The lake ride
A half-hour on Burj Lake in a traditional abra, matched to a fountain show. Food and drinks are left out.
The answer, up front
Is the Dubai Fountain boat ride worth paying for when the show is free from the promenade?
Only if you want to be on the water. The fountain can be watched from the lake promenade without a ticket, so the ride sells you a different seat for the same show: a wooden abra on the lake itself, close to the jets, for thirty minutes, away from the crowd at the railing. It is not a longer show, not a dinner cruise and not a view of the tower from above. If a spot at the promenade rail already sounds good enough, keep your money and go early.
What the ride adds
A view from low on the lake instead of from the bank, and a boat of up to eight people rather than a place in a crowd. The booking page promises front-row views and the abra itself is part of the draw.
Who should skip it
Anyone happy at the railing, anyone who wants the fountain more than once in an evening, and anyone who dislikes small boats. The ride is short and does not repeat the show.
Short, and a little wet
The ride is thirty minutes. A small boat close to jets can catch spray, so keep phones and cameras in mind.
The mall sets the schedule
The fountain keeps its own calendar, and neither the boat nor this guide controls it. The booking calendar and your confirmation carry slot times, so none are printed here.
If the fountain pauses
Maintenance or weather can stop a show. The boat operator's terms apply then, and nothing here promises otherwise.
- Length
- 30 minutes.
- Boat
- A wooden abra, up to eight aboard.
- Departs
- 15 minutes before a show.
- Not included
- Food and drinks.
Half an hour, in general terms
How the half hour might unfold
Every date has its own slot and meeting point, and both come in your booking email. The booking page describes a thirty-minute ride matched to a fountain show, so treat this as a loose sketch, not a script.
Pick the date and slot
The booking calendar lists open slots. Boats leave 15 minutes before each fountain show, so the slot you pick is tied to a show.
Find the boarding point
Your confirmation names where to meet. Allow time to walk the lakeside, since the promenade fills as a show approaches.
Board the abra
The boat is a traditional wooden abra and carries up to eight people. Seat choice depends on who boards first.
Out onto the lake
The boat moves onto Burj Lake while the lights and jets begin. The booking page does not say how close the boat comes to the jets, so do not count on a particular distance.
Back to the quay
When the half hour ends you step ashore into the lakeside crowd, with the mall and the restaurants close at hand.
The fountain in numbers and makers
Six facts the fountain is built from
These are the fountain's own numbers and makers as the English Wikipedia describes them. They say nothing about this ride's route, which the booking page does not map.
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The Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, made by the same firm The makers
WET Design
The fountain was designed by WET Design, a water-feature firm based in California. Wikipedia says it was founded in 1983 as WET Enterprises by three former Walt Disney Imagineers, and that it also made the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, completed in 1998.
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Souk Al Bahar's gateway on the bridge beside the lake The developer
Emaar and a naming contest
Emaar Properties developed the fountain. Its name came from a contest, with the result announced on 26 October 2008. Testing began in February 2009, and the fountain was inaugurated on 8 May 2009 alongside the Dubai Mall opening ceremony.
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Downtown Dubai and its lake seen from far above The layout
Five circles and two arcs
The fountain is 275 metres long and made of five circles of different sizes and two arcs. The pattern reads best from above, and Wikipedia's article carries a photograph of it taken from the Burj Khalifa's observation deck.
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The lake's shore at night from high above The lake
Burj Lake
The jets stand in a 12-hectare (30-acre) artificial lake at the centre of Downtown Dubai. The article calls it Burj Khalifa Lake and says the fountain is visible from every point on the lake promenade.
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Jets in a row along the lake at dusk The jets
Shooters
Wikipedia names several jet types. The Super Shooters reach up to 73 metres (240 feet) and the Extreme Shooters up to 152.4 metres (500 feet), with up to 22,000 gallons (83,000 litres) of water in the air at any moment.
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The lakeside arcades and the bridge at night Lights and songs
Colour and music
The article counts more than 6,600 lights and 25 colour projectors. The music is mostly pop, classical and Arabic, chosen by a WET Design choreographer, so the fountain performs to a mix of styles.
Sources: the English Wikipedia articles on the Dubai Fountain, WET, the Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai.
Promenade or boat
Watching from the promenade, or riding the abra?
- The promenade
- The boat ride
- Where
- On the bank of the lake
- On the water, in an abra
- Ticket
- None needed
- Booked ahead, with a slot
- Company
- The crowd at the railing
- Up to eight in the boat
- Vantage
- From the side, at the rail
- Low on the lake
- Time
- As long as you like
- About thirty minutes
- Food and drink
- Cafés and restaurants nearby
- Not included
The boat and the ticket
One abra, half an hour, and what your ticket covers
A short summary of the booking page. Your slot and boarding point arrive by email.
The boat
The boat
A traditional wooden abra water taxi on Burj Lake. Each boat carries up to eight people, so you may share it with strangers.
Timing
Boats leave 15 minutes before each fountain show, which ties every slot to a show. Check the calendar for the slots on your date.
What the ticket covers
- Length
- 30 minutes.
- Included
- A ride on Burj Lake in an abra, timed to the fountain show.
- Not included
- Food and drinks.
- Booking window
- The booking can be confirmed up to three months before your visit.
- Language
- Set your preferred language while booking.
