[UAE] Dubai - 24 Hours in Dubai - Itinerary

If you want a taste of the best of Dubai, it is possible to squeeze in the top sights in 24hrs. Since Dubai is a hub for connecting flights, why not break the journey and extend your stopover to take in the sights. This is not an exhaustive list, I added some extras to be added if required

8 am- Depart from the airport, head towards the nearby Deira region,

10 am- Start the day exploring Deira region

Sidestreet in Deira

Gold Souq- Largest gold ring in the world!

Traditional shoes on sale

• Check out the Souq's in this traditional area, Gold Souq and Spice Souq are worth visiting and is best done just wandering around the side streets to get a feel for it.

12 am- Pop in for a quick trip into the Dubai Museum

• Hop on an abra (small passenger boat) which will whizz you across the Dubai creek and wander around the interesting Dubai Museum

  

  Abra 'taxis' on Dubai creek

  
  

  

  Central area of Dubai museum

  
  

2 pm- Grab some lunch and then get on the metro and head toward the city centre.

• Grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant and then wander up the river to the nearby Metro station. (Al Ghubaiba) Take the metro to Dubai Mall.

4 pm- Spend some time exploring Dubai Mall

• Inside this mall there are tons of shops as well as other attractions like the aquarium

  

  Huge public aquarium tank- so many fish

6 pm- Burj Khalifa tour

• It is best to prebook your tickets to avoid queuing for too long. If you time it right you can catch the view before/after sunset. There is quite a bit of queuing and walking required, but it is definitely worth it (after sunset the queue for the lift down is crazy!) 

  

  View from the observation level

8 pm- Grab some food and watch the fountain show

• Check out the fountain show outside the mall and grab some food for dinner.

  

  Dubai fountain show

10 pm- Relax with some sheesha

• Head back to the hotel and find a local Sheesha cafe

0430 am- Early start for the hot air balloon ride

• It's an early start for the hot air balloon ride, was my first time to ride one, but was a great experience. The ride we took started out in the desert and we slowly drifted towards Dubai as the sun was rising.

Warming up the air

View across the desert from the balloon

0800 am- Head back to the airport

Extras

If you have more time, or want to squeeze more in, there are lots of other things you can also do

Mall of the Emirates

• Fancy learning to ski in Dubai, why not take a lesson at the Mall of the emirates!

Ski slope

Children's toboggan run

Palm Jumeriah

These artificial islands are still under construction for some areas but you can head on the monorail to the end and check out the Atlantis hotel complex. There is also a waterpark as well as a small shopping complex.

Atlantis Hotel

Jumeriah Madinat

• This hotel/shopping/residential complex is a relaxing and cool escape from the city. You can take a cruise around the waterways to take it all in.

Burj Al Arab in the background