From floral castles to robot coffee: Inside the Dubai Miracle Garden
No matter where I travel, I love visiting new botanical gardens in every city. From the stunning Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania to the Williamsburg Botanical Garden in Virginia, every botanical garden has something unique and special about it. I find walking around botanical gardens to be a relaxing way to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Even if you think you’ve been to many stunning botanical gardens in your lifetime, the Dubai Miracle Garden will blow your mind. Known as the world’s largest natural garden, the Miracle Garden is not your average botanical garden. From heart-shaped arches to an Emirates plane covered in flowers, there’s a reason the garden calls itself “The best place to visit in Dubai.” Here’s what to expect as you walk through this marvel of modern landscaping.
Entering Dubai Miracle Garden
The entrance of the Dubai Miracle Garden is almost a bit misleading. As soon as my Uber dropped me off by the entrance, I questioned if this garden was an attraction for adults or a kid-focused playground. You can see Mario and Luigi atop a fun slide and other childish figures from the outside. However, don’t let the entrance of the Dubai Miracle Garden deter you from exploring everything inside. The children’s play area is located near the front so that you can see this from the exterior. This attraction is undoubtedly for adults to admire (though children will enjoy it, too), and they can explore so many intricate floral displays inside the garden.
Inside the Dubai Miracle Garden, there are nearly 150 million flowers in full bloom, which span across 72,000 square meters. The garden opened in February 2013 and now opens every season from November to May. Unfortunately, the garden will not be open if you’re visiting Dubai in the hottest summer months. While I wouldn’t call the Dubai Miracle Garden a “hidden gem” as nearly 1.5 million tourists visit the garden yearly, it’s not quite as well-known as some of Dubai’s other attractions like the Burj Khalifa or the Dubai Frame.
Finding your way around the garden
Before visiting the garden, I thought I’d need 45 minutes, at most, to explore everything there was to see. I’ve never been one to move slowly through exhibits or museums. Yet when I got to the garden, it didn’t take me long to realize it was much bigger than anticipated. If you haven’t studied the map or done any research before your visit, it’s easy to get lost and question if there are parts of the garden you haven’t covered.
Knowing that the Dubai Miracle Garden is set up in a circle formation so you can navigate your way around the garden is helpful. Once you’re through the entrance, you’ll be greeted by two horse structures that mark the front of the garden. From here, you can either go left to explore the gene and the castle displays or head right to explore the floral hearts. No matter which way you go, follow the pathway on the perimeter to ensure you cover the entire garden. Trust me, there are areas you won’t want to miss, like the penguin display (another personal favorite of mine).
Along the garden’s perimeter, you’ll also see dozens of food stands, gift shops, and more to stop and refresh during your visit. Don’t miss the robot coffee stand, too, which is entirely unmanned by humans (yes, I had to try to watch it make me an Americano).
If you’re not looking to shop, keep walking and say “no,” as the Emiratis can be especially pushy and try to reel you in. This is one downside of the garden, as I wish the garden would have more control over its vendors.
Floral clock
There are so many areas within the garden to explore it’s nearly impossible for me to pick my favorite. Besides the Emirates A380 plane (the plane I took to get to Dubai and largest passenger plane in the world), the floral clock display stood out as one of the most impressive. The floral clock is located almost directly in the garden’s center, adjacent to the floral castle. I returned to admire the flower clock multiple times during my visit.
Miracle golf
As stunning as the floral displays throughout the garden are, there’s only so long you can admire them. Walking around the garden could take one to two hours, depending on how long you spend at each display and how crowded the gardens are. However, your ticket into the garden gives you access for the entire day until close, so take your time. If you want to extend your visit to the Miracle Garden, you can play a round of Miracle Golf with thousands of flowers surrounding you.
Although the garden opened in 2013, the Miracle Golf is a newer addition that opened in October 2024. We had a blast playing this miniature golf course, and I enjoyed that it gave me something else to do while visiting the garden.
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