Dubai Middle East U.A.E.

What To Do in Dubai: The Ultimate Bucketlist

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So you want to go to Dubai? Well, you’re not alone, because the rest of the world is right there with you. Dubai is like Las Vegas meets New York in the Middle East — not only is it a full-time party, but it’s also sort of the saving grace for the Middle East with how fast-forward, modern, tolerant, and accepting it is, setting a benchmark for other cities and countries in the region (though, its progress definitely comes with some harsh realities).

Most travelers pass through Dubai on a layover, some come for a few days. If you’re looking to spend a weekend there, then be sure to arrive on Thursday, which is the official start of the weekend, as Friday and Saturday are the same as our Saturday and Sunday.

Have one day in Dubai? Then check out these top sights.

9 A.M. Dubai Creek

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Traditional and still clinging to the past, Dubai Creek is like a visit with your incredibly fit and vibrant grandmother. The Dubai Creek is the heart of Old Dubai, with traditional abras, or small wooden boats, cutting their ways across the water and ferrying people from one side of the city to the other for 1 AED (United Arab Emirates dirham), just like they did long before this megatropolis underwent a series of facelifts to make it the circus of never-ending projects that it has become. Additionally, on either side of the creek is where you’ll find souks where your Middle Eastern shopping dreams can run wild.

Also sitting along the creek are cargo ships carrying everything from refrigerators to cars across the Gulf and beyond. The crew are friendly and will most certainly invite you onboard, and you may even get some chai if you’re lucky.

9:30 A.M. Spice Souk and Perfume Souk

Let your nose be your guide as your sniff out your way through the spice souk, a welcomed assault on the senses with traces of ginger, cardamom, and frankincense peppering the air. Equally as aromatic is the perfume souk, a treasure trove of traditional smells and more modern fragrances.

Gold Souk

Before the city lights shimmered and shine, the gold souk lit up Dubai like the sun on a perfect summer day. Tourists and locals alike have their eyes on the prize as they make their way from shop to shop in the gold souk, and their bargaining and haggling skills are as golden as the merchandise they’re looking to buy. Gold here is much cheaper than elsewhere in the world, given the tax-free economy, low import costs, and the higher turnover rates due to popularity of the products. Make sure you check out the shop that holds the world’s biggest gold ring.

The souks are best visited in the early morning or the later evening hours, from 4:30 or 5 p.m. on, as they close when the heat is at its highest during the day. But visit at the right time, and the souk is abuzz with lightning rods of activity.

1 P.M. Dubai Mall

I’ve never been one to want to pass my time in other countries by visiting shopping malls, but the air con is on full blast here, which is a big drawcard for an afternoon activity. Though in NYC we have only the Staten Island Mall and King’s Plaza Mall (both of which can be considered a cultural outing of sorts), we have plenty of malls in America. But this mall is different, because it’s practically the size of a country, and you need maps to navigate your way around. It’s also the gateway to the Burj Khalifa and wraps around the Dubai Fountain, where you can catch the famed lights show, so you might as well kill a couple of birds with one stone. Not to mention you’ll find a tremendous amount of Emirati unwinding their days here.

3 P.M. Souk al Bahar

Wander your way to the Souk al Bahar, an Arabic-style shopping and dining destination center designed to be a modern interpretation of old world souks. Gaze at the magnificent architecture — high vaulted archways, long and low-lit stone hallways — and peek into the speciality shops carrying jewelry, antiques, crafts, souvenirs, and other traditional items. The big allure is dining in one of the Souk Al Bahar’s many international restaurants, which are located just beside the Dubai Fountain and in the sit in the shadows of the Burj Khalifa.

