Dubai Aquarium and underwater zoo

Dubai Mall’s most mesmerizing sight is this gargantuan aquarium where 33,000 beasties flit and dart amid artificial corals can be seen behind the ‘world’s largest acrylic viewing panel’ (as recorded in the Guinness World Records). Sharks and sting rays are top attractions, but other crowd-pleasers include a sumo-sized giant grouper and massive schools of pelagic fish. A highlight here is a darkened cave where you can go nose-to-nose with dozens of toothy sharks.

Upstairs, the very worthwhile Underwater Zoo journeys through three eco-zones: rainforest, rocky shore and Living Ocean, and a total of 38 aquatic displays. There are lots of rare and interesting denizens here, including air-breathing African lungfish, cheeky archerfish that catch insects by shooting water, spooky giant spider crabs and otherworldly sea dragons.