Destinations
Dubai
Daylight
Dubai Mall (Half Day)
The major attraction of Downtown Dubai and hugging the perimeter of the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall is worth exploring. The size of 50 football fields housing 120 restaurants, an ice rink, aquarium, and movie theater, there is no shortage of entertainment. This is known as one of the most visited locations around the world so prepare to walk through a few crowds as you wander around helplessly through the mall. And you will get lost….this is just a fact.
The Dubai Mall Water Show is another spectacle to check out while you are in the area. Every evening starting at 6 pm there will be a water show that lasts about 5 minutes. With the backdrop of the Burj Khalifa and even lights as it gets later in the evening (This water show runs every 20 min until 11 pm), it is worth adding this to your itinerary. There are also restaurants in the Soul Al Bahar area just across the bridge from the Dubai mall that offer patio seating with a view of the water show. We recommend getting a reservation since these restaurants are usually crowded, especially for a seat with a view. Once the sun goes down, the 1.2 million LEDs on the Burj Khalifa begin to project mini films or clips lasting about 1 min. We were able to see a representation of space and the planets while eating which was quite the surprise.
Marina Mall/Marina walk (2-3 hours)
The Marina waterfront walkway is beautiful. You are surrounded by skyscrapers as you walk the edge of the marina. Portions of the walk contain food stands or food trucks with outdoor seating and you will also see some Yachts. Doing a Yacht excursion is also popular in Dubai. With enough people, you can enjoy drinks on a fancy yacht at a reasonable price as you get a view of the city from the water.
The Marina Mall is also bordering this nice walkway and provides a nice place to cool off and get in some more shopping. You will shop until you drop in Dubai, or until you run out of money.
Beaches (Half Day)
Given the weather in Dubai is hot and hotter year-round, the beach is always a great destination. Given the beach is FREE, it is also the perfect way to let your wallet take a breather while you enjoy the nice weather, beach sports, and relaxation.
The locals tend to hang out at Secret Beach. There is plenty of open sand to play games as well as multiple volleyball nets that are first come first serve (pun intended). Parking is also free which is always a plus, and the trailer style bathroom available was surprisingly nice.
The popular tourist beach you will find online is Kite Beach. We walked down the coast in the morning and it was a nice beach with plenty of open space, joggers, and parks. Parking was a bit of a challenge, like it is everywhere in Dubai, but outside of that, it will be worth your time. They also offer nice showers to clean off the sand.
Palm Jumeirah Island (Half Day minimum)
This manmade island, in the shape of a palm tree might I add, is the home to many residential areas, hotels, malls, and restaurants. On the map, it appears small, but a car is required to get around anywhere on the island.
Five Hotel
Some of the most extravagant hotels in Dubai are located on this island, Five hotel appears to lead the pack. We did not stay at this hotel, because we had only heard about it once we arrived in Dubai. From the Penthouse restaurant, you can get a unique view of the Dubai Skyline from an elevated location on the coast. We attempted to get this view, but got turned away because we didn’t have close-toed shoes and had a nice camera (Not sure why that was an issue). Instead, we went to the other side of the hotel and enjoyed Maiden Shanghai on the 4th floor instead. The view from here was phenomenal. We were close enough to watch the pool party going on below, see the beach, and still had a great view of sunset by the southern marina skyline.
Atlantis
It is hard to miss this massive establishment at the edge of the Palm. You can stay at the hotel, enjoy activities like the water park, swimming with dolphins, and the aquarium, or eat a meal at one of the world-class celebrity restaurants. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Gordon Ramsey restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen.
Burj Al Arab (View from a distance)
This ship sail looking luxury hotel has become one of the most popular attractions in Dubai. Being featured in Hollywood films and being notorious as one of the fanciest hotels in the world, this comes as no surprise. To get anywhere near this hotel you have to be staying there, so most tourists settle for photographs of this building from the surrounding area. We did not stay at this hotel, but we can only imagine how nice it would be (not to mention outside our price range), and not having other tourists disturbing the guests would provide a peaceful experience.
Madinat Jumeirah (Nice Resort)
Another five-star resort that includes three hotels and over 50 bars and restaurants. After walking around for 15 minutes we quickly realized this was more of a city within the city. Later we found out it is the largest resort in the Emirates and was built to replicate an Arabian Town. Given the proximity to the Burj Al Arab, it provided a nice view for photos. We walked to Shimmers (restaurant on the coast) but we needed a reservation even though it was noon and they just opened. We would recommend walking around this beautiful resort, it gave us the vibe of the San Antonio River Walk. Make sure you have a reservation at one of the coastal restaurants or are staying at one of the hotels to get access to the beach area and get a good view of the Burj Al Arab.