4:30 P.M. Burj Khalifa

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Ready, set, Burj. You need to experience Dubai in all its glory with a visit to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest man-made structure that first opened in 2010, redefining the words “dream” and “possibility” in the UAE. Book tickets in advance online or purchase them at the entrance, located at the ground floor of the Dubai Mall. Snake your way through the queue and hop in an elevator that will launch you to the main observation deck on the 124th floor in a minute flat. Take it one floor further to level 125 for an enclosed view of all the Dubai maddeningly wrapped around you like a towel. No matter which way you look, the view is a dizzying swirl of city meets desert, a reminder that below all the concrete slabs and towering skyscrapers, Dubai is nothing but sand. Best to go later in then evening, because when you’re done with your tour you can pop outside to the Dubai Fountain and watch the famed lights show, which unfolds to dramatic music every night from 6 p.m. til 11 p.m. (10 p.m. on weekdays). If you blink you might miss it; the show is only about five minutes long.

6:00 P.M. Jumeirah Beach

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It’s the Middle East, and this place gets hot. Like, wake up and it’s already 35 degrees out at 8 a.m. hot, and the day will only get more oven-like as the time ticks away. So before summer in Dubai is really in full swing (which means you’ll only want to be inside with the air con blasting), make a visit Jumeirah Beach. Is the the nicest beach I’ve ever been to? No, it’s definitely not. Having lived in Sydney, or having traveled through Indonesia and New Zealand, through Malaysia and Thailand, it’s hard to find beaches that will compare. But Jumeirah Beach is a haven in this city sauna, with calm and welcoming waters, white sand, public toilets so clean you could lick the floors, and food and cafes all lined up along beachside if you find yourself getting hungry or thirsty. Be warned: it does get incredibly crowded, but it’s worth spending a few hours here, perhaps even toward the end of the evening to watch the sun dip below a horizon shaped by cranes building the city’s future. Grab some sundowner drinks at Pure Sky Lounge at the Hilton Hotel, a rooftop bar with some pretty fantastic views. Once your drinks are down, go for a stroll along the beach and the walk that runs adjacent to it, as they become more lively as night closes in on Dubai and are really great spots for people watching.

8:30 P.M. Dinner Time

It’s dinnertime in Dubai, and it’s a late night affair. Don’t expect to eat before 8:30, and you should most certainly make reservations in advance if you’re looking to hit up the city’s more notable restaurants. A popular destination is the DIFC for both Zuma Restaurant as well as Caramel Lounge, where you’ll catch expats and tourists looking to see and be seen by others. Another top-notch dinner spot is the magnificent Souk Madinat Jumeirah, a massive complex part of the Madinat Jumeirah resort that is home to modern-world markets and a beautiful network of canals that work their way through the complex, reminiscent of the gentle backwaters I traveled through in Kerala, India. You can take a boat ride from one place to another, and remember to bring your appetite: You’ll find an array of international restaurants and bars where you can dine in the shadows of the famed and iconic sail-shaped Burj al Arab hotel, a must-see whether by day or night on any visit to Dubai.

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10 P.M. Whet Your Whistle

If it’s not too hot out, then watch the city glow from the top of a rooftop bar. Popular are Kong 40, more intimate and cozy than the colossal clubs and bars that dominate Dubai, as well as Iris at the Oberi Hotel, both of which are located in the DIFC. If you’re dining at Souq Madinat Jumeirah, then The Agency is a terrific little wine bar with an extensive listing of international varieties that will impress even the most picky wine drinker. Alternatively, you can also pop over to 360 Bar at the Madinat Jumeirah hotel just next door for some open air drinks.

Other expat suggestions for drinks include Jetty Lounge at One & Only, Sidharta Lounge at Grosvenor, and Atelier M at the top of Pier 7 for some pre or post dinner drinks.

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 Enjoy a cocktail and relax before heading to clubs like Pacha (the rooftop here is also prime) or Zero Gravity, both of which host big name DJ’s from around the world. The rest is simple: Enjoy the Las Vegas of the Middle East until the city’s mischief comes to a close at the wee hours of 3 a.m.

Dubai Extras

If you have some extra time on your hands, then there is more to see and do than wander the malls or hit the beaches.

