Making most of 3 days in Dubai – all the highlights

Dubai was never really top of my bucket list. I typically prefer quiet, offbeat places over large cities and I was put of by the cost. Dubai does not even top the charts when it comes to most expensive cities in the world, but still, it is very pricey for visitors. A good deal on flights (using lots of airmiles) and choosing travel dates in the shoulder season made it manageable. A big advantage, in my opinion, if you’re travelling from central Europe, is the option to take overnight flights to and from the UAE – this means you maximise your time at your destination whilst paying for minimal hotel nights.

For us, Dubai was part of a longer trip around the United Arab Emirates. We spent 3 days in the city at the beginning of our trip. For me, that was the perfect amount of time. We planned our trip ahead to make most of our time and squeezed in all the highlights. In case you have more time to spend, I have included some options for adding to your travel plan.

Getting around and accommodation

We found it very easy to get around in Dubai – the city felt super safe and the Dubai Metro is a very efficient and affordable way to get around. A few times we took a taxi and this was also very easy. We flagged it down on the street and always got a metered car and helpful driver.

For the day trips away from Dubai, we used a rental car. However, driving around town is pretty stressful. In hindsight I would prefer the public frequent buses or in some cases and organised tour.

Our hotel choice, the Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa in Al Bastakiya, part of Old Dubai, was excellent! Of course, accommodation in Dubai is plenty. You can compare options here.        

DAY 1 – old and modern Dubai

It was early morning when we touched down at Dubai airport. We took at taxi from the taxi rank at the airport to take us to the Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa. I picked the hotel for a number of reasons: I was keen to stay in the old town, since this makes a good base for exploring the entire city, I wanted to stay in a hotel with an “old Arabian palace” feeling rather than a super modern place and I didn’t want to spend a load of money on it. Arabian Courtyard ticked all the boxes and turned out very pleasant. Despite our early arrival, we could check in immediately and freshen up. Luckily, we’d had a relatively good night’s sleep on the plane, so we were ready to go and had a long day ahead of us.

Enjoying an Arabian breakfast

Before going anywhere though, we had to satisfy our hungry stomachs. When reading up about Dubai prior to the trip, I had read consistently positive reviews about breakfast at the Arabian Tea House Café, located very close to the hotel, so this has to be our first stop. The café is located at a busy roundabout, but once you’re seated in the inner courtyard, traffic seems very far away. I ordered the Arabian breakfast platter, expecting to get several small bites of things to sample. Instead I got a huge tray filled with breads and breakfast items that could probably have fed an entire family. The selection of food and the taste were superb, but to my embarrassment I couldn’t finish it. My husband ordered a plate of balaleet – a fine, sweet pasta flavoured with cinnamon and other spices which was more manageable.

Dubai Museum in Al Fahidi Fort

With full stomachs, we set off for a day of walking. The main sights of Old Dubai are located in a relatively small area that you can easily cover on foot. The old town has undergone significant restoration – it looks very pretty, but feels somewhat artificial. After a short wander around the narrow streets, we decided to enter the Dubai Museum. It’s an excellent museum that gives you a good overview of Emirati history and culture. The location in the old Al Fahidi fort is very suitable. We spent close to two hours going around the exhibits.

Crossing Dubai Creek

Next we walked along Dubai Creek to the Heritage Village. This walk took us along Bur Dubai souk and lots of touristy shops and cafés. We didn’t linger very long and walked back to the abra station. These traditional wooden boats extensively travel Dubai Creek and for just one Dirham you can catch a ride to the other side. We strolled around the Gold Souk and Spice Souk and explored the surrounding streets. Interesting, but we found it too touristy to really take it in.

Downtown Dubai

In the late afternoon we walked to Al Fahidi metro station for a trip to Downtown Dubai. None of our credit cards worked at the vending machines, so luckily we had enough cash. The Dubai metro is very efficient, yet the trip to Downtown took longer than we expected. The most iconic sight is probably the Burj Khalifa. This skyscraper of 829 metres has long been the tallest building in the world. We refrained from going up to the observation deck, because it’s located “only” at level 125, around two thirds of the way up, and we were slightly disappointed by that.

We spent a couple of hours strolling around the walkways surrounding the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountains (only in action by night) as well as the pretty Al Bahar souk and the Dubai Mall. Even though the mall is impressive, window shopping was all we did. Prices are significantly higher compared to Europe, even in regular retail shops.

My husband had booked us dinner at Bice Mare, an Italian restaurant with a great view of the Dubai Fountains and the Burj Khalifa. If you are planning to have a nice dinner in Downtown Dubai, book ahead. The mall gets crowded in the evening time. Both tourists and locals fill up the restaurants after doing their shopping. Even though the restaurant nowhere close to the upper-range eateries, the bill was pretty steep. 

Top tip: if you want to enjoy the Dubai Fountains without spending money on an expensive restaurant, have a burger at Five Guys in the Dubai Mall. This hamburger chain has got a terrace overlooking the fountains and the view you get is really good. We found this out by accident on our last day in the UAE when we wanted a quick bite to eat before going to the airport!

