Dubai Shopping Malls – My Top Picks

Dubai takes mall culture to a whole new level and the city’s giant shopping malls are like cities inside the city. In the summer months, it is too hot to be outside, so you typically meet up in the malls instead. In addition to a huge selection of shops, most malls also provide a number of other attractions and entertainment options as well as a wide range of restaurants and cafés.

The malls below are easily accessible by metro and there are walkways from the metro stations to the malls:

Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is the world’s largest shopping mall, and the gigantic selection of stores will surely make your head spin. It can be overwhelming to some, but personally, I find it very convenient having everything under one roof.

Most of the stores are in the mid-range/expensive segment, but there are also high street stores such as H&M, Zara and Mango. The famous department stores Bloomingdale’s and Galeries Lafayette are both located inside Dubai Mall and there’s also a large branch of the Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya in the mall.

Though what makes Dubai Mall my favorite mall isn’t the shopping but all the other things to see and do in the area. Burj Khalifa is attached to the mall, so you can combine your shopping spree with a visit to the tallest building in the world. Afterwards, make sure to watch the dancing fountains in front of Burj Khalifa in the evening. If you need to cool off, there’s an indoor ice rink in the mall. There’s also a giant aquarium with lots of beautiful fishes.

A few shopping highlights:

Toms: I’m a big fan of the comfortable canvas shoes.

Adidas: There’s a nice little Adidas shop in Dubai Mall, which carries the brand’s special edition fashion items as well as some really cool sneakers.

Kinokunya: Japanese book store, one of the nicest in the world

Mall of the Emirates

Mall of the Emirates is probably most known for the indoor ski slope, but the shopping in Dubai’s second largest mall isn’t bad either. Many of the stores selling the same type of goods are grouped together, and even though the mall is really big, it’s fairly easy to navigate. When I’m in Mall of the Emirates, I usually round off the shopping with a xiao long bao (soup dumplings) lunch at Din Tai Fung. Those dumplings are amazing, and if you haven’t tried them yet, then there’s another reason why you should visit Mall of the Emirates.

A few shopping highlights:

Lakeland: This store has all the fun kitchenware you didn’t knew existed.  

Jumbo: Big electronics store with all the gadgets you could possible dream of. I still haven’t managed to enter and leave without buying something.

Boutique 1: Really nice boutique with carefully sourced clothes and accessories from cool designers around the world.

Carrefour: It’s one of the biggest Carrefours I’ve ver seen and they have everything. I usually head to their hair shampoo section to stock up on Mane ‘n Tail shampoo.  

Ibn Battuta Mall

Ibn Battuta Mall is a favorite among many of us living in Dubai. The atmosphere is less stressful than in the other malls down here, and if you go in the morning during the week, you’ll almost have the mall to yourself. The stores are predominantly within the affordable segment, which will not break your wallet, and you can do your shopping at your own pace without having shop assistant or other shoppers stepping on your toes. The food court, on the other hand, is always busy with nearby office workers flocking there for coffee breaks and lunch. There’s only one floor in Ibn Battuta Mall and the shopping center is spread across quite a big area, so the walking distance from one end to the other is long.

Daiso: Japanese discount store.

Géant: Inexpensive French hypermarket with one of the best organic sections in Dubai.

Hello Kitty: Shop authentic Hello Kitty gear in the pink Sanrio store.