Dubai has never been high on my list of places to visit. My preconception was that it’s largely all for show, full of high rises and little soul. But last year I was away for my birthday in the freezing cold temperatures of Europe, and decided I needed sunshine this year instead. With only 5 days off work, I couldn’t go too far – so the Middle East beckoned and I ended up settling on Dubai due to an amazing flight deal.
It is a crazy city, like a mega metropolis plonked in the middle of the desert. It’s such a contrast – on the one hand you have traditional, reserved, Emirati culture (but local Emirati’s make up only 11% of the country’s population), and on the other you have mega corporations, glitz, glam and tourists galore (with ex-pats making up a whopping 88% of the population)!
I’ll be honest, it’s hard not to be drawn in by the glitz and glam, and it’s really awe inspiring seeing what’s been built here. It’s fun to see the skyscrapers, get lost in the most ridiculous mall, eat all the delicious food, and enjoy all the OTT madness. Equally, I do think some of that is quite surface level and so it’s also important to find glimpses of tradition, and to embrace some authentic Emirate culture, food and experiences too.
So my recommended itinerary for 2 days in this amazing city try to mix the two a bit. I hope you enjoy it!
Contents
- Contents
- Itinerary Day 1: Modern Dubai
- Itinerary Day 2: Traditional Dubai
- Have a little longer?
- Getting around in Dubai
- Where to stay in Dubai?
Itinerary Day 1: Modern Dubai
Dubai Mall
Full post: HERE
Where to even start. Dubai Mall is utterly INSANE. In what I can only describe as the most mega of all malls I’ve ever stepped foot in, be prepared to spend at least a few hours here. We actually spent 7 hours inside the mall, and there’s too much to cover here so I’ve written a full guide above.
As a brief overview, you can visit any of the 1,200 shops, go ice skating on a full size ice rink, visit an aquarium, enjoy a huge arcade, see a dinosaur skeleton, taste your way through the food court, visit China Town, drive an F1 car, fly an Emirates plane simulator, get scared in a haunted house, walk an art trail, immerse yourself in VR, and even see an indoor waterfall!
Souk al Bahar
Crossing from the mall, through the park, brings you to a bridge across to Souk al Bahar. Home to shops which are more like very modern traditional souks (i.e. in a glam new building, but stock more traditional wears), you can get better deals and prices here but you need to haggle. I bought some fresh fruit, and haggling over my grapes was part of the fun.
Dubai Brunch
After the mall, it’s time to embrace a modern Dubai tradition; brunch. Normally served from 12pm – 4pm, it’s like a way of life here and around every corner we were offered Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, Lebanese and Indian brunches. We had a couple of brunches whilst in the city – including Vietnamese at Hoi An, and Chinese at New Shanghai. Both were delicious, and there are lots of options in and around the mall to save you travelling.
Burj Khalifa & Park
From within Dubai Mall, you can visit ‘At the Top’ which enables you to visit the top of Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa. If heights aren’t your thing then you can also view it from just outside the mall (follow the signs to the Dubai Fountain) where you get lovely views and can stroll around the parks outside.
Dubai Fountain (6pm onwards)
To round off your day in and around the mall, head out of the Souk and towards Dubai Fountain in the evening. Every 30 minutes from 6pm – 11pm (also at 1pm during the day), the amazing light show goes. It’s different every time as well so even better if you get to see two sittings! It’s really stunning and we had an absolutely amazing time watching it, though it does get busy.
If you want an extra special treat, book an evening table at Amal by Armani Indian restaurant. Situated within the Burj Khalifa in the Armani Hotel is the most delicious Indian with a balcony overlooking the fountain so you can watch the lightshow without the crowds. This was my birthday treat and we had a 3 course awesome meal, plus saw 5 rounds of the light show.
The View at 42 (Shangri-La Hotel)
Full review: HERE
We stayed at the Shangri-La, but whether you choose to stay there or not, you can finish off your modern Dubai day with a treat – one of the best views in the whole city! It’s a short taxi ride from the Mall area and well worth it to look out to the Burj Khalifa and all the sprawling roads laid out in front of it by night. Magic.
Optional: Souk Madinat Jumeirah & Burj Al Arab
If you don’t think you’re going to need as much time as we did in the Dubai Mall area, then I recommend starting your day in the wonderful area of Souk Madinat and Burj Al Arab (around a 15 minute drive from the Mall). This area is really beautiful to stroll around with lots of little shops, pretty buildings and views. You could also choose to take an Abra boat ride on the water for something extra special.
Itinerary Day 2: Traditional Dubai
Grand Bur Dubai Mosque
I always think it’s important to understand more about what we don’t live every day, and it was important to me coming to Dubai to understand more about Islam. I’ve done mosque tours in the UK before, but also wanted to visit and learn more here too. We therefore went on the 9-10am tour at Grand Bur Mosque.
