Imagine you are off travelling somewhere relatively far flung. The Maldives, Thailand, Mauritius or even Bali. Where is one of the best places to stop? Dubai of course! This neo-metropolis is becoming ever more popular with holidaymakers and it isn’t hard to see why. When we travelled to Mauritius, we decided to have a short layover here to explore the city. If you only have 24 hours in Dubai, then this is what I would recommend…
24 Hours in Dubai
Arrival – Early Morning
If you are going to cram Dubai in 24 hours, then you need to arrive early. Whilst we had 48 hours in Dubai (blog post coming soon!), we still got to our hotel at about 07:30am. We stayed at the Taj Downtown, which was relatively cheap, luxurious and had an excellent location. I would recommend staying here if you are in Dubai.
Hopefully you can check in but, if not, drop your backs off at the lobby and go to the Taj buffet for breakfast. Indulge in some Arabic favourites (the Lebanese cheese rolls served when we were there are amazing), or some classic breakfast pastries. If you fancy it, there are also a number of hot Indian breakfast dishes available. Once breakfast has been washed down with your favourite coffee, grab your stuff and get out into the city.
Early Morning Exploring
The one place you must go to is the Creek in Deira. This is the older part of the city and is home to markets and shops. Nearby are the Souks, which are the more traditional Arabian markets. You can get to the Creek area by the Dubai Metro or, to be honest, by taxi. It will take you just over half an hour from the Taj and the journey is really easy.
To get to some souks (Spice and Gold) you will need to cross the river via an abra, a traditional boat. This is a fun experience in itself. Once you have been to a few Souks and bought and browsed to your heart’s content, then it is time to move on to the next stop. The abra is not very expensive and costs only a few AED.
Head to the Metro line and take it all the way to The Palm Jumeirah. This exclusive island isn’t accessible by Metro, and you need to change to take a tram, and then a monorail (for an extra cost) down to the end. Head on down the monorail line and eventually you’ll see an iconic sight; The Atlantis Hotel.
To be honest, there isn’t much else to see here. There is a famous water park and aquarium, with some restaurants. However, we only have 24 hours in Dubai to spend so it is back on the Monorail!
Lunch
For lunch, we’re going to treat ourselves to the luxury of Dubai. Head back to the Metro station and catch the X28 bus. This will take you down to the Burj al Arab, an iconic hotel on the beach in Dubai. This exclusive hotel is ridiculously expensive to stay at (on the bucket list!), but it does apparently make a phenomenal lunch. Kick back and enjoy being pampered. Try some local food and drink and watch the waves crash along the beach.
If you are looking for something a bit cheaper, there are plenty of other restaurants nearby at the beach. Or, simply have lunch at Atlantis!
The Afternoon
Catch the Metro right back to the city centre. No trip to Dubai is complete without a trip up the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. You can buy tickets online to various floors, meaning that you can go as high as you dare!
Take the elevator up and spend time admiring the cityscape. On clear days, you can see for miles around and you can retrace your steps over the day. Whilst you are on top of the world, grab yourself a glass of bubbly and enjoy the view!
When it is time to go back down, make a short walk over to Dubai Mall. This is probably the best shopping experience I have ever had. Every single shop you can imagine is there and, as you would expect, it is home to the utmost luxury. You could even spend time exploring the mall and make time to see the famous waterfall or aquarium!
The Evening
In the mall area grab some lunch. Every style of cuisine you can imagine is here and the prices are not too expensive. Why not go out for dinner and grab a drink to celebrate the day spent in Dubai? Once you have finished your meal, the city has one more surprise for you; the fountain light show! These were made by the same company that did the one in Las Vegas and I would argue that they are just as good.
After you have been entertained by the fountains, it is time to head on back to the hotel and rest, ready for your next adventure. The Taj offers a free shuttle bus from the mall back to the hotel which is super handy and will save you a fair few steps after a busy day of exploring!
Final Thoughts
24 hours in Dubai is just enough to see everything. However, I felt that 48 hours wasn’t quite enough so I appreciate this itinerary is very speedy. I hope that you find it helpful and stay tuned for longer times in this futuristic city.
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Other posts that may help you:
- 20 Photos to Inspire your next trip to Dubai
- Reasons to visit Chiang Mai
- Authentic Experiences in Mauritius
- 10 Reasons to visit Mauritius
Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the post! If you have any questions about our trip to Dubai please do get in touch in the comments below.
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Happy exploring,
Love Victoria X
