Five days is greater than the average stay of Dubai tourists. The average hotel stay is just 3 to 4 days, according to statistics reported by the Dubai Ministry of Commerce and Tourism for 2014. It is a little higher for guests who want to stay at Hotel Apartments, but a five days journey is enough to give the tourist a good sense of what Dubai has to offer. You can even leave those old places behind and visit the freshly built areas like around the villas for sale in Palm Jumeirah. You will surely enjoy the area and greenery there.
A BUS TOUR
Dubai has its version of the big bus tours that are regularly visited by large numbers of visitors in many large towns.
It’s a great way to quickly concentrate on Dubai’s deals and you can, of course, go out and explore what you want and then get back on the next big bus to the stop for the ticket you bought.
What is it like? A regular 24-hour adult ticket is US$66 or AED240. At the moment, discounts are available mostly during the hotter season. For instance, if you book a fixed date online in advance it will be approximately US$ 59.40.
The Big Bus Tour visits many popular attractions, including the Souks of Gold and Spice, the Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, the Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world today), as well as other attractions.
During this time of year, don’t think about the weather. The lower decks of the buses are fully enclosed and air-cooled, and if the heat gets a little too much for you the top deck has a locked and air-conditioned portion.
METRO RIDE
The high-rise underground Dubai Metro is another cheap and convenient way not only to visit key places but also to get a better understanding of what has happened in Dubai over the last 10-12 years.
Much of the subway is above the ground on highways. Dubai has seen the potential of a tourist and visitor’s market as well, but it is mainly to transfer people to important points in the city easily, conveniently and pollution-free.
You can only purchase a one-day ticket (valid for AED 14 or $US3.85 until midnight) – it is a good deal!
But what can you see with the Metro?
The Burj Khalifa Mall is situated (that’s the one with indoor ski slope), Ibn Battuta Mall is near to the Jebel Ali metro station, and now the entire Palm Jumeirah is accessible if you cross the new Al Sofouh light tram-railway and Palm Monorail.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS
The taxi fleet of Dubai – Don’t worry about being on such a trip. Dubai’s taxis are metres in length and there is no secret fee. But you must be conscious that the fare will be whatever the metre charges, plus AED 20 if you plan to go for the taxi in nearby Sharjah.
Abu Dhabi is still subject to extra charge, but the Dubai taxi fleet is new, clean, air-conditioned, and very affordable compared to other major city standards.
So, what’s worth seeing? Against the glitz and modernity of “Dubai New” from the 21st century, we will highly suggest the Dubai Creek on both sides (near the Spice and Gold Souks).
Only walk out of the sun and see the dhows still flowing through the waters of the Bay of Gulf and the Indian Subcontinent. On the side of the river Bur Dubai, on the other side, there is a lovely park – Dubai Creekside Park.
Dubai has also a large variety of museums and heritage buildings, if you want to learn a bit about life in the Trucial States before independence, federation and oil all changed in the early 1970s (as the Emirates were once called).
Here’s a short rundown of some of the cultural stops you might make if you start shopping and dining. Dubai is very small and compact in its old core, on both sides of the Creek, so that with a little prior study you can easily access many of these sites.
There is much more to Dubai, but there are some things that need more than just five days to explore. Still, you can enjoy much more in this city. Like some new attractions made near the luxury villas for sale in Dubai.