Mall of Emirates (2 hours minimum)
Yet another Mall in Dubai, this one is known for housing Ski Dubai, the indoor Ski Resort. We had to go check that out, even though we had no intention of skiing or snowboarding. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory so we could get a view of the people skiing.
Once we were in the mall we realized this may be the fanciest mall in Dubai. Every famous store around the world seemed to be inside if you are into expensive shopping and name brands.
Old Souk Area (1-2 hours)
This part of town is meant to present the old town of what this area looked like before the recent surge in tourism and wealth. Given there is not much rich culture in this area, or Dubai in general, we were not too interested in seeing any of the attractions in this area.
This was; however, the most affordable area near Dubai if you are looking to save some money on meals and shopping. It offers plenty of shopping at street markets with overly aggressive salespeople. They are not afraid to touch you to get your attention if you are ignoring them (Yes, this can get annoying and stressful).
After we walked through the narrow roads, saw the local shops, and found a place to eat dinner, this whole area also gave us a little India vibe. We imagine this is where most of the locals live more affordably and then commute to the city for work.
We had a nice quiet dinner at Bayt Al Wakeel which had a nice patio on the Dubai Creek.
Abu Dhabi
Daylight
Heritage Village (1-2 hours)
This Village is meant to replicate the area before the oil boom. Through the main gate, there are various areas to explore. Off to the right is an old fort and replica desert to take pictures as if you were in the desert. Back towards the left is an old house, a museum, and a few workshops to show pottery making and cloth weaving with women using a loom. There are also a few souvenir shops. We were not overly impressed or excited by this site, so could be one to skip if you have limited time in Abu Dabhi.
Marina Mall (1-4 hours)
Abu Dhabi wouldn’t be complete without its share of large malls. We stopped in here to get some general shopping done and was impressed yet again. Another nice place to kill some time and people watch.
Emirates Palace (1-2 hours)
Another extravagant Five-Start Hotel is worth a quick visit even if you are not staying here. There is free parking for visitors and you are free to roam the grounds. The front entrance has a nice water fountain that drew a lot of tourists taking photos, including us. There are numerous restaurants and café’s throughout the hotel as well. The waterfront beach is reserved for only guests of the hotel.
Umm Al Emarat Park (1-2 hours min)
This is a very large park with beautiful greenery, multiple gardens, a large lawn, kids park, and nice walking paths. It will cost you 10 AED/each, but you could spend hours here. Whether you just want a peaceful walk or a nice picnic in privacy this will be a great option. We took some engagement photos here 😊
Note: They required us to get a free license to take a nice camera into the park and stopped us from taking pictures near the main fountain by the entrance. This license was a minor hassle, but did not cause any issues while we were walking through the park. Nobody asked to see the permit either.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (3 – 5 hours)
The main tourist attraction of Abu Dhabi, the Grand Mosque is a sight to behold. The largest Mosque in the UAE is complete with marble columns, massive prayer halls, and surrounding reflection pools. Because this is so popular, you will want to plan for at least 3 hours here. We were planning to be there for sunset around 5:45 pm so we arrived at 5:15 pm only to find out there was a large line (about 90 min long) to get inside the grounds. You will be waiting at the main entrance which is actually towards the main road by the tourist parking lot. Once you are let in you take an escalator underground and then walk back towards the Mosque (It took us a while to find this entrance since we initially tried to enter by the Mosque itself but it was completely blockaded).
By the time we entered the underground tunnel, waited in an additional 30 min line, registered to enter (No fees), and walked the long underground stretch back to the Mosque, the sun was long gone and the night view of the Mosque was beautiful. Once inside, you can spend as much time as you would like to wander the grounds, see the large prayer hall, and takes photos.
Note: Women will have to wear a robe with a hood to cover the top of their head and their hair. The hood is required the whole time while in the grounds and you will get yelled at if your hood falls off or your hair starts to fall out from under the hood. They hand out generic blue and red robes for free, but if you want to take unique photos you can consider buying one before arriving. We noticed some tour groups appeared to hand out some different options for their guests.
Because the construction of this Mosque was completed in 2007, they made it very tourist-friendly, there are restaurants and tourist shops underground on the way to the main entrance. This was the best way for them to monetize this without charging an entry fee.
