If you’re planning a Dubai trip, here’s a practical guide to The View at The Palm, the Palm Jumeirah observation deck, plus the best time-saving tips.
One area in Dubai that would honestly feel like a miss if you skipped it is
Palm Jumeirah, the iconic man-made island shaped like a palm tree.
Once you actually go, Palm Jumeirah has this slightly surreal atmosphere
that makes it incredibly appealing, and right in the middle of it
there’s one high-rise building that draws a lot of visitors.
It’s the one marked with the red pin in the photo above,
standing tall on the trunk section
of The Palm Tower.
Dubai has several observation decks,
and The Palm Tower has one on the 52nd floor.
That observation deck is called The View at The Palm.
This is what the building looks like, and once you’re in Palm Jumeirah,
it’s one of those towers you can spot from almost anywhere.
The Palm Tower floor guide in Dubai
Looking at how The Palm Tower is laid out,
the lower floors are home to The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm,
and there are residences above that too—which I’m sure cost a fortune.
The upper floors include AURA SKYPOOL on the 50th floor,
SUSHISAMBA restaurant on the 51st floor,
and The View at The Palm observation deck on the 52nd floor.
On the 54th floor, there’s The Next Level.
AURA SKYPOOL has been incredibly popular with travelers lately,
but we still haven’t made it there yet.
Next time we’re back in Dubai, I’m thinking maybe SUSHISAMBA
or AURA SKYPOOL should finally happen.
Anyway, we booked through MyRealTripand visited with those tickets.
The View at The Palm opening hours
Based on the current August and September schedule,
weekdays run from 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM,
and weekends run from 5:00 AM to 8:30 PM.
I really wish they kept the same schedule year-round,
but it seems to change depending on the season and even the day of the week,
so before you go,
definitely check for closures and confirm the hours for your exact date.
The View at The Palm ticket prices
Starting with the official website pricing,
standard adult admission is 100 AED,which at the current exchange rate
is about $27, and during prime hours
from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, the price jumps to 158 AED,which
comes out to about $43.
On weekend early mornings, you can even get in for 70 AED
which is roughly $19.
Besides the official site, discounted Dubai The View at The Palm tickets
are also sold through MyRealTrip, Klook, and WAUG, among others.
But once you open each product page,
there are so many options that it gets weirdly hard to choose.
Of the three, the one with the clearest and most detailed explanation
was MyRealTrip, so that’s where we booked.
Comparing the same date now,
MyRealTrip also seems to have the most competitive price.
For reference, here’s the general ticket price range.
Prime hours (4:30 PM to 6:30 PM) about $32
Non-prime hours (all other times) about $20
Fast Track + The Next Level observation deck about $41
The View at The Palm Fast Track
We booked in a rush while driving there,
so at first I didn’t even realize there was a Fast Track ticket.
But this place turned out to be way more
famous and popular than we expected.
When we first entered, it didn’t look that crowded,
but once we got upstairs, wow—it was packed.
So on the way up, we just waited in the regular line because we didn’t know,
but on the way down it got so exhausting that we bought Fast Track.
Bottom line: unless you truly have endless time, The View at The Palm Fast Track is absolutely worth it.
I’ll explain the details below
along with the photos.
Entering The View at The Palm
Up until the entrance, we were in great spirits and excited.
We didn’t need to exchange anything on-site,
and could enter directly with the voucher.
First, you pass through a media aquarium-style area,
and then came the first obstacle.
There was a line, but it wasn’t clear what the line was even for.
Along the wall, there were photos showing how Palm Jumeirah,
the man-made island, was built, so we spent that time looking around.
Introduction to the construction of Palm Jumeirah
Then the doors opened and everyone moved into a blue room.
In there, you get a more immersive video experience
plus a guide’s explanation about
how Palm Jumeirah was constructed.
At each stage, it seemed like someone had to step
onto a round floor button
for the next scene to begin,
and my husband got his own circle and stepped on it—it was kind of hilarious.
Anyway, after watching a long
“aren’t we amazing?” style UAE hype video,
you finally move toward the viewing deck,
and at last, you reach the elevatorgoing up to the observation deck.
But the line for this elevator
took forever—probably 30 to 40 minutes.
We were just standing in a stuffy enclosed space, and it was hot.
But if you buy a Fast Track ticket,
this is exactly where you skip the wait and use a separate line
to board the elevator almost immediately.
Anyway, after a long wait, we finally got ready to board.
I’m not actually sure what floor you start from,
but from there, the elevator goes straight to the 52nd floor in one shot.
It takes only 45 seconds to reach the observation deck on the 52nd floor.
Exploring The View at The Palm observation deck
After a few twists and turns, we finally made it to this Dubai observation deck.
It’s not one of the tallest observation decks in Dubai,
but for Palm Jumeirah, it feels more than high enough.
And honestly, this is such a unique view
that you really can’t see anywhere else in the world,
so I’d absolutely recommend it on a Dubai trip.
There are also free binoculars you can use.
I heard the island was designed with those long narrow fronds
to maximize the amount of waterfront space,
and now wealthy people from around the world
have built luxury villas there and use them as vacation homes.
It would probably look even more dramatic as one wide-open panorama,
but for safety reasons,
there are a lot of closely spaced pillars, so photos come out like this.
If you want a more thrilling shot,
head to the window and stand on the transparent glass steps.
The observation deck wraps around in a full 360 degrees,
so it’s worth walking the entire loop and taking in Palm Jumeirah
all the way out to JBR Beach in the distance.
I think visiting in the late afternoon
would be even better because you’d catch sunset and the city lights,
but even though we went in broad daylight because of our schedule,
the view was still more than impressive.
In the end, all you really bring home are photos and videos, so we shot a ton.
We’re already planning to go back to Palm Jumeirah soon,
and I’m excited about it already. I just love the atmosphere there.
In the distance, you can also spot Burj Al Arab and the Ain Dubai observation wheel.
Once we felt like we’d seen enough and tried to head down,
the elevator going down
was, of course, operating the same way as the one going up.
And the line for the downward elevator was honestly devastating.
I think we would have waited well over an hour.
So I asked the staff member managing the elevator line
if we could still buy a Fast Track ticket right then,
and whether she could help us get down faster.
She was incredibly kind and said she’d help us.
Normally, Fast Track is for round-trip use only,
and there isn’t a one-way option,
but she let us pay just a one-way fee on the spot and sent us right down.
Apparently that option doesn’t officially exist,
so maybe she was a manager or had the authority to make an exception,
but I thanked her about fifty times, and within five minutes
we were back on the ground.
After doing it myself, I really think that unless you’re visiting in deep off-season
or very early in the morning, a Fast Track ticket
is basically essential. If we go again, we’re definitely buying it.
On the way out, we took a quick look at the souvenirs,
and since we were tired, we stopped by Joe & The Juice
for a cold, refreshing juice before heading back to the hotel.
To wrap it up, here’s one more look at The View at The Palm
on video.
Ticket and Fast Track booking link
Other things to do in Palm Jumeirah
