This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.
Visit Dubai in one day: explore the extravagant malls and the indoor ski slope, see the tallest building in the world and the famous sail of Dubai.
There is so much to do in Dubai in one day!
Dubai has become a multicultural city. The rules that you would normally follow everywhere else in the United Arab Emirates are a little bit more flexible here.
You will see girls wearing shorts and tops.
Anyway for my visit to Dubai in one day I stuck to their dress code. I’m still a blonde girl by herself in an Arab country after all.
I arrived in Dubai by bus from Abu Dhabi. It’s a pretty easy ride: it takes about 2 hours to get there and the buses from Abu Dhabi to Dubai are frequent and cheap. You can buy your return ticket directly at the bus station in Abu Dhabi.
Once in Dubai you can buy a metro day pass at the station for 20AED (around 5€). The metro stops are all close to the most famous spots so it’s a convenient way to get around.
EAT AT THE NEFERTITI RESTAURANT.
My first stop is the Nefertiti Restaurant, just a stop away from the bus station.
I had some amazing meat dumplings called Peljmeni that I dipped into delicious sour cream. If you pass by this restaurant try them!
VISIT THE MALL OF EMIRATES.
After this satisfying meal, me and my happy full stomach headed to the Mall of the Emirates.
The Mall of the Emirates is famous for its indoor ski resort. I had no intention at all to ski (fine you got me! I can’t ski) but just seeing a ski slope inside a mall is amazing!
SEE THE SAIL OF THE BURJ AL ARAB HOTEL.
The modern icon of Dubai is the famous sail of the luxury Burj Al Arab Hotel.
The only way to visit the hotel is by making a reservation for something inside the resort like an afternoon tea or obviously a room!!
Well I didn’t go to Dubai to become poor so I decided that I would just watch the sail from the distance.
So I took a taxi and went to Umm Suqeim Beach where you can have a very good view of the hotel.
I hope nobody got me while taking this photo or I would still be wanted in Dubai!
CLIMB THE BURJ KHALIFA.
Another symbol of Dubai is the Burj Khalifa: the tallest skyscraper in the world.
This is absolutely something that you can’t miss!
You can buy online the ticket to go to the top. As for me I was just interested in seeing this super famous and impressing building from the outside.
The Burj Khalifa is at the same metro stop of the Dubai Mall.
VISIT THE DUBAI MALL.
If you think that a ski slope is the strangest thing that you can find in a mall, well you still haven’t seen what you can find inside the Dubai Mall.
If you are visiting the Dubai Mall make sure not to miss the fountain show on the Burj Lake.
Burj Lake Show Schedule:
Afternoon shows, daily (except Fridays)
1:00pm and 1:30pm
Afternoon shows (Fridays only)
1:30pm and 2:00pm
Evening shows, daily
6:00pm – 11:00pm, every 30 minutes
There are many spots where you can watch the show from: any restaurant or cafe around the lake, any bridge over the lake, from the tunnel that connects the mall to the metro station and of course from the top of the Burj Khalifa.
CROSS THE DUBAI CREEK.
Another beautiful experience for your visit to Dubai in one day is taking an abra (a typical Arab boat) to go across the Dubai Creek.
The best time to take it is at sunset: the colors on the creek are beautiful!
The ride is the cheapest thing in the world: only 1AED!
Once you are on the other side of the creek have fun exploring the different souks in Deira.
WALK AROUND THE GOLD SOUK, THE SPICE SOUK AND THE TEXTILE SOUK.
I loved the souks, especially the spice one. Walk around and see sacks of spices and herbs. The smell here is so exotic!
Let me just warn you about one thing: if you are blonde, you are Shakira for them.
So be ready to be called that a thousand times!
All this smell made me hungry. It’s time for a delicious shawarma.
EAT A SHAWARMA.
Shawarma is a chicken kebab wrapped in pita bread. I love it.
You can have it with tomatoes, onions, salads and different sauces.
If you like pomegranate have a pomegranate juice with your shawarma. It’s so tasty!
My visit to Dubai in one day is now over and it’s time to get the bus back to Abu Dhabi.
Some people say that Dubai is just a fake city built in the middle of nowhere. This can be true but I have to say that I found it very entertaining for a day by myself in this corner of the world.
I was very happy I could see so many famous icons and all these impressive and extraordinary constructions.
Of course don’t expect to find nature trails and heritage buildings!
But one thing is for sure: in this city you can’t get bored! Even if it’s just you and… Dubai!
See also:
USEFUL INFORMATION AND TRAVEL TIPS FOR DUBAI AND ABU DHABI
Back to:
TRAVEL TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Booking.com
