Dubai is an absolutely wonderful city, with bright lights in the heart of town, to a stunning desert just minutes outside. Planning a Dubai trip can be done in many different ways, depending on your type of vacation, but I will be explaining the trip based off of our experiences and what we enjoyed the most.
Planning Your Dubai Trip
Preparing for the trip is extremely important as it is very hot and dry during the summer months. If you are planning Dubai trip during summer, be sure to pack very light clothing and to always have water with you throughout your stay. There is sweltering heat and it is not advisable to stay outside for longer than 15-20 minutes at a time.
If you want to listen to me talk about our Dubai Trip, check out my video – https://youtu.be/0wVp25nERtA
Dubai is a large city in the country of United Arab Emirates, located in the Middle East. The best way to come into the UAE is to fly either by Emirates into Dubai, or Etihad into Abu Dhabi. I personally recommend Emirates since they provide better service and quality for around the same price.
You will be welcomed into Dubai Airport with grand views, pillars plated with gold as you walk through customs and baggage claims. Once you are at the exit of the airport, I recommend taking a taxi or Uber to your hotel room. Dubai has the largest taxi fleet with over 1100 taxis cruising the streets of Dubai, with affordable fares.
Always get around with a taxi. Once we arrived at our hotel, we made a bad decision to walk 1 mile to the Dubai Museum. It was very hot and we were all sweating profusely. It is always the best decision to get around in a taxi. You can visit during the winter, but prices of all attractions and hotels triple, so I would personally recommend going in the summer, even though it will be a little hotter.
Burj Khalifa
Now that I have explained the musts while enjoying your stay in the UAE, I will tell some of the attractions a traveler must visit. Of course it is a must to visit the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building. The Burj Khalifa is right next to the Dubai mall, literally touching it, so be sure to set aside one day for both. Make sure to book your trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa at an evening time. This is so you can see the city at day and night. Spend time at the Dubai mall during the day. You can visit the aquarium in the mall, then go to the top of the Burj Khalifa at your reserved time.
The view from the top is absolutely spectacular. You can even watch the fountain show from the top, this will be an unforgettable moment.
And watching the lights brighten the whole city to life makes for such a spectacular view and experience.
There is more to Dubai than just the Burj Khalifa, with the Dubai Frame, Burj Al Arab, the gold and spice soukhs, and the Palm Jumeirah. These can be all combined in one day, making a city tour while doing this. I would also set aside a day to enjoy the desert safari. You can do dune bashing, and other fun stuff in the desert. This makes for a one of a kind view of the whole desert.
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is also a city where you can spend one day. You can visit the Emirates Palace, Ferrari World, the Louvre, and Qasr al Watan (Presidential Palace). The Qasr al Watan is a place you should not miss. The country built the palace to give tourists a better understanding of UAE and its politics. The palace itself is wonderful, almost all plated with gold. Even the toilets are plated with gold! I will go in depth with Abu Dhabi in another blog entry.
The UAE is such a wonderful place. I would recommend spending between 4-6 days in Dubai to get the full experience. Coming back home will always be sad, but Dubai will be a trip that you will never forget.