DAY 2 – Taking it easy in Jumeirah & Dubai Marina

The Burj al Arab & Madinat Jumeirah

The Burj al Arab is the only seven-star hotel in the world and if you can’t afford to stay there, you’re not alone. Nonetheless, we were very keen to see it and not just from the outside. As you are only allowed to enter the hotel if you have a booking of some sort, we made the only booking we could afford: breakfast. A combination of metro and taxi brought us to the Burj al Arab on the morning of our second day. Security actually checks your booking, so make sure you have print-out of the booking form and keep your passport handy. The breakfast cost us around 60 euros per person and it was amazing. The psychedelic interior of the Burj al Arab is definitely not my style, but it was very impressive and we took ample time to wander around and take photos.

By the time we left the hotel, it was pretty close to lunchtime. Our next stop, Madinat Jumeirah, was at walking distance, which is quite rare in Dubai. We reached Madinat Jumeirah after a 15 minutes’ walk along the beach. It’s essentially an Arab style hotel complex set up as a mini city. We wandered around the restaurants, the gardens and souk – very relaxed and refreshing in the hot temperatures.

Al Safa on foot

Our next stop was Majlis Ghorfat Umm Al Sheif in the Al Safa neighbourhood. The traditional house was built around 1955 as a summer retreat for the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. It is now tucked away in a residential area where even the taxi driver struggled to find it. The traditional palm garden has gone dry and the “falaj” (irrigation system) is no longer operational, but otherwise this is a very nicely kept example of a “majlis” (front parlour). We were the only people there at the time of our visit and the friendly staff were keen to show us around and chat.

We continued the discovery of Al Safa on foot with a walk along the Dubai Water Canal. We joined the canal boardwalk close to Majlis Ghorfat Umm Al Sheif and walked to the Business Bay metro station. The walk took a lot longer than expected and with all the construction going on, it was not extremely pretty. If I were pressed for time, this is the bit I would skip and grab cab instead to the nearest metro station.

Dubai Marina

It was getting late on the day when we reached the final item on our plan, Dubai Marina, with a combination of metro and tram. This actually worked out well as the marina is pretty much deserted during daytime and many restaurants and shops are closed, whereas it gets really lively once the sun sets. A loop walk took us around the marina and main promenade. We considered staying in the area for dinner, but decided against it since we were quite far away from our hotel and dreading the trek back.

After getting back to Al Fahidi on public transport, we headed to the XVA hotel Dubai. This small boutique hotel has got an inner courtyard that serves excellent food and fresh juice cocktails. The building is tucked away in the narrow streets of the old town. Despite the help of Google Maps, we spent a good 20 minutes wandering around the area before stumbling on it by accident.  

EXTENDING YOUR STAY – ideas for easy day trips

If you want to get away from the bustle of the city after three days, here are some options for easy day trips. We picked up a rental car to see these places. Public transport or organised tours are good alternatives if you don’t want the burden of driving (which is quite stressful in town!).

Sharjah – the most traditional of the Emirates

Our first stop after Dubai was Sharjah, the small Emirate next to Dubai. Catch the bus from Bur Dubai for a 1 hour trip or visit as part of a tour. It is the most traditional of the seven Emirates and the only one that is completely “dry”. Legally you are not even allowed to drive through Sharjah with alcohol in your car. Sharjah has got a number of excellent museums (buy the affordable combi ticket!) and a nice town centre. Other than Dubai’s restored city centre, Sharjah feels livelier. We sat in a small café for an hour or so, enjoying a fresh juice, to watch daily life.

Dubai Heritage Safari – a night in the desert

The thing I was most excited about when going to the UAE was the desert, so a night in desert camp had to be part of the programme. Dubai Heritage Safari came recommended by a friend and as far as I could tell from my research, it is the only operator that offers a safari with overnight “glamping” stay in a Bedouin-style camp. We opted for the formula including a desert drive in vintage range rovers and loved it.

Check out my detailed post about visiting the Dubai desert!

Atlantis the Palm – relaxation and adrenaline in the water park

My husband was super keen to see the famous Palm and the Atlantis hotel, so we opted for a day in the Atlantis water park. We had a good day enjoying the attractions, the beach and dinner in the hotel.

Bear in mind that most attractions are pretty wild! If you like a water park, but are looking for a lower key place, I’ve been told by several people that the Wild Wadi water park in Jumeirah is excellent. Also, Atlantis is very popular so make sure to get organised and book tickets upfront (it’s cheaper too).

Abu Dhabi – that other large town of the UAE

If you want to take in all the key sights of the UAE, Abu Dhabi is a must. We had a rental car and were not dependent on public transport, but catching a bus to Abu Dhabi is equally easy and works well for a day trip. If you want to optimise your day, an organised tour is the best option.

Al Ain – an old Emirate town with Unesco listed date oasis

Al Ain is the prettiest small town I have visited in the UAE. Located in the Fujeirah Emirate, it can be reached from Dubai by bus. If you want a more relaxed day, organised day trips are on offer as well. A walk around the date oasis, the souk and the excellent museums will easily fill your day.