Dubai Day Trips

What is now a futuristic skyline was desert fifty years ago. From the aridity of another era, souks and mosques of a nomadic culture remain. The best way to get to know them is with a guided tour.

There are many ways to see Dubai and many tours available in the city, so I have selected those that include all or most of the city's points of interest.

This Dubai Street Food Tour is designed as a photographic tour of Dubai, where you will get to know the most iconic places of the city with camera in hand while a guide gives you the perfect context in English to understand the history behind each building and some curiosities about life in Dubai.

But what is Dubai without its gastronomy? The ancient souks of the city and its food are undoubtedly one of its great attractions. That is why I suggest that, while you get to know the cultural richness of Dubai walking through its streets, you try its exquisite traditional food, tasting coffee, tea, dates, different chocolates, but also the typical falafel or shawarma.

With this complete tour you will also have tickets for the Museum of Illusions and the Dubai Museum and as a culmination, a boat ride on Dubai Creek. Combine history, culture and gastronomy with this magnificent tour.

What you will see on this tour

If Dubai is worth visiting, it is thanks to its nights. The skyscrapers light up, the temperatures warm up, and the city magically transports you to the future. This night bus tour of Dubai will take you on a tour of the entire city visiting all the points of interest of the city with a tour guide and in a small group, with pick up and drop off at your hotel. A must in my opinion!

This tour lasts about four hours and I recommend it if you want to see the city in a quiet way and without the heat of the day, especially if you visit Dubai during the hottest times of the year.

What you will see on the night tour

Among the incredible buildings you will see in Dubai is the Dubai Frame, a huge arch-shaped monument that represents the evolution of the emirate throughout the recent history of the city. With this tour with transfers included, you will get to know the unique architecture of a city that went from being a fishing village to a luxury tourist destination.

But in the city of contrasts you will see, along with the modernity of the Palm Jumeirah or the Burj Al Arab, the Arab tradition and religion, very present in Dubai. In an essential tour like this, you will not leave behind the beautiful Blue Mosque or the Old Dubai neighborhood, cultural focus of the city.

I recommend it if you want to know the evolution of the city of Dubai in a tour of about 5 or 6 hours through its impressive buildings.

What you will see on the Dubai tour with Dubai Frame tickets

The ancient mosques and souks of Dubai are worth a visit to marvel at the contrast of the almost impossible skyscrapers and the most humble places. This four-hour tour of the historic center of Dubai, including a boat ride, will show you an area of Dubai unknown to many. Moreover, as the name suggests, part of the journey is done in a traditional boat, so it combines three of the most interesting aspects of Dubai.

I recommend it if you are interested in exploring the oldest part of Dubai and experience a boat ride among the skyscrapers.

What you will see on the historical center tour

To go big in Dubai you have the option to take this tour of old and modern Dubai with a visit to the Blue Mosque in which you will visit everything the city has to offer, both new and old, with a tour guide. Going from tour to tour in a bus that will pick you up at your hotel, you will have an in-depth view of the city without missing absolutely nothing.

You will be able to visit the beautiful Blue Mosque, famous for its Ottoman architecture.

What you will see

You already know which of Dubai's top spots each tour includes, but you probably want to know a little more about each specific site. Don't worry! Read on and I'll tell you in detail what makes each of the city's must-see sights a must-see.

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa hardly needs any introduction: it is the tallest building in the world and an architectural marvel inspired by the white Hymenocallis, Dubai's signature flower. From its observatory you can see the whole of Dubai and the desert that extends beyond the city, as well as the spectacle of lights and water that takes place in the artificial lake at the foot of the skyscraper. If you are interested in visiting it from the inside or going up to its observation deck, you can find out how in my article on Dubai Burj Khalifa Tickets and Visits.

Jumeirah Beach

Jumeirah Beach is the star beach of Dubai, a whole recreational area with parks, outdoor bars and of course a dreamy sand and waters. Everything you can imagine about Dubai as a tourist destination is in Jumeirah Beach, where you will surely spend a good part of your visit to the city.

Jumeirah Mosque

As the only mosque in Dubai that allows access to non-Muslims, it is one of the most visited buildings by tourists traveling to the city. And no wonder, since its white stone exterior is a fantasy only comparable to the decoration of its diaphanous interior.

Al Fahidi Fortress

The Al Fahidi Fortress is the oldest building in the city and represents a past in which it was necessary to defend Dubai from invaders, and within its walls you will find the boats that were used in the past for fishing and warfare. It also houses the Dubai Museum, one of the most visited in the city.

