Dubai

Dubai suits a layover that lands on the wrong side of the clock. The Red Line runs from Terminals 1 and 3 at DXB, and the ride from Terminal 3 to the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall stop takes around 25 minutes, so the tallest building on Earth and the fountain shows below it make an easy evening out. Mind the timetable more than the distance. Trains run from 5 a.m. to midnight most days, until 1 a.m. on Friday nights, and start only at 8 a.m. on Sundays, so an early Sunday arrival means a taxi. Downtown is built for air-conditioned malls rather than strolling, which is exactly what a hot afternoon between flights calls for.