Planning a family trip to Dubai? Here are 4 attractions you must visit!

With a proximity of just 3.5 hours from India and a myriad of kid-friendly attractions, Dubai has become a wholesome family destination for Indians

Visiting Dubai with kids? Check out these 4 destinations!

What a city! Dubai is bursting at the seams with shopping malls, gold souks, tourists, high rises and a tangible union of tradition with modernity.

And, with a proximity of just 3.5 hours from India and a myriad of kid-friendly attractions, it has become a wholesome family destination for Indians.

In addition to IMG Worlds of Adventure and Dubai Parks and Resorts, the two grand family destinations that were opened recently, Dubai has also created two fascinating kid-centric places- The Green Planet, which is an indoor tropical forest and the Mattel Play! Town.

Let's take you on a journey to Dubai and show you what's in store. We bet you'd want to book your tickets immediately when you read this!

Click 'Start Gallery' to check out all the four kid-friendly and pocket-friendly destinations in Dubai!

The Green Planet

If you thought a lush, green, botanical garden is difficult to create in the hot Dubai, think again. Because the city has created The Green Planet- the world's second largest indoor botanical garden from scratch!

This is the region’s first bio-dome that recreates the enchanting world of a tropical forest with over 3,000 plants and animals.

As you walk through the sliding doors into the temperature controlled tropical forest, you first notice a 25 metre giant tree, which is the main attraction around which the forest is built. It is "the largest indoor, man-made and life-sustaining tree in the world.”

As you wind your way up the spiral, you'll be guided by experts about the various species housed in the garden. You can even hold a few in your hand!

It's a wonderfully educating and exciting experience not only for kids (who'll love it there!), but also for parents.

Mattel Play! Town

Once you're through feating your eyes to a myriad of beautiful species at The Green Planet, you can just hop, skip and jump to the Mattel Play! Town, quite literally.

Just five minutes walk towards the City Walk area of Dubai will land you in the fascinating Mattel world. It's a great attraction for kids aged between 2 and 10 years. It's a fun-filled ‘eduplay’ attraction, which allows engaging play experiences built around five world-renowned brands, in a 5,000 sq mt space.

There's something for everybody. If your kids love adventure, they can head to Fireman Samᵀᴹ and experience the thrill of rope walking and become a fireman. If they like building stuff, they can test their skills at the Bob the Builderᵀᴹ area, or if your girls like to dance, they can visit Angelina Ballerinaᵀᴹ and play some music with Barneyᵀᴹ.

Not to forget, there is a food corner where your kids can munch on some yummy food. Also, don't forget the Knapford Station, a multi-level soft play adventure space where they can jump and run and a 4D ride with Thomas and Friends, which you would not want to miss!

IMG Worlds of Adventure

The IMG Worlds of Adventure is the world's largest indoor amusement park and is as huge as 28 football fields put together! Wow! Plus, it's ceiling (in pic) is solar powered, it is completely air-conditioned and has all possible rides one could think of!

The adventure park is divided in to four zones- Lost Valley - Dinosaur Adventure, Marvel, Cartoon Network and IMG Boulevard; and includes some lip-smacking Indian food joints in between (when the kids need a break from all the fun).

While it's best that you choose your favourite zone to visit first and then proceed to check out the rest of the park later. For instance, you can check out the five major attractions of the Lost Valley including the thrilling and enjoyable- Forbidden Territory (where you are taken on journey in lost time), the playful- Dino Carousel, where you enjoy a small ride on your favourite dinosaur. Or, the Adventure Fortress, where you and your kids look protect the 'village' by "exploring ladders, tunnels, slides, bridges, nets and climbing challenges." Or the Velociraptor, for the adventurous adults.

Click 'next' to know about the Marvel adventures!

IMG Worlds Of Adventure (Part 2)

Alternatively, you can go to the Marvel section where you can enjoy a ride with the Avengers (Battle of Ultron), Hulk Epsilon Base 3D (a state-of-the-art stereoscopic cinema dome that takes you on a 3D ride), Spiderman Doc Ock’s Revenge ride (a 400m thrilling ride) or Thor Thunder Spin.

You can then explore the Cartoon Network section that includes a Lazy Town ride that'll take you through the entire zone, and also a Live Show: Lazy Town, where you can see Sportacus encouraging people of Lazy Town to exercise and be more active! There also a Ben 10 5D Hero Time ride, a thrilling Powerpuff girls ride and the Amazing Ride of Gumball.

Finally, there is the IMG Boulevard which includes the Haunted Hotel, a star attraction and not for the faint-hearted!

Dubai Parks and Resorts- Bollywood Parks

The newest addition to the wholesome family attraction destinations is the Dubai Parks and Resorts. This is also divided into five zones- Bollywood Parks, Legoland, Legoland Waterpark, Motiongate and Riverland along with Lapita, the resort location.

The area is a massive 1.7 million square foot and all the zones are theme-based. The Bollywood Parks is a grand and ceremonious display of Mumbai culture and the Indian film industry. Even if you travelled all the way to Dubai, you shouldn't miss this attraction. The centre of attraction is the Raj Mahal theatre that organises live shows at 9pm.

It also has two 3D superhero rides including RA.One: Unleashed ride (based on Shah Rukh Khan's movie Ra.One) as well as Krrish: Hero's Flight (based on Hrithik Roshan's movie of the same name).

Apart from these the Bollywood park, which was made privy to Indusparent also includes a thrilling shooting ride called Sholay, The Hunt for Gabbar Singh. It is a 3D projection ride that your kids will absolutely love! Apart from this you can also enjoy Aamir Khan's Lagaan ride called Thrill of Victory ride, which is quite unique and takes you on an animated visual-effects infused ride to save the drought-hit village.

Later in the day, you can also enjoy Salman Khan's Dabaang style with a live-action, stunt show by Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha lookalikes. It's certainly worth the wait and you can take pictures with the actors post the show.

Dubai Parks and Resorts Parks

There is also several Indian food corners that will take you back home and quite frankly inexpensive. Plus, the ambience and the way the entire park has been constructed will make you want a shoot a movie with your kids (and you can at the Cinema section in the park, just in case!)

As for Legoland, waterpark and Riverland, you must try your hands at these attractions too. If you want, you can even house yourself at Lapita for a few days and enjoy all the attractions.

So if you are planning to come to Dubai, don't just think about shopping, but all the fun you can have with your kids.

Read: Flying international with your kids? Here are practical tips to help you prepare

If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the article, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest from theIndusparent.com