With five days in Dubai, you can take in a lot more. Here are some suggestions:
Spend your first day in Dubai by getting an overview of the city's main landmarks through a trip on the Big Bus tour.
The Big Bus is an open-top air-conditioned Double Decker bus which takes you on a sight-seeing tour of Dubai. An informative commentary is available in 8 languages and you can hop on and off the bus at anytime to visit the city's most famous landmarks like the Dubai Museum and Sheikh Saeed Al Makhoum's house whose entry fare are included in your ticket price. The bus also stops at Creek Walk from where you can board a dhow (traditional Arabian sailing vessel) for a one-hour cruise along the creek. The fare for the dhow is also complimentary in your ticket. Then you can visit the Gold Souk and the traditional Spice Souk found on the Deira side of the creek for great bargains on gold and typical Arabic and South Asian spices and herbs.
You can finish the day by engaging in some shopping at the Dubai Mall and enjoying dinner in one of the restaurants near the spectacular artificial waterfall inside the mall or along the Dubai Mall Waterfront promenade. From there you will also have a great view of the amazing synchronised water displays of the Dubai Fountain.
You can start the day by immersing yourself in Dubai's rich cultural heritage. Leave in the morning and enjoy a traditional home-made Emirati breakfast at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU), a typical wind tower house found in the Bastakiya Quarter of Dubai.
After breakfast, join one of the tours of the Jumeirah Mosque, the only mosque in the UAE open to non-Muslims. No advance booking is required and the meeting point is infront of the Jumeirah mosque. But remember that you have to dress conservatively and women have to cover their heads in the mosque; it is possible to borrow headscarves there itself.
Then join one of the guided walking tours around Bastakiya, one of the heritage sites of Dubai. Experience how the people lived in past by strolling through the picturesque alleys, traditional residences and wind towers. The tour is followed by coffee and dates at the Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding where you can have all your questions answered.
After lunch in one of the comfortable cafes and restaurants, spend the afternoon at the Dubai Museum which is housed in the Al-Fahidi Fort, the oldest building in Dubai. Enjoy the fascinating displays about pearl diving, including pearl merchant's weights, scales and shieves.
After this trip to the past, you can spend the evening relaxing in one of the numerous bars or restaurants of the city which offer great panoramic views of the Gulf.
Day 3
Start your day in Dubai by taking a walk along the white sandy Jumeirah public beach. Seize the opportunity to take great photographs of the Burj Al-Arab, the famous hotel located on an artificial island and shaped like the sail of a ship. Then grab brunch at the Jumeirah Beach Café before heading to the Mall of Emirates which in addition to the numerous renowned retail outlets boasts the first indoor ski slope of Dubai, Ski Dubai.
Afterwards spend the afternoon strolling around the green lawns of the Jumeirah Beach Park. There are play areas for children, volleyball areas and a jetty area extending on the beach.
You can have dinner at one of the many restaurants in Jumeirah and enjoy a lovely evening in one of the rooftop bars offering amazing panoramic views, especially day sunset.
Day 4
Your stay in Dubai would be incomplete without a safari in the desert. There are a lot of tour operators which offer different packages for morning, full-day or evening safaris. A typical safari includes dune bashing (an adrenaline pumping bash against the sand dunes in a 4WD), camel rides, lunch/dinner at a typical campsite and belly dancing by exotic dancers.
Depending upon whether you choose the morning or evening safari you can spend the afternoon or morning at the Dubai Mall, located at the base of the which Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world. The Dubai Mall boasts as many as 600 retailers in addition to an Olympic sized skating rink, underwater zoo and aquarium.
After shopping you can head to the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa to experience the amazing view of the Gulf and Arabian Desert from the top floor observation deck.
Day 5
While in Dubai, you can also visit the other emirates. Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE is located south west of Dubai and is about 2 hour drive from it. On the way you pass by the Jebel Ali Port, the largest man-made port in the world. The capital itself is full of skyscrapers and has even been dubbed the Manhattan of the Middle-East.
Visiting places include the Petroleum Exhibition which provides a great overview of the history and economic evolution of Abu Dhabi; the Heritage Village which is a reflection of the lifestyle and traditions of the Bedouin culture and the Al Hosn Palace or White Fort, the oldest building in Abu Dhabi, to name a few.
There are also a number of souks (markets) selling a variety of items like oriental carpets, handicrafts, antiques and spices.
You can end your day trip by stopping at the Batteen shipyard where wooden sailing dhows are built or repaired.
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