The View at the Palm - Observation Deck
Page update - Sep 24, 2022
The View at The Palm is one of the newest attractions in Dubai, opened to the public on April 7, 2021. The View has also become one of the most questionable attractions, primarily because of high ticket prices. But first things first.
The information on this page was updated in September 2022.
Good news
AURA SkyPool, a high-rise swimming pool with a 360-degree view, opened November 15, 2021. They even made a separate website with reservations for it. All the details below on this page.
Brief description of the attraction
The View at The Palm is not just an observation deck but an entertainment complex on the 790 feet (240 meter), 50-54 floors high of Nakheel Tower in the middle of The Palm Jumeirah artificial archipelago.
There are two observation decks with a 360 degree view, the first deck is open-air, the second is covered. There is also a small exhibit, The View Exhibition, dedicated to the construction of The Palm Jumeirah.
Below (51st floor) is SUSHISAMBA restaurant serving Japanese, Peruvian, Brazilian cuisines. And lower (50th floor) are the VIP lounge, bar, outdoor pool AURA SkyPool.
As of this page was updated (September 2022), the observation decks, the AURA SkyPool, the SUSHISAMBA restaurant are operational. Accordingly, there are several types of tickets with different visiting programs.
At first glance, everything is interesting and wonderful. However, there are a number of big minuses. First, it is long and expensive to get to. Secondly, the tickets are quite expensive. Let's talk about these points, and then we will talk in detail about each element of the entertainment program.
How to get there
You need to get to Nakheel Mall, which is located in the center of The Palm Jumeirah artificial islands. The observation deck is located at the top of the Nakheel Tower, which is connected directly with the mall. The entrance to Nakheel Tower is on the top floor (level 2) of Nakheel Mall. Follow the signs for "The View" inside the mall, and you won't get lost.
Option 1 - take a cab directly from hotel
Convenient, but expensive. We can't predict the cost of the trip now, as Dubai is a big city, and on top of that stretches a lot along the coast. The cost can be from 20 to 120 dirhams. You have to calculate based on the distance. See our review "Taxis in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah" for the current cab fares.
Option 2 - subway + cab
Take the subway to Dubai Internet City, the closest station to The Palm Jumeirah. From there, the cab ride to Nakheel Mall will cost you AED 20-25. For the subway map and fares please refer to our "Dubai Metro" page. See our review "Local money in the UAE" for the actual exchange rates.
Option 3 - subway + monorail
Quite a complicated option, because now the monorail and the subway in Dubai are not connected. You can either walk from the subway to the monorail station, or go by subway + tram + monorail. Read more in our review "Monorail in Dubai".
The price for a monorail ticket from the Palm Gateway station to Nakheel Mall station is AED 10. That is, this option is also quite expensive. For few people it is cheaper to take a cab from the subway station.
Option 4 - free Nakheel Mall buses
At the moment (September 2022) the free buses from the hotels to Nakheel Mall are running again. Attention! These free buses only go from hotels, but do NOT go from metro stations.
You can try to find your hotel on the list. If there is one, use it. The timetable has changed a lot and it is likely that the timetable will still be redesigned. Download the actual (September 2022) timetable.
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Working hours
Monday through Thursday: 9am to 10pm (9-00 to 22-00).
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 9am to midnight (9-00 to 00-00).
Opening hours have changed since January 2022, when the UAE changed the format of the working week. Read more in our review "Friday and weekend in the UAE".
Ticket price
Ticket prices vary depending on the time of visit. Prices below include VAT of 5%.
Outside Prime hours (from 9am to 4pm or from 7:30pm to close):
For an adult - 100 dirhams.
For a child (4 to 12 years) - 69 dirhams.
Children under 4 years - free of charge.
During Prime hours (from 4:30pm to 7pm):
For an adult - 158 dirhams.
For a child (4 to 12 years) - 111 dirhams.
Children under 4 years - free of charge.
See our page "Local money in the UAE" for the current dirham (AED) exchange rates.
Fast Track (pass without queuing) costs: AED 275 and 195 during Prime hours, AED 175 and 120 the rest of the time. VIP tickets are AED 325 and 145 at all times.
In addition to these regular ticket types, there are also seasonal offers. For example, a ticket with included coffee or access to the VIP-lounge and bar. These offers change from time to time, so we will not describe them.
A price comparison with other Dubai observation decks
Visiting The View is clearly overpriced. A visit to The View costs even more than AED 100 due to the high cost of transportation - 25 for a cab there + 25 for a cab back. Hopefully Nakheel will moderate their appetite.
The At The Top Burj Khalifa ticket now costs 159 dirhams (1,480 feet, 452 meters high). A little more expensive, but you can see almost all of Dubai from above. In case of The View, you can see only the Palm Jumeirah island.