Friday Brunch

I thought that brunch was a religious activity in New York, but it turns out that it’s just as holy of an act in Dubai. Expats live for Friday brunches, which run from about midday until 5 p.m. or so with bottomless food and alcohol and make for a happy b(r)unch. If you’re in town, then Friday brunch needs to make some room into your schedule — and your belly. Some of the best brunches in town are Bubbalicious at The Westin; Al Qasr in Madinat Jumeirah; and Saffron at Atlantis at The Palm, to name a few. Show up hungry and thirsty, and then get ready to carry the party throughout the evening.

Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

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Have you ever wondered about why women are “hidden” away in long, black abayas and hijabs? Or how about why men can have multiple wives? Don’t let those questions go unanswered; instead, you can ask them right at the source by visiting the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU). With the motto “Open Doors, Open Minds,” as the guiding principle, SMCCU aims to educate expats and visitors about the culture and traditions of the UAE and of Islam through open, honest conversations. This was among the highlights of my trip as it allowed me and many of the other international journalists to connect with and better understand our trip, the people we were meeting, the country we were seeing, and the religion that we were learning about.

There is a bucketload of activities you can choose from, whether it’s enjoying a traditional Emirati breakfast or lunch with staff and volunteers at SMCCU, or going on a heritage tour, which includes a walk through the Al Fahidi Historic District of Dubai and a visit to the Diwan Mosque.

Jumeirah Mosque

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Though not necessarily in the most easy to reach location (re: you need to take a taxi), this is one of only a few mosques open to non-Muslim visitors and tourists, and it is the most coveted and oldest mosque (about 40 years old) in all of the Dubai. The SMCCU offers guided tours of the Jumeirah Mosque six days a week (it’s closed to visitors on Fridays as Friday is a holy day in Islam) starting at 10 a.m., but you need to be sure you’re there at least 10 minutes before, or else you’ll miss the tour and the doors to the mosque will close. You can peep about once the doors open again around 11:30ish before they close to visitors for the day. The mosque is quite small for Dubai’s grandeur, but don’t let its humble size mislead you. Inside, the architecture is stunning, with passages from the Quran written out in gold lettering and wrapping around the mosque’s ceiling and a beautiful chandelier smack in the center of the ceiling like a star on a Christmas tree. Women must dress modestly, and they are given a scarf to wear on their heads in order to enter the building.

Dubai Women’s Museum

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The perception of women living in the Middle East is that they can’t do much, and that — to a degree — they exercise very little freedom. Well, the Dubai Women’s Museum, located in the narrow and chaotic laneways of the Gold Souk in Old Dubai, is doing all that it can to change that perception. One of the few of its kind in the entire world (I think there are four total), the Dubai Women’s Museum celebrates the women of the UAE and the roles they played in the country’s economic, political, and social worlds while also exploring the roles and lives they lead within families. Definitely worth a visit.

Desert Safari

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The most exciting attraction for many (other than maybe skydiving over the Palm) is a night spent in the desert, and you’ve not properly seen or experience Dubai until you get a taste of where it all started. There are a number of different companies in Dubai offering desert safari adventures (check out Groupon for the latest bargains and steals), with most trips leaving the city at around 3 or 3:30 p.m. and returning close to 10 p.m.  You can also pick your poison when it comes to activities, though we all know that the dune bashing is like the King Triton of the desert adventures. Race across the dune in a 4×4 (with an experienced driver of course) and let go as your adrenaline will send you sky high into a world of fun and scary thrills. Come back down to earth by unwinding at a traditional Bedouin camp, and take in the fantastic night sky with all the world’s stars floating in orbit above your head.

Ski Dubai

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Because don’t you want to stay you went skiing in the middle of the desert? Located in the Mall of Emirates (okay, so technically you’re skiing inside a mall in the middle of the desert), Ski Dubai is your time to play with snow and penguins in -4 Celsius weather so you really can feel like you’re a world away in the depths of winter’s cold grip. The prices of activities vary depending on what you do, be it a full-day of skiing/snowboarding or go tobogganing or play with some penguins. If the winter wonderland at Ski Dubai is on your bucket list, make sure you bring a helmet, hat, and gloves, as most everything else can be rented.