Dubai is popularly known for its luxury cars and skyscraper buildings. But there’s more to Dubai than that. I live in Dubai for more than 4 years now. Since I moved here, I spend most of my weekends exploring the city. Dubai is tourist friendly. Wherever you go you see English signs and tourist spots are mostly reachable by train. You can easily navigate the city on your own with ease. It is one of the safest and cleanest cities in the world. One of the things I love here is the cleanliness of the public toilets.
When is the Best Time to Visit Dubai?
It is best to visit Dubai from October to April. It is the winter season and the temperature could drop down to 11 degree Celsius. During these months, Miracle Garden and Global Village are open.
Where to Stay in Dubai?
It is best to stay within the Marina area because it has one of the best views of Dubai. It is surrounded with skyscraper buildings, restaurants, and yachts. It is close to two metro stations (Damac Metro Station and DMCC Metro Station) and Marina Mall. It is also a walking distance from Jumeirah Beach and Bluewaters island.
Dubai Marina
Bluewaters island
If you are staying in Marina, I recommend The Pearl Marina Hotel Apartment. It is an affordable hotel apartment with great Marina view. The staff are very friendly and acommodating. Another affordable hotel is The Rove Dubai Marina. Aside from the hospitable staff, they have a lot of facilities like laundry and gaming area, gym and pool, and they have a spacious restaurant which is equipped with power outlets. This makes a perfect place for working travelers. And they also have very fast wifi.
What to Do in Dubai?
There are so many things to do in Dubai and I’ve come up with a list of tourist destinations that you can visit in a day.
You can start your day by visiting Al Seef and have a breakfast in Sirocco ( I love the rustic travel-inspired interior and the delicious food they serve). Al Seef is a dining and shopping destination with a mix of old and new architecture.
Al Seef
Just beside Al Seef is the Bastakiya ( also known as Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood). It is a heritage village constructed during the 1890s.
From Al Seef you can walk to Dubai Museum which is an underground museum. The entrance fee costs only 3 AED.
Just few meters away from the museum, you can visit an old souq by the creek where you can buy affordable souvenirs and street food.
You can then cross the creek to Gold and Spice Souq via a small boat called abra for only 1 AED.
abra
Have lunch in Madinat Jumeirah which is only 28 minutes away by taxi from Gold Souq. It has one of the best views of Burj Al Arab. You can opt for a 20-minute boat tour around Madinat for 100 AED.
Madinat Jumeirah
Another popular tourist spot is the Kite Beach which is a public beach where you will get a good view of Burj Al Arab.
Kite Beach
You can spend the afternoon shopping in Dubai Mall which is the biggest mall in Dubai. One of the best things to do in Dubai is shopping! In fact Dubai has a festival called Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) held every last week of December up to first of February where huge sales are offered all over Dubai.
Spend the night in Dubai Fountain to witness its beautiful fountain show which starts from 7pm to 11pm with interval of 30 minutes between each show. Dubai Fountain is also one of the best locations to view the Burj Khalifa.
