The Photo Illusions let you indulge in something we have all done at least once – click illusionary pictures. You can levitate in the air, shrink or oversize, and even meet your clones. Take your cameras along and click pictures that make everyone around witness the unbelievable. This room is filled with laughter as visitors are unable to recognize what they just saw.
The Museum walls hold the real spell, it’s on them that the objects creating the illusions are mounted. A collection of images using colours, lights, and patterns to create baffling visions, is all this segment is about. Gaze at them for a few seconds, and your brain will begin to notice what may or may not be there, sometimes, the images can vanish, although they never even move.
The biggest Museum of Illusions houses the largest collection of 3D illusions, that are, holograms. These illusions trick your grey cells by transforming into something different or vanishing altogether. But do they really? Holograms, which vary from holographic portraits to those that instil horror in you, are among the most confounding illusions in store for visitors at the museum.
When you get lost in a desert with no water, you look for and mostly find an oasis. And sometimes, your brain hallucinates and brings one in front of you, only not for real. The Dubai Museum of Illusions lets you experience this concept of Mirage through a phantasmic object right in front of you, yet you cannot touch or grab it.
Stereograms are two pictures of a 3D object, clicked and presented so that the object looks different from different angles. The Museum of Illusions brings a puzzle into the mix. So, it will take you more than an attempt to understand the puzzle, and then only would you decipher the object shown in the 2D picture. This is a brain teaser at its finest!
The Museum of Illusions would be incomplete without the most popular magic trick. The Head on the Platter lets you experience being in a magic show, where your body becomes invisible, and only your head remains in sight. And you know the trick here, yet would still feel amazed as you click some of the coolest social media worthy pictures.
We can be normal in size in our regular world, but would that be true in Gulliver’s Lilliput? The Chair Illusion brings to life this very concept, how the perceived size of a person changes according to the objects around them. So, if you can find just the right angle, you would get jaw dropping images of a tiny you sitting on a giant’s chair.
The Ames Room might look simple, yet as you walk through it, you would become a dwarf and a giant in a few steps. The fun yet astounding distortion gives you the chance to click pictures at different heights. As you grow or shrink in size going from one corner to another, you witness how deceptive appearances can get.
The Anti-Gravity Room lives up to its name in the most astonishing ways. The upward-rolling balls and uphill-flowing water in the room defy Newton’s concepts with finesse. Your brain will believe you are standing on a flat surface, yet when your eyes witness the illusions, you won’t know what to believe. Even if your brain gets the catch, it still won’t be able to deny what the eyes see as real.
Location: The Museum of Illusions is located in Bldg. 17, Heritage Area, Al Seef, Dubai Creek, Dubai, U.A.E.
Timings:
Monday - Thursday: 10 am - 10 pm
Friday - Sunday: 10 am - 11 pm
Public Holidays: 10 am - 11 pm
How To Reach:
By Bus: You can take 21, 29, 33, 44, 91, C3, C5 and C18 bus routes to reach the Museum.
By Car: You can reach here from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai.
From Abu Dhabi: Take the Abu Dhabi – Ghweifat International Highway/E11 towards Dubai. Take exit 54A-55 for D78/Umm Hurair Street. Continue on for D78/Umm Hurair Street and then take a left onto Za'abeel Street/D84 (signs for Bur Dubai), then turn right onto Al Seef Street/D84. At the roundabout, take the first exit and stay on Al Seef Street/D84 to reach the destination in a few minutes.
From Sharjah/Dubai: Choose a route from Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge, Business Bay Bridge, Floating Bridge, Shaikh Zayed Road or the Shindagha Tunnel to reach Al Seef in a few minutes.
By Dubai Metro: You can either take the Red Line to reach Burjuman Station or the Green Line to reach Sharaf DG Station. Both stations are within a walking distance of 15 minutes from the Museum.
By RTA Water Taxi/Abra: The nearest boat station to Al Seef is the Al Fahidi Boat Station, which is a 12-minute drive to the Museum via Al Fahidi Street.
Age Restrictions:The Museum of Illusions is open to visitors from all age groups. Minors under the age of 15 would however need to be accompanied by an adult to be allowed into the museum.
Facilities:- Advance online booking is available for Museum of Illusions Dubai tickets.- Visitors can avail free parking spaces for their private vehicles.- Payments, wherever needed, can be done contactless or even through cash.- Visitors can access the Museum's Wi-Fi throughout the premises free of cost.- People of Determination can bring one caregiver at no extra charge.- Except for the Vortex Tunnel, Ames Room, and Anti-Gravity Room, the museum building, grounds, and parking area are wheelchair accessible.
The best time to visit the Dubai Museum of Illusions is in the morning hours. The visiting crowd is generally less during those times, allowing you to explore the mind-boggling illusions at leisure.
What is the Museum of Illusions about?
The Dubai Museum of Illusions is part of an international chain of museums based in Croatia. The exhibits are rooted in the principles of Physics, Psychology, Geometry, and Mathematics. The pieces are inspired by a simple idea, “nothing is what it seems to be”. The museum tricks your confidence in your senses and tests your brain cells in a harmless, fun way. The 80+ exhibits offer an intriguing edutainment experience, while the Smart Playroom and Dilemma Room let you play with brain-teasing puzzles and toys.
What are the different exhibits to experience at the Museum of Illusions Dubai?
You get to interact with 80+ exhibits that promise to blow your mind.
All the exhibits can be accessed on one Museum of Illusions Dubai ticket.
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How much does it cost to visit the Museum of Illusions Dubai?
The cost to visit the museum varies from person to person, depending on their age. The Museum of Illusions ticket prices are as follows:
It is recommended you pay the Museum of Illusions Dubai ticket price in advance online, to ensure a hassle-free visit.
How big is the Museum of Illusions?
The larger-than-life exhibits of the Dubai Museum of Illusions are spread over a 450 square metre area. The area includes the building, grounds, and parking space.
What are the different accessibilities you can expect at the Museum of Illusions Dubai?
The building premises, grounds, and the parking space of the Dubai Museum of Illusions are wheelchair/stroller accessible. However, the Vortex Tunnel, the Ames Room, and the Anti-Gravity Room are the three exhibits that do not have similar accessibilities. People of Determination are charged as per standard Museum of Illusions ticket prices, but on providing proof of disability, one caregiver gets to enter for free with them.
What to experience in the smart playroom at the Museum of Illusions Dubai?
The Museum of Illusions offers you plenty of games, wooden puzzles and brain teasers for visitors of all ages, this is what is on offer in the Smart Playroom. You get to play, compete, and learn, which makes you want to stay for long and enjoy all the fun. Visitors are also taken on a tour of the Dilemma World, where they solve what seems impossible to be solved. You can also purchase the Dilemma Games from the Smart Shop, which also sells souvenirs of the exhibits. The Smart Playroom is included in the Museum of Illusions Dubai ticket price.
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