Al Barsha & Barsha Heights
From designer stores and fabulous dining to indoor ski slopes and family adventures, Al Barsha is bursting with fun for all ages.
One of Dubai’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods, Al Barsha is located south-west of the city centre, part of the area commonly known as new Dubai. Along with plenty of great shops, restaurants and hotels, Al Barsha is also an increasingly popular residential area, offering apartments, townhouses and villas to Dubai's residents.
Next to the main part of Al Barsha is Barsha Heights, formerly known as Tecom. This vibrant community features a mix of residential and commercial buildings, serviced apartments and hotels and is very popular due to its central location and facilities.
Top things to do in Al Barsha and Barsha Heights
Roller coasters, skiing, botanical gardens and more await you in Al Barsha
Sitting alongside Sheikh Zayed Road, Mall of the Emirates is Al Barsha’s star attraction. One of Dubai’s most famous shopping centres, Mall of the Emirates is not only home to world-class retail outlets, but also cinemas, a theatre, family entertainment centre, leisure activities and a huge variety of restaurants and cafes.
The mall is best known as being home to Ski Dubai, the Middle East's first indoor ski slope and snow park. From skiing to snowboarding, there are courses available for beginners and experts alike - plus the opportunity to toboggan, ride the zip line, take a chairlift over the slopes and even try a bobsled. One of Ski Dubai’s most popular attractions is its penguin experience, allowing you to interact with magnificent king and gentoo penguins in their snowy surroundings.
There are more thrills just outside Al Barsha at Dubai Hills Mall, where you can experience its record-breaking indoor rollercoaster The Storm – created to replicate the thrill of storm chasing - or for more active fun, head to the mall’s Adventure Park where exciting state-of-the-art playgrounds and games await. And don’t miss a stroll through Dubai Hills Park, complete with a splash park, skate park, playgrounds and so much more!
During the cooler months, Dubai Miracle Garden is another of Al Barsha’s headline attractions. This botanical extravaganza opens during the winter season and covers 72,000sqm, featuring elaborate floral constructions – including a Guinness World Record-holding Emirates A380 aircraft made up of flowers. On the same site are Dubai Butterfly Garden’s 10 climate-controlled domes, where you can interact with - and learn about - more than 15,000 beautiful butterflies.
For arts and culture, head to The Theatre at Mall of the Emirates, which regularly hosts plays, concerts, comedy shows and more. And you can find more live music at the hip Lock, Stock & Barrel in Barsha Heights, where bands take to the stage regularly and the atmosphere is always buzzing.
Attractions in Al Barsha and Barsha Heights
Find more great things to see and do in the neighbourhood
Go shopping in Al Barsha at some of Dubai’s best malls
Explore Mall of the Emirates as well as other great shopping centres
Along with exciting attractions, Mall of the Emirates also offers world-class shopping with more than 600 retail outlets, stalls and pop-ups in the mall and big names including Harvey Nichols, Chanel, Missoni and Polo Ralph Lauren – as well as one of only two Apple stores in Dubai. Everyday items are on-hand at Carrefour hypermarket on the ground floor and you can also find services ranging from health checks to hair styling and beauty within the mall.
The neighbourhood's other shopping centres are Al Barsha Mall, next to Al Barsha Pond Park, and the nearby Galleria Mall Al Barsha, a contemporary retail complex. These are smaller malls which both offer a good range of outlets. Just outside Al Barsha you can find more great places to shop at Dubai Hills Mall, Circle Mall JVC and The Springs Souk.
For delicious grocery shopping in Al Barsha, head to Organic Foods & Café, with stores near Al Barsha Pond Park and in The Greens. This family-run store offers a huge range of organic products, along with a great coffee shop. And 1004 Gourmet has a fantastic range of Asian food and lifestyle items from fresh fruit and veg to confectionary plus the K-Beauty market which sells plenty of cosmetics and beauty products.
