on Friday) and every 30 minutes from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm; times can change in Ramadan and on event days. Watching from the promenade is free. A lake ride on a traditional abra puts you on the water for a show from $20, and the boardwalk on the lake is sold from AED 25 ($7). The Dubai Aquarium is inside The Dubai Mall. The neighbourhood around it all is Downtown Dubai.

Book your visit

Pick the level first, then the slot: the calendar on each ticket's page shows the slots for your date and the price of each, with sunset slots priced higher. All ten tickets and tours on this site can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. Not sure between the standard deck and level 148? Read 124 vs 148. This site is an independent guide, not the official ticket office, and may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to you.