Dubai International Financial Centre

The Dubai International Financial Centre, known as DIFC, is the city's global banking hub and, increasingly, one of its most sophisticated cultural quarters. Established in 2004 as a self-governing financial free zone with its own courts and English-language common law, it occupies a polished precinct between Downtown and the World Trade Centre and has grown into a small city of its own.

Its symbolic centrepiece is the Gate Building, a monumental arch modelled loosely on a triumphal gateway that frames a long reflecting axis of plazas, sculpture and office towers. Around it cluster the regional headquarters of international banks, law firms and funds, giving the district a buttoned-up, distinctly corporate character during the working day.

After hours, DIFC reveals a different face. The Gate Avenue promenade and surrounding lanes host some of Dubai's most acclaimed restaurants, rooftop bars and contemporary art galleries, and the celebrated annual art nights draw crowds to openings that spill onto the walkways. Public sculptures and rotating installations dot the plazas, blending high finance with a genuine and growing creative scene.

For visitors, it is a rewarding stop for design, dining and people-watching rather than a conventional sight. Air-conditioned and fully accessible, it is easily reached on foot from the Financial Centre Metro station or from Downtown across a covered bridge. Come in the evening when the galleries and terraces are busiest, dress smartly for the higher-end venues, and allow time to wander the covered arcades and gallery district, which offer welcome shelter from the midday heat and some of the best contemporary art in the region. Sculpture trails and changing public installations make even a casual daytime walk between the towers surprisingly rewarding.