For comparison, the tickets for the Dubai Frame costs 50 dirhams. The height of Dubai Frame is lower than The View - 492 feet, 150 meters vs 790 feet, 240 meters.
Does it make sense to pay 100 dirhams? It's an open question. But it's better not to pay 100 and pay less with a promotion or discount. Read our in-depth review "How to buy tickets cheap in Dubai".
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Buying tickets online in advance
You can buy tickets online at theviewpalm.ae
But remember the main rule! A ticket for your child should ALWAYS be purchased together with an adult ticket. If you don't buy them in one transaction, you will not be able to buy a separate ticket for the child later.
What to watch
High-speed elevator
Elevators take visitors up to 790 feet (240 meters) in 45 seconds. The speed is 17.4 (5.3 meters) per second. It's certainly not a world record of 69 feet (21 meters) per second, but very good.
If it were a panoramic elevator, it would be above all praise. But it is not panoramic, just with built in walls screens, which broadcast views of the surrounding buildings. You could say that the elevator is "virtual-panoramic".
Observation decks
The View has two observation decks, one indoor and one outdoor. There are also plans to open another additional structure to the public, which will be called Falcon View. It may already be open at the time of your visit.
There are stationary binoculars on the decks, and you can look at the most interesting objects with zoom.
The Lounge is a 120 square meter (1,300 square feet) lounge in the center of the site. There they serve drinks and snacks for VIP-ticket holders.
What can you see from The View?
The Palm Jumeirah bulk island is visible in full. You can see the famous Atlantis The Palm Hotel on the island. And with binoculars, you can see the Aquaventure Waterpark.
To the right of Atlantis Hotel, you can see the Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences under construction, which at the time of this page updated (September 2022) is already larger in size than Atlantis Hotel. This complex is scheduled for completion in 2022.
But on the whole, The Palm Jumeirah Island looks dull.
On the coast, the famous Burj Al-Arab (hotel-sail) and Jumeirah Beach (hotel-wave) hotels are clearly visible. You can also see the Dubai Marina and JBR beach.
The Downtown area is not clearly visible. The Burj Khalifa is visible only because of its enormous height as the distance is 10 miles (16 kilometers). You can see the famous Ain Dubai Ferris wheel (aka Dubai Eye). It recently opened in October 2021.
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The View Exhibition
This small exhibition is dedicated to the artificial islands of Dubai, and in particular The Palm Jumeirah Archipelago. Photos and screens show the stages of construction.
If you are the technically-minded tourist, there are some very interesting stands and exhibits. A special stand shows the technology of building massive buildings on piles on the islands. Also you can see one of the boulders used to create watersheds that protected the islands from "sprawling". Curiously, this boulder is suspended above the ceiling on a special structure.
But overall, the exhibition looks like a big advertisement for The Palm Islands. In fact, it is an advertisement, but for some reason they charge money to see it.
SUSHISAMBA Restaurant
This is a multi-restaurant of Japanese, Brazilian, Peruvian cuisines. It is located right under the observation deck. It took a long time to open, but in November 2021 it did.
Prices at SUSHISAMBA are high. For dinner, prepare 400-500 dirhams per person.
AURA SkyPool Lounge
This is the VIP lounge and pool. It is the first and only high-rise pool with a 360 degree panoramic view in the world. It also took a long time to open, but in November 2021 it did.
You need the separate tickets to the pool. A visit in the morning (10-00 to 14-00) costs 225 dirhams, in the evening (15-00 to sunset) costs 250 dirhams, a full day costs 475 dirhams. Tickets must be purchased on a separate website auraskypool.com
Palm Jumeirah zip-line
This will be the longest zip-line in Dubai and maybe in the world. Straight from The View to ........ We don't know where the zip line will lead to yet, as it is only being planned.
The View is free to enter
Free entrance for guests of The St. Regis Dubai The Palm, which is located on floors 1-18 of the Nakheel Tower.
The hotel is great, but very expensive. The price is $400 per night (without breakfast) for the simplest room of 460 square feet (43 square meters).
Perhaps the administration will moderate their appetites, and at the time you read this page the prices will be lower.
The St. Regis Hotel is now partially operational. The hotel is convenient because there is direct access to Nakheel Mall. But it is very inconvenient because you have to walk a kilometer to West Beach.
It is also important and useful to know
- There is a souvenir store at the exit, but we do not advise buying anything there, as the prices are clearly high. To keep up with the prices of popular gifts and souvenirs, read our detailed review "What to bring from the UAE";
- The View is an hour-long attraction. There is no point in coming there just for it. See the Palm Fountains as well;
- Don't forget about safety rules, read our review "What not to do in the UAE".
Enjoy your visit to The View, and read our interesting pages about Dubai and the UAE (see list of the pages below).