Dubai Museum

This museum is dedicated to telling the story of Dubai's evolution from a small community in the desert to the city of the future that it is today. In its galleries, you can see how the ancient Bedouins lived, the tools they used, their craftsmanship, and their ways of subsistence.

Visiting the Dubai Museum is a highly recommended activity as it gives a historical context to your visit beyond the skyscrapers and luxury.

Gold Souk

The name doesn't disappoint, as within minutes of entering the Gold Souk you'll be completely surrounded by bazaars and shop windows full of gold jewelry such as rings, bracelets, necklaces and rings, in fact, you can find the largest gold ring in the world (being the best in the world at something is something that Dubaiites love, as you may have already noticed). Even if you don't buy anything, this place of almost intoxicating opulence is worth a visit.

City Walk

City Walk is an open-air mall in Dubai with all kinds of stores, restaurants and entertainment venues for kids. Visiting the City Walk at night is quite an experience, as just seeing the light and colorful installations is worth it.

Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is the great shopping center of Dubai and the shopping reference for most tourists visiting the city. It is also one of the places where you can find restaurants of all kinds of food and the most affordable in the city, so you will surely visit this mall more than once on your trip.

Madinat Souk

Within the Jumeirah complex, the Madinat Souk is a modern reimagining of a traditional souk with galleries filled with perfume, spice and food stalls. Visiting Souq Madinat at night is a unique experience thanks to its warm atmosphere of lanterns whose lights reflect on the water.

Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah is the artificial island in the shape of a palm tree where the most luxurious residences of Dubai are located, as well as hotels and top restaurants in the city. It is crossed by the city's famous monorail track, making it a popular spot for tourists who are also looking for water activities such as boat, yacht or jet ski rides.

Dubai Marina

Dubai's grand canal, known as the Marina, is the perfect place to take a boat ride through the city surrounded by skyscrapers. Of course, there is no shortage of entertainment in this district in the form of restaurants and bars in shopping malls. It even has the world's largest urban zip line, one of the most unique and spectacular activities you can do in Dubai.

The vast majority of Dubai tours pick you up at your hotel and take you through the itinerary in an air-conditioned vehicle, given the weather conditions in the city. For the same reason, they usually drop you back at your hotel, but my advice is to make sure before booking a tour that the pick-up and drop-off includes your hotel or drops you off at a nearby hotel or some other point in the city.

Keep in mind that Friday is the religious day of rest in Dubai, so if you have to choose a day to do a city tour I would recommend you to avoid this day in order not to find some things closed or reductions in the itineraries. As you have seen, there are tours of different lengths but generally half day tours last 4 hours and full day tours last 9 hours.

Practical information for taking a tour of Dubai

Many tours do not include food, but have stops at some of the city's shopping malls, so I recommend you look ahead of time where to eat and even make a reservation if you can to save having to look for a table next to a throng of tourists.

Islamic religious holidays are not as important in Dubai as in other states in the UAE, but even so during Eid and Ramadan celebrations can affect transportation and the times at which food and drink are served (during Ramadan, for example, food is only served after sunset).

Speaking of how religious practices can affect eating and drinking in Dubai, note that you can't drink in public (and you can't espresso in the street), nor can you smoke, not even e-cigarettes which are confiscated at the airport.

What to bring

Although it is obvious: take a bottle of water with you! In Dubai it is difficult to find a place where it is cool and even if you are going to do most of the tour by car you will miss a drink of water when you get off the bus and walk around the desert city.

If you are already in love with Dubai but you don't want to give up an authentic desert experience, here is my article on Day Trips to Dubai Desert. Here you will find the best excursions with all the details you need before booking yours.

Another good option from Dubai is to visit Abu Dhabi. They are close enough to go and come back in a day and there are also several organized tours so you don't have to worry about anything. Here are the best ones: Day Trips to Abu Dhabi from Dubai.

Another excursion not to be missed is the one that takes you to the third emirate of the country, Sharjah. At 25 minutes from Dubai, you will find the Pearl of the Gulf, where you can discover the King Faisal Mosque, the Fort and the Sharjah Heritage Museum. With this organized tour of about 4 hours with guide and transfers, you will not miss another of the wonders that await you very close to Dubai.

And if water activities are your thing, very close to Dubai, just 1 hour away, is the emirate of Fujairah, where you can travel on organized excursions also hiring activities such as snorkeling or diving. Discover the marine fauna of the United Arab Emirates!