I was given an Abaya to wear, and we were given an ablution demonstration, a tour of the Mosque’s interior, a demonstration of the call to prayer and taken through the core beliefs of Islam. The mosque was beautiful inside, though of course I didn’t take any photos as that wasn’t appropriate.
Al Fahidi Historic Neighbourhood
This was one of my favourite parts about visiting Dubai. Just a short walk from the Mosque, and miles away from modern Dubai is the old town area, home to traditional cafes, tea rooms, art galleries and even a traditional Emirati house to visit. We happily spent 2 hours wandering around and going in all the little shops and winding mazes of lanes.
Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant
After a morning exploring, it was time to refuel, and where better than in a traditional Emirati restaurant. There are plenty in the area and we settled on Al Khayma, which was absolutely delicious! The food was insane. So insane it went straight in my mouth and I forgot to take any photos which is always the best compliment I can give a meal!
Dubai Creek
The creek forms a natural port, and actually stretches for around 15km, weaving through modern Dubai as a reminder of its past in the fishing and pearl industries. It’s hard to believe that just 50 years ago, barely any of the city we see today was here – rather it was mainly desert with smaller dwellings. Its change over the course of the last few decades has been incredible, and has to be admired. Today the creek is still busy, and offers boat tours across to Deira and its gold souks, or inland all the way to the Burj.
Jumeirah Mosque
From the creek we headed to the Etihad Museum, but first stopped at Jumierah Mosque (just a short walk from the museum) to see it from the outside. It’s truly beautiful.
Etihad Museum
To round off our day of learning and experiencing something new, we headed to the Etihad Museum. Etihad in Arabic means ‘United’, which made me chuckle as it means Manchester City play in a shirt with ‘United’ written right across the front – how ironic.
Anyways, to the museum. The museum is underground, with a huge futuristic glass atrium on top. It is effectively paying homage to the 7 leaders of the various Emirates who came together in the 1970s, post the British colonial powers withdrawing from the area, to form one country. The same 7 Emirates still exist today, all with their own leaders – though unified with the ruler of Abu Dhabi as the main leader of the UAE. The museum was unsurprisingly very positive about its leaders and it felt a bit like a shrine, though we did learn quite a bit we hadn’t previously appreciated about this region’s rich and complex history.
Optional: Deira and Dubai Gold Souk
If the mosque tour or museum aren’t for you in Day 2’s itinerary, then make sure that instead you cross Dubai Creek to visit Deira and the Gold Souk, as it’s another beautiful historic area in the city.
We’d planned to include this, and hop on a traditional Abra boat to cross the Creek to the gold souk but we actually ran out of time (not helped by my husband damaging his foot the day before so we were on a slow to hobbling pace).
Have a little longer?
If you have longer in Dubai, there are lots of other amazing things to do, and you could easily spend another few days in the city exploring.
Dubai Miracle Garden
Full Post: HERE
Dubai Miracle Garden is true madness. Open only during winter, it’s an amazing flower attraction, including everything from Disney castles to aeroplanes to Smurf villages. A visit will take around 2 – 3 hours.
Aya Universe
Full Post: HERE
Another unique Dubai experience is to visit Aya, an interactive light art installation which is a bit mind bogglingly fun.
Dubai Desert
Dubai is a city literally built in the middle of the desert, and only a short 30-45 minutes drive out will find you amongst the sand dunes. We had a desert evening meal one night to watch the sunset and it was really beautiful. You could also go dune buggying, camel riding or sand boarding – take your pick!
Getting around in Dubai
Dubai is not a walkable city. Google maps might say 1.4km but it’s normally along a 6 way highway. The roads and traffic are busy and I really don’t recommend walking anywhere unless places are literally next door.
The main attractions (e.g. Mall, Historic District, Miracle Garden, Jumeirah Beach etc) are nowhere near each other (like 40 minute drives in some cases), so you will be dependent on transport.
There is a metro but it runs to limited stops, though the Mall is one (assuming your hotel is anywhere near). Unfortunately it means taxis are the way forward in Dubai – we used Uber during our stay with no issues. They are fairly good value, safe and reliable here.
Where to stay in Dubai?
We stayed in the absolutely amazing Shangri-La Dubai (post coming soon). It was a full on dose of mega-metropolis sensory overload with everything on offer from Vietnamese Brunch to floating breakfasts and epic rooftop views across the city.
If you want something more traditional, Al Seef Heritage Hotel looks amazing. If you’re all about the beach you might prefer to base yourself at Jumeirah in a hotel like the Mandarin Oriental, and if you want ultimate bragging rights for the most luxurious postcode in town you could stay on The Palm Jumeirah and splash on somewhere like Atlantis The Palm (you could even get your own underwater suite in an aquarium for a mere £5k a night -ha!). Finally, if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city completely, you could stay in the Dubai Desert – the epitome of luxury is Al Maha, or you could go for the (only slightly) less pricy option Bab Al Shams.
So, what do you think of Dubai? Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it – stay safe and happy travelling!
Barney Travel Technologies
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