Enjoy the community atmosphere at Al Barsha Pond Park
Make the most of Al Barsha’s peaceful green space
Like an oasis in the middle of the bustling neighbourhood, Al Barsha Pond Park offers a delightful chance to remove yourself from the city’s noise. Small in comparison to some of Dubai’s other parks but perfect nonethless, Al Barsha Pond Park boasts verdant lawns with trees for shade, as well as the eponymous pond, on which you can ride swan-themed pedal boats.
The park is popular with locals and fitness fans for its facilities, including a 1.5km running and cycling track, tennis courts and fitness machines available for anyone to use (along with washrooms and plenty of shops nearby). You can also hire a bike and there’s a dedicated kids play area for little ones.
Being in the middle of a residential area and easily accessible from the entire new Dubai area, Al Barsha Pond Park also plays host to all sorts of events throughout the year. The Ripe Market has regularly used the park for its Night Market depending on the season, and you’ll often find events in the park during Dubai Fitness Challenge as well.
Al Barsha Pond Park is free to enter. It is open from 8am every day and closes at 11pm on weekdays, 11:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays and midnight on public holidays.
Expand your culinary horizons at Al Barsha’s restaurants
Find great indie restaurants and a huge range of cuisines in Al Barsha and Barsha Heights
Asian restaurants are especially well-represented in Al Barsha, with some of the city’s best residing in the area. WAWA Dining is a renowned Japanese eatery and takes authenticity – both for food and décor – seriously. Nearby is The Royal Budha, which offers delicious and good-value Thai food, while in Novotel Suites near Mall of the Emirates is Bada Modern Korean Restaurant, with a relaxed atmosphere and great food (and make sure to try Seoul Street close by in The Greens too).
For Asian culture via a UK chain, head to Lucky Voice in Grand Millennium Hotel, Barsha Heights – here you can sing your heart out karaoke style in a public area or private booths depending on your bravery. In the same hotel you can also find Hitchki, which provides a full-on Indian dining experience, complete with upbeat Bollywood tunes and a fun atmosphere.
Gharana in Holiday Inn Al Barsha offers excellent South Asian cuisine in a more formal atmosphere. Or if you’re looking for an Indian dining experience on a tighter budget, try Barbeque Nation Dubai, where you can grill food at your table – and don’t miss its regular food festivals.
Get a taste of Spain at Lola Taberna Español at TRYP by Wyndham, which is famed for its paella and Andalusian flavours along with its buzzing atmosphere. There’s delicious Lebanese food in a colourful setting at Allo Beirut – and you can find Lebanese desserts made with organic ingredients at Bachir ice cream.
Mall of the Emirates is – unsurprisingly – a dining hotspot in Al Barsha. Enjoy more Lebanese food with a view of Ski Dubai at Karam Beirut, get great Greek dishes nearby at Eat Greek Kouzina and complete your East Mediterranean tour with Besh’s famed Turkish cuisine.
Mall of the Emirates has a restaurant to suit every taste - from much-loved Taiwanese dining destination Din Tai Fung to the beautiful French-inspired Eugène Eugène or high-end fast food such as Saudi fried chicken sensation Al Baik and the extravagant burgers and shakes at Black Tap plus so much more - you're guaranteed to find plenty to enjoy.
Map of Al Barsha and Barsha Heights
Eplore the neighbourhood with our interactive map
Get comfortable in Al Barsha’s hotels
There are plenty of great mid-market hotels in Al Barsha and Barsha Heights
You can find two five-star hotels directly attached to Mall of the Emirates: Kempinski Hotel is located by Ski Dubai, while Sheraton Mall of the Emirates is at the other end of the shopping centre. Not far from the mall are Grand Cosmopolitan Hotel and Elite Byblos Hotel, both good-value four-star properties.
Barsha Heights has two five-star hotels to choose from: Grand Millennium Dubai, home to some of the area’s best restaurants and lounges along with luxurious rooms, and Media Rotana, which is also a popular destination for local residents and professionals.
