---
node: spot_dubai_burj_khalifa
type: spot
slug: burj_khalifa
destination: dest_dubai
title: "Burj Khalifa"
lead: "The Burj Khalifa is 828 metres tall and has been the tallest building in the world since 2009. Its observation decks are on floors 124, 125 and 148, and the last of those is 555 metres up."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_dubai_burj_khalifa.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burj_Dubai_001.jpg"
image_author: "Nepenthes"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 2.5"
---

## Overview

The tower was designed by Adrian Smith at SOM on a buttressed core plan — three wings around a central shaft, each stepping back as it rises, which breaks up the wind rather than resisting it. It was renamed on opening day from Burj Dubai after Abu Dhabi's ruler bailed the emirate out during the 2009 debt crisis. The building has no municipal sewer connection: waste is trucked away, which is a detail worth knowing about a tower of this kind.

## Highlights

Book online and take a slot 45 minutes before sunset, which is the one that costs more and is worth it. Level 148 buys you height, a smaller crowd and a terrace; 124 buys you the same view with more people. The fountain show at the base runs every half hour from six and is free from the lake promenade.