訪問日時：2015年7月18日–19日
It’s so high up that people can’t see enough to even trash it!
It was a strong schedule for three days and one night in Dubai, but I was able to fully enjoy it, so I will report on it several times.
- 出発＆レンタカーゲット＆ドバイ・モール編（前回）
- ブルジュ・ハリファ編（今回）
- ジュメイラ・ビーチ、アル・カスル・プール、ワイルド・ワディー編
- シェイク・ザーイド・モスク編
At the Top: Visit the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building
After killing some time at the mall, we went to the main event of the day, the observation deck of Burj Khalifa. It must be a must-see place for those who love high places.
[highlight]「ブルジュ・ハリファ」[/highlight]はドバイにある現時点で世界一高いビルとして有名です。高さは828メートルですから東京スカイツリーよりも高いです。160階建て。完成したのは2010年、比較的最近です。
Burj Khalifa, Tallest Building At 828 Metres, Dubai by Pranav Bhasin
ホテルに商業、住宅用として用いられておりますが、もちろん一般の人でも見学可能な展望台が備わっています。展望台は通称[highlight]At the Top[/highlight]といいます。ドバイでも人気観光スポットのひとつ。
Better to book in advance, from the website
さて、そのAt the Topへ行くには、[highlight]事前予約をしておいた方がいい[/highlight]でしょう。日にもよるでしょうが、この日は当日券はありませんでした。
We are of course pre-booked. We booked through this website.
Visit the Burj Khalifa Observation Deck | Ticket Information http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/ObservationDeck/TicketInformation.aspx
展望台は2種類あります。まず125階の展望台オンリーの[highlight]「AT THE TOP, BURJ KHALIFA TICKET TYPE」[/highlight]。こちらの料金（大人）は、時間帯に依存しますが、一人あたり125AEDから200AED。ざっくりこの当時の為替レート換算で5,000円–7,000円といったところ。
そして、もう一つは148階の特別展望台と125階展望台両方行けるプラン[highlight]「AT THE TOP, BURJ KHALIFA SKY TICKET TYPE」[/highlight]。こちらの料金（大人）は時間帯によらず一律500AEDと結構なお値段。円換算すると16,000円程度でしょうか。
It costs a lot of money, but we chose to go to the highest observatory. I was able to complete the reservation without delay from the website. You will receive an email immediately after the reservation. You can get not only the body of the email but also a pdf with the reservation details.
I have the email and pdf saved on my iPhone, but I printed the pdf just in case.
Ticket issuance on site, issuance is by automatic ticketing machine
At The Top is located on the ground floor of the mall (the first floor in Japan) and follow the information board. There was a food court near the entrance of the observatory. We had already had lunch at the food court on the third floor of the mall, but I think this food court had more restaurants with a slightly better atmosphere.
And this is the entrance.
さて、展望台に入るチケットですが、入り口右脇のおみやげコーナーの一角にあるこちらの自動発券機にて入手する仕組み。
基本的に指示に従って操作していけばOK、入力するのは予約時に登録したLAST NAME、そして予約後に発行された予約コード（Confirmation Code）くらいです。
The input ends safely. It seems to have been able to reserve it properly.
And ticketing.
Here is the ticket.
Enter as soon as possible and wait in the waiting room for reserved people.
It was still half an hour early, but I had no time to wait, so I showed my ticket to try it out and went in, and was led to the waiting room on the 148th floor, which was reserved for people with plans. It’s the room on the right side of the entrance.
It is a room where about 20 people can wait, and they serve Arabian coffee and some sweets. This coffee is the one I drank in Palestine. We waited for about 20 minutes while having this coffee and some sweets made from Dietz, which is familiar in the Middle East.
When the time is up, the guide will come to your room and give you this kind of machine.
It’s like an audio guide, but you can listen to the guide talking in front of you through earphones. After this, the guide will take us to the observatory, but there is a little distance to the elevator to the observatory, and the corridor is not so wide and there are other visitors, so there is a possibility that the guide’s voice cannot reach us. It was a mechanism to hear the voice of the guide through this machine.
In the corridor to the elevator, there was a series of exhibits explaining how this Burj Khalifa was built. The guide also explained in order.
Ultrafast elevator to 148th floor observation deck
Finally, you arrive at the elevator hall. From here, we aim at the observation deck on the 148th floor. Inside the elevator, an explanatory video about the Burj Khalifa is played, so I felt like I arrived at the floor in no time while watching it.
Instead of going directly to the 148th floor observation deck, it seems to go through the 125th floor once. This 125th floor is also an observation deck, and those who choose the 148th floor plan can come back after this.
So, let’s hurry ahead. But still, it’s a great button…
It was a quick trip from the 125th floor to the 148th floor.
The view from 557 meters above the ground, spectacular!
And finally, we arrived at the 148th floor. There is a lobby like this in the special observatory. Drinks and snacks are available, so we were able to have them freely.
And from here, you get almost 360 degrees of views in every direction!
It’s so high that I don’t know what to think, in fact, I feel that even people who are afraid of heights are okay. (By the way, I love high places.)
まるで[highlight]シムシティのゲーム画面[/highlight]のようです。感動的な景色☆
The observatory is made of glass like this.
We were also able to go out to the terrace from some parts. Is it tough for people who are afraid of heights? It was pretty solidly built and safe, though.
By the way, the height of this place is 557 meters. It seems to be registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s highest observatory.
なお、ウェブサイト情報では148階に滞在できるのは30分間だけという話でしたが、実際のところは適当で、30分以上滞在しても特段追い出されることはありませんでした。もっとも30分もいれば十分満喫できると思います。
ひと通り148階を堪能した後、エレベーターで再び125階へ戻りました。ここは好きなだけ滞在してもよいことになっていましたが、正直一度148階の展望台からの眺めを見てしまうと、非常に物足りない気がしました。[highlight]125階も400mくらいの高さがあるのですが、たった100数十m程度の差なのにここまで景色に差が出るのにはびっくり[/highlight]。高いお金を払って148階を選んで大正解だったと思います。
あっという間の1時間でした。（次回へ続く）
