Dubai One Day Itinerary
It is true that on the day we visited Dubai the weather conditions were not ideal. The temperature reached 45-47 degrees Celsius that day. The real feel was 56 degrees Celsius. *insert scream emoji here*. Add reduced visibility because of the sand to the mix and you have a less than ideal day to visit any city.
 
We were already in Abu Dhabi with no plans to revisit the region anytime soon, so we went ahead and took a taxi to Dubai. I asked Kazuko on Instagram about a Dubai one-day itinerary as she used to live in the city. So I based our itinerary around her suggestions. 

Dubai souks

We started off visiting the spice and gold souks. The souks are pedestrian streets full of stores. The spice and gold ones get the most tourists and you get pestered a lot by the sellers. The other souks (home stuff, textile etc) are quieter. They are pale in comparison to bazaars in Istanbul and Tunisia. If you’re looking for a more authentic neighborhood definitely add them on the “things to do in Dubai” list.

Al Fahidi (Bastakiya) neighborhood

This neighborhood is across Dubai creek from the souks. Persian merchants from Bastak built the neighborhood. By the 1970s the neighborhood was in disrepair. In the 1980s locals, expats and even Prince Charles prevented the area’s demolition. The neighborhood now houses museums, craft shops, cultural exhibits, and art galleries.
 
Kazuko suggested that we visit the cafe at XVA Gallery, which we did. After spending about an hour in the heat, it was nice to rest there and enjoy some cold mint lemonades. The cafe also serves light dishes and Arabian delicacies.

Dubai Mall & Burj Khalifa 

Our last stop in our visit was Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. Both are Dubai landmarks and we wouldn’t leave them out of our one-day itinerary. The mall is one of the largest in the world. I walked approximately 3km just exploring the mall. It has a lot of restaurants and cafes which excited me more than the rest of the stores. The stores are a mix of luxury and high street brands. If you’re looking for a specific store it is worth downloading the mall’s app.

 

When the sun got down, we ventured outside. And there was Burj Khalifa. The tallest building in the world (currently). Between the mall and the tower, there is the Dubai Fountain. It is the largest choreographed fountain in the world. Every half hour from 18.30 onwards there is a show. Seeing the fountain “dance” with Burj Khalifa as a background was the highlight of the day. As it gets dark, the tower lights up and the “show” gets more extravagant. Definitely the best of the things I did in Dubai.

How to get around in Dubai:

Dubai is a large city and the various points of interest are dispersed around the city. To give you an idea the distance from Dubai Marina to Gold Souk is 31km. We used Careem to get around the city. It is very easy to use and efficient. To access Al Fahidi neighborhood from the souks you can use the boats that cross the Dubai Creek as well.

More things to do in Dubai:

If I had more than one day in Dubai here are 3 things I’d add to my itinerary:

See the city from above: there are two options for this. The obvious one is Burj Khalifa’s observation deck which will set you back AED 149. A more budget-friendly option in The Frame. It is, as the name implies, a gigantic photo frame. It provides view towards the new and old Dubai. The cost of visiting is AED 50.

Visit Burj al Arab: It is such an iconic building so I’d definitely want a photo of it.

Venture out to the dessert: Dubai offers a lot of options for desert safaris. Many years ago I took a similar safari in Tunisia.

Visit Abu Dhabi: If Dubai is your base, then a day trip to Abu Dhabi is in order.