Going on a short break to a new city or new country is all you need to get rid of your stress and feel rejuvenated. If you are looking for a holiday destination to go with your family, friends or perhaps on your own, Dubai is a great option. The city is a great blend of modern and traditional, and would give you something that would interest and engage you, whatever might be your interests. While there is so much bombardment of information on what to do and see in Dubai, it is likely to get confused, especially when you are on a short holiday of 4 days. Hence, to make it easy for you to chart your itinerary, we offer you a personal to-do list for 4 days in this marvellous city of Dubai.
Things Not to Miss in Dubai
When you are a tourist in a new place, it is mandatory that you do some things or visit a few places. This remains the case even with the city of Dubai. With the tallest building, largest mall, biggest fountain and the largest manmade island residing in Dubai, there are a myriad of things for you to see. Here are a few things that you must definitely include in your itinerary of four days.
Desert Safari
Dubai is primarily a desert land, and this is where the Emiratis resided before they shifted to and built their life in the city. A trip to the desert gives you a glimpse of the life of the Arabs in the past. Moreover, it is also filled with lot of fun and entertainment. The desert safari lasts for half a day and begins in the evening and ends at night. The time in between is where you can partake in adventure, good food and lot of entertainment. For the adventurous, there is dune bashing, camel riding, quad biking and camel riding. For lovers of nature, there is opportunity to enjoy the shades of the setting sun in the desert. The evening is filled with lots of entertainment options like belly dancing, magic shows and Tanura dancing. You also get to enjoy a delicious BBQ dinner and shisha smoking too. If you have time, you can also opt for an overnight desert safari.
BurjKhalifa
If you are visiting Dubai, you cannot return to your home country without making a trip to the tallest building in the world, the BurjKhalifa. With a total of 163 floors, the BurjKhalifa measures up to 829.3 meters. While most of the floors of the building are residential houses and hotels, you can visit the observation deck on the 124th floor. The best part is that the observation deck is round in shape and gives 360 degree view of the entire city. You can not only see all the buildings but also the stretch of the desert beyond the city. One of the interesting things about your visit would be the elevator ride to the 124th floor. At the BurjKhalifa, you get to ride in the fastest elevator which would take you to the observation deck in less than a minute. Do not forget to take your camera as you get to take some amazing pictures here.
Old Dubai
Although Dubai has achieved the heights of growth and development, the place has managed to preserve its traditions and culture in a small part of the city. This is why a visit to Old Dubai and the Bastakia Quarter is a must for tourists and travellers. Old Dubai is bereft of the glitz and glamour of the city, but is filled with an old world charm that makes the trip really interesting. You can walk through the Bastakia Quarter and view the architecture and experience the culture of the place. Also, do go for the Abra ride, which is a ride on a wooden boat from Deira to Bur Dubai, on the Dubai Creek. After all the hustle-bustle and glamour of the city, this abra ride would give you some time to relax and take in the beautiful ambience of the old area of the city.
Dubai Mall
Almost every major city has a mall today, and most of the malls are more or less similar. Hence, visiting a mall when you are on holiday in Dubai would seem to be complete waste of your precious time. But this is not the case with Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall is said to be the largest mall in the world, with a size that covers almost two football grounds. Apart from ample places to shop from (around 1200 retail stores), the Dubai Mall is a major source of entertainment. One thing that is for sure is that you cannot see the entire mall in a day, so here are a few things that you should not miss when visiting the Dubai Mall.
The Dubai Mall is home to an indoor aquarium and underwater zoo. Yes, you heard it right! The aquarium and the zoo reside inside the mall! The aquarium welcomes you with a glass tunnel which is home to 140 species of marine life. The underwater zoo is also an interesting place and is definitely a delight to children. Once you have shopped, dined and roamed around the mall, you should take time to watch the fountain show right outside the mall. Beginning at six in the evening, the audio-visual show is played every 30 minutes till 11 in the night. The view of the fountain dancing with the tune of the music is magical, and you would definitely want to wait for hours to watch all the shows.
Dhow Cruise
There is no dearth of restaurants in Dubai, be it budget-friendly or expensive ones. But if you want to dine in a unique way, you must go for the dhow cruise dinner in Dubai. The dhow is a traditional Bedouin boat which has been turned into a restaurant with upper and lower decks. While the lower deck is fully air-conditioned, you get to dine in the open air if you choose the upper deck. Dhow cruises are available both on the Dubai Creek and Dubai Marina. While enjoying a delicious spread of BBQ and international cuisines, you also get to see the beautiful view of the Dubai Creek or Dubai Marina. Some entertainment shows like Tanura and belly dancing are also arranged for you on board. In short, it is the perfect way to relax and unwind after a day of sightseeing and shopping in the city.
Along with the places mentioned above, your four days trip to Dubai should also include a visit to Burj Al Arab (world's only seven star hotel), Dubai Gold Souk (where you can see the largest collection of gold and diamonds under one roof), Ibin Battuta Mall, Palm Jumeirah (palm shaped island), JBR Walk, etc.
Apart from these places, Dubai has several other interesting places which would not fail to blow your mind. But before you create your itinerary, it is important that you book your tickets and apply for Dubai visa online if you really want to visit this marvellous city. As getting a tourist visa to Dubai is quite easy, I wish you a memorable tour to this desert city!