- Show calendar
- The fountain runs to its own calendar, not the boat's. If a show is paused, the operator's terms decide what happens to your slot.
The water or the top
See the fountain from the water or from the top of the tower?
Lake ride
Tower deck
Length
30 minutes
1.5 hours on the booking page
Where
A wooden abra on Burj Lake
The upper levels of the Burj Khalifa
The view
Low, near the jets
High above, looking down
The show
The ride is timed to one
The booking page lists watching it among its highlights
Weather
Outdoors, so spray and wind matter
Haze and low cloud change the view
Entry
Boats leave 15 minutes before a show
Skip-the-line entry on the booking page
Best for
Being beside the jets
Seeing the whole layout and the city
Book the boat, or pair the lake with something else
A boat, a tower, a viewing deck and a garden
The lake ride comes first. Beside it sit the tower this page weighs it against, a viewing deck out on the Palm and a flower park, each a different way to fill a Dubai evening or the day around it.
Burj Khalifa observation levels
Skip-the-line entry to the tower's upper decks, about an hour and a half on the booking page, whose highlights list watching the fountain show.
The View at The Palm
An observatory on Palm Jumeirah with views over the Palm and the Gulf from an outdoor terrace, a daytime or sunset alternative to the downtown lake.
Dubai Miracle Garden
A skip-the-line entry to a flower park, wheelchair accessible by the booking page, for a day that is not about water or towers.
More evenings and day trips from Dubai
The abra, briefly
The lake, the Creek and the old-style boats
These pictures cover Downtown Dubai, its lake and the abras of Dubai Creek. No frame comes from the ride itself, its boats or its staff.
Getting there and what to settle first
Getting to the lake, eating, and what to sort out first
By metro
The Red Line station is named Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, and Wikipedia says an 820-metre elevated, air-conditioned footbridge, the Metro Link, joins it to the Dubai Mall. Your booking email names the exact boarding point.
On foot
The lakeside is a promenade around the water, so wear comfortable shoes. The confirmation says where to meet.
Start time
Slots track the fountain's show calendar, so start times differ from date to date. Read the calendar first and your booking email second.
Eat before or after
Food and drinks are not included. Souk Al Bahar sits beside the fountain, so a meal on either side is easy to arrange.
Choosing your seat
Up to eight people share a boat, so boarding order decides where you sit. Arrive in good time if the spot matters.
Spray and gear
A boat on open water near jets may catch spray. Keep phones and cameras in a bag you can close.
Access
No access details for the boat appear on the booking page. If you use a wheelchair or find steps difficult, write to the provider through your booking before you travel.
Children
No age rule is stated here. A thirty-minute ride on a small boat suits some children and not others, so check the booking page.
Worth reading before you pay
Six guides to the fountain, the boat and the lake
- Start here Dubai Fountain boat ride: worth it? Is the Dubai Fountain boat ride worth paying for when the show is free from the promenade? What the ticket adds and who should skip it. Read the full guide →
- Compare Fountain from the water or the tower? See the fountain from the water or from the top of the tower: which Dubai evening? Length, vantage, weather and who each one is for. Read the full guide →
- The fountain What the Dubai Fountain is made of The makers, the lake, the jets, the lights and the music of the Dubai Fountain, as the English Wikipedia and its sources describe them. Read the full guide →
- The boat The abra, Dubai's water taxi What an abra is, where it works on Dubai Creek, and why the Burj Lake ride borrows the same traditional wooden boat for a short fountain trip. Read the full guide →
- Getting there Free view and getting to the lake How to watch the Dubai Fountain from the promenade without a ticket, and how to reach the lake by metro, in general terms. Read the full guide →
- The district Downtown Dubai around the lake What stands around Burj Lake in Downtown Dubai: the tower, the Dubai Mall, the Arabian-style market and the low-rise Old Town. Read the full guide →
FAQ
Questions before you pay for a boat
Is the Dubai Fountain boat ride worth paying for when the show is free from the promenade?
Only if you want to see it from the water. The same fountain can be watched from the promenade without a ticket, so the boat buys a lower vantage, a seat for up to eight people and a thirty-minute ride rather than a different show. Skip it if the railing is good enough for you.
Can I watch the fountain without a ticket?
Yes. Wikipedia says the fountain is visible from every point on the lake promenade, and watching from the bank needs no booking.
How long is the ride?
The booking page gives 30 minutes. Boats leave 15 minutes before each fountain show, and slots appear in the calendar.
Will I get wet?
It is possible. A small boat on open water near the jets may catch spray, so keep phones and cameras in a bag that closes.
Is food or a drink included?
No meal or drink comes with the ticket.
What if the fountain is paused?
Maintenance or weather can stop a show. The boat operator's terms decide what happens to your slot, and your booking page shows them.
What if my plans change?
The booking page shows free cancellation. Read the terms on your own booking page, since those are the ones that apply.
Is this guide the fountain's or the boat operator's website?
No. This guide is independent of the mall, the fountain's owner and the boat operator. It has no link with any of them, sells no tickets and passes every booking on to GetYourGuide.
Should I choose the boat or the Burj Khalifa observation decks?
Take the boat to be beside the jets, or the tower to see the whole layout and the city from above. The comparison guide lays them out together.
Who is the ride for?
Anyone who wants the fountain from a boat and will not mind a short ride with seven others at most. If you would rather watch from the bank, save the ticket.