Remember the scene in the 2011 movie Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, where Tom Cruise is swinging from a rope on the outside of a very high hotel? The building is Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world, which houses the Armani Hotel. During a break in the filming, Cruise also perched on the top of the building’s radio tower, more than 2,716 feet above the city streets. Reprising the actor’s stunt is discouraged, but you can enjoy the view from the 124^th floor, home to the world’s highest observation deck.

A visit to the At the Top observation deck begins in the Dubai Mall with a multimedia show on the history of Dubai and the Burj Khalifa. A “travelator” designed to simulate time travel takes visitors from the mall to the Burj, where they board an elevator ascending 32 feet per second. The observation deck is glass-walled from floor to ceiling, offering a 360-degree view of the city and the ocean and desert beyond. If you’re channeling Cruise, you can venture onto the outside deck to experience the winds that buffeted him during his movie stunt. Or you can enjoy almost the same perspective (sans wind) in the famous At.mosphere restaurant on the 122nd floor.