Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
Thinking of traveling to Dubai for Expo? Here's what else you can do while you're there. Go on a round trip on Ain Dubai -- The world's tallest Ferris wheel will open on October 21, when guests will finally be able to take a ride on the 250-meter (820 feet) high attraction. Ain Dubai is offering a range of tickets, including shared or private cabins, along with "social cabins" where drinks are served on the roughly 40-minute journey. Prices start at 130 AED ($36).
Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images
Marvel at the Museum of the Future -- Residents have watched the fiendishly intricate Museum of the Future take shape on the side of Sheikh Zayed Road for quite some time. Its squashed donut shape is constructed of nearly 2,400 fiberglass and stainless steel panels, adorned with Arabic calligraphy. But the museum isn't quite complete, with the opening slipping from 2020. Fingers crossed that by the end of Expo tourists will be able to get more than just an outside view.
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
Plunge into the world's deepest pool -- Deep Dive Dubai proves that the city of skyscrapers can build down as well as up. Home to the world's deepest dive pool, a staggering 60 meters (196 feet) in depth and holding 14 million liters of water, it is at least four times as big as any other in the world. Beneath the surface are artificial wrecks and ruins waiting to be explored. The facility offers snorkeling, SCUBA and freedive lessons and sessions. Prices start at 400 AED ($110).
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
Step inside a Van Gogh -- Inside Dubai Mall is a real showstopper of an exhibition. Digital art center Infinity des Lumières hosts a show projecting paintings by Van Gogh on a vast and immersive scale. See works including "Sunflowers" and "The Potato Eaters" as you've never seen them before and gain a fresh perspective on the Dutch Impressionist's work. Adult tickets 125 AED ($35).
Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
Go old school in Al Fahidi -- Dubai's historical district Al Fahidi is the place to go if you want a glimpse of what the city was like before all the steel and glass -- in fact, before it was a city. There are dozens of traditional buildings, including wind towers, a form of ancient air conditioning which is being revived by at least one pavilion at Expo 2020. Take a tour at the winding streets and drop into Calligraphy House and the Coin Museum on the way.
Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
Have afternoon tea on the QEII -- The Queen Elizabeth II, one of the great ocean liners, has been open for business in Dubai since 2018, when it received a new lease of life as a static hotel, restaurant and events space. Visitors can soak up the ship's distinctly period charms and hit the deck for a spot of afternoon tea from 15:00-17:30. Prices start at 145 AED ($40) (no shorts or flip-flops, thank you very much).
Courtesy Address Hotel + Resorts
Look down from the world's highest infinity pool -- Address Beach Resort is the place to be if you want to cool off with one of Dubai's best views. Nearly 1,000 feet (294 meters) up, the infinity pool is nearly twice the length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, but a mere 4 feet (1.2 meters) deep. There is a catch, however: the pool is only open to hotel guests 21 years old and over.
Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
Get out of town with a trip to Hatta -- Dubai's rocky exclave to the east is a hotspot for outdoor sports. The Hajar Mountains are perfect for bikes (both road and mountain), while the lake formed by the Hatta Dam is popular with kayakers and canoeists. Many visitors go for a day trip, but if you want to stay, a range of options, from camping to glamping to lodges and the Ja Hatta Fort Hotel mountain resort have you covered.
Francois Nel/Getty Images Europe
Trot off to the races -- Situated 10 minutes from the Dubai World Trade Centre, Meydan Racecourse is the home of horseracing in the city. Racing kicks off in November and takes place on either Thursdays or Saturdays (some weeks both), culminating in the Dubai World Cup, the emirate's blue ribbon event, on March 26.
Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
See a view as pretty as a picture from Dubai Frame -- With a golden design and proportions reflecting the golden ratio, Dubai Frame is also a golden opportunity to see a lot of the city in one go. It contains exhibitions including 3D projections of old Dubai, before taking visitors to the top for 360-degree views, before descending to another exhibition imagining Dubai in 50 years' time. Open 09:00-21:00 every day (sunset is a popular time). Prices from 50 AED ($14).
2021 Atlantis, The Palm Dubai
Sleep (or eat) with the fishes at Atlantis, The Palm -- Out on the artificial archipelago the Palm Jumeirah is iconic hotel and resort Atlantis, The Palm. The hotel's Underwater Suite has floor to ceiling windows into its giant aquarium. Evening diners can visit Ossiano, the hotel's restaurant with underwater views (would it be insensitive to order the fish?). If you'd just like a tour, it's open between 10:00-21:00 (book tickets online).
Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
Escape the city without leaving it at Ras al-Khor -- The only desert wetland in Dubai, Ras al-Khor covers around 620 hectares on the banks of Dubai Creek. A peaceful idyll a stone's throw from the hubbub, the wetland is home to 450 animal species including 180 types of bird, such as the greater spotted eagle, kingfishers and, in winter, thousands of flamingos. Open 07:30-17:30 between October and March.
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
Dress up for a night at the opera -- Despite the name, Dubai Opera is a broad church, and within its sweeping curves you can watch all manner of live performances. There's opera, but also live stand up, ballet, musicals and stage plays, all between now and the end of the Expo (some performances require proof of vaccination for ticket holders). If you want to learn more about the building, book a tour for 75 AED ($20).
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
Look down on the clouds from the Burj Khalifa -- The Burj Khalifa has been the world's tallest building for over a decade, and it's still well worth a visit to the observation deck for a unique perspective on the city. The package "At the Top, Burj Khalifa Sky" includes entry to the outdoor terrace and lounge on the 148th level -- 555 meters (1,821 feet) high -- offering dizzying views, while the 125th level has a 360-degree observation deck. Prices from 379 AED ($104).
CNN  — 

Delayed a year by the pandemic, Expo 2020 is finally upon us.

Opening on October 1 and running for six months, Dubai’s World Expo is the first to be held in the Middle East. Since 1851, world expositions have been an opportunity for countries from all over the globe to showcase their latest innovations, and Dubai’s will be no different. The event may not receive the number of visitors that organizers might have anticipated before the pandemic struck, but there’ll be a tourism influx nonetheless.

Dubai has been preparing for the best part of a decade and has built accordingly, with new hotels, infrastructure and attractions augmenting all the goings on at the Expo site in the south of the city.

Before exploring, international travelers will need to clear health checks. At the time of writing, all passengers arriving in Dubai on tourist visas must still take a mandatory rapid PCR test on arrival and register their vaccination status on the government’s health app (COVID-19 DXB app). There are specific protocols for travelers arriving from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia, as well as separate rules for travelers arriving from the UK.

Ahead of opening day, CNN Travel highlights the most enticing sights and intriguing attractions the emirate has to offer visitors arriving for Expo. Look through the gallery above to learn more.