Where Al Barsha and Barsha Heights really shines in accommodation is the area’s massive range of high-quality four-star hotels. There are far too many to list them all, so we’ve included a few examples – but there are plenty more to choose from.
Near to Mall of the Emirates you can find big brands including Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, DoubleTree by Hilton and Holiday Inn. There are also smaller chains and independent properties close to the mall, such as Flora Al Barsha Hotel At The Mall, Signature Hotel Barsha and Donatello Hotel Al Barsha.
Elsewhere in Al Barsha, Novotel Dubai and Aparthotel Adagio Premium are both within the striking API Trio tower next to Sheikh Zayed Road. And you’ll also find Rose Park Hotel next to InsuranceMarket metro station, and Grandeur Hotel near Al Barsha Pond Park.
Barsha Heights has even more four-star hotels: one of the best (although technically just outside Barsha Heights) is Zabeel House by Jumeirah, a beautifully designed boutique hotel with excellent facilities and dining options. Big-name properties include Tryp By Wyndham, dusitD2 kenz hotel and Millennium Place Barsha Heights.
The area features lots of great hotel apartments, including Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites & Apartments, TIME Oak Hotel & Suites, First Central Hotel Suites, Citadines Metro Central Dubai and Grand Heights Hotel Apartments.
Al Barsha and Barsha Heights also have a high proportion of Dubai’s three-star hotels, with Novotel Suites Mall Avenue Dubai and ibis Mall Avenue Dubai, both close to the mall (and ibis Dubai Al Barsha further along Sheikh Zayed Road). Also near the mall is the Studio M Hotel, part of Millennium Hotels & Resorts and Hampton by Hilton – while in Barsha Heights you can find Premier Inn Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel.
How to get to Al Barsha and Barsha Heights
Al Barsha is easily accessible by both public transport and car
By public transport: Dubai Metro’s Red line has two stops in Al Barsha: Mall of the Emirates station and InsuranceMarket station. Mall of the Emirates station is directly linked to the mall via a footbridge – and by going through the mall you can easily reach the surrounding area, including many hotels.
There are also a number of RTA feeder bus services – routes F30, F32, F33, F35, F36 and F37 – which run from Mall of the Emirates station through Al Barsha and on to areas including Studio City, Motor City and Sports City, Arabian Ranches and Dubai Miracle Garden.
InsuranceMarket station offers easy access to the main part of Al Barsha, and bus services F33 and F35 both stop nearby. Route F33 covers a lot of Al Barsha, including Al Barsha Pond Park, while route F35 runs between Mall of the Emirates, InsuranceMarket station, Barsha Heights and The Greens.
You can also reach Al Barsha by bus, with route 81 running between Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, via Jumeirah Beach Road and InsuranceMarket metro station, and route 93 running from Al Ghubaiba to Mall of the Emirates via Al Wasl Road. Route J01 runs between Jumeirah Village Circle and Mall of the Emirates.
For Al Barsha Heights, you can catch the metro to Dubai Internet City station, with feeder bus routes F31, F34 and F35 linking the metro to other parts of the area.
To get more information, or to plan your journey, visit the RTA’s website.
By car: Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) offers easy access to the northern parts of Al Barsha; coming from either Downtown Dubai or Jebel Ali direction, you can take junction 39 to reach Mall of the Emirates, or junction 36 to head towards Al Barsha Pond Park or Barsha Heights. From Al Khail Road (E44) you can use junctions 16 for Al Barsha, and junction 12 for both Al Barsha and Barsha heights.
By taxi: As a busy neighbourhood, Al Barsha usually has plenty of taxis available, especially around hotels, malls and metro stations – and drivers will be familiar with all the major destinations in the area. If you’re travelling to or from one of the quieter residential areas of Al Barsha, you may want to get specific directions, to make sure your driver can get there as easily as possible.
Common Al Barsha and Barsha Heights questions
All your Al Barsha queries, answered
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