One-Day Stopover in Dubai: What to Do and See in Dubai
If you are a frequent traveller to international locations, you are likely to have had a layover in Dubai occasionally. This is true to people who travel back and forth Asia. While some people have to catch a connecting flight within just 2-3 hours after landing in Dubai, some may have to stay for long hours. Although the Dubai airport is an interesting place and would keep you occupied and entertained during the long layover, it would be a good idea to actually leave the airport and explore the place a bit during your stopover. In fact, many people plan a Dubai stopover while travelling to other international destinations. Here we have provided you with a detailed itinerary for your one-day stopover in the city, including what to see and do in Dubai.
How Do I Book a Stopover in Dubai?
Booking a stopover in Dubai is not a difficult task. If you are flying with Emirates, you only need to inform them about your stopover plans and they would take care of everything, right from meet and greet to your stay as well as tours. On the other hand, you can also contact a travel agent who can help you with the same. One of the most important things to check is whether you require a Dubai or UAE visa. If you are a citizen of a country that requires a Dubai visa before travelling to the city, you need to apply for this beforehand. The travel agent can help you with this. As it is such a short trip, it would be best to apply for a transit visa that is valid for 48 or 96 hours. An important thing to remember is that you need to have hotel reservations if you want to get a Dubai visa. Alternatively, you need to provide the details of a sponsor, who is a resident of Dubai or UAE, if you are staying with a relative or friend.
Things to Do in Dubai: One-Day Itinerary
This itinerary is just to give an idea of how much you can cover in one day. As everyone has his or her own likes and dislikes, you can tweak the itinerary as per your interest and convenience. For your knowledge, we have provided with alternatives, so that you can choose the one that attracts you more.
Morning: Desert Safari/Dubai Frame, Dubai Museum and Dubai Creek/Dubai Souks
Morning Desert Safari (6 AM to 9 AM): There is no better way of starting your short trip in Dubai than visiting the beautiful desert, which is an integral part of the city. As most desert safaris begin around 8 or 9, go for a desert safari company that offers tailor-made tours, so that you can save time. It would be ideal to start your tour as early as possible, so you get to enjoy the magnificent sunrise in the desert. Other than this, you also get to indulge in some amazing desert adventures including dune bashing, sandboarding, quad biking and sandboarding. The morning desert safari does not include any of the entertainment activities found in the evening desert safari. However, you would be able to dig into a scrumptious Emirati breakfast with aromatic Arabic coffee before leaving for the city.
Timings: Customize the timing of the tour as per your convenience
Duration: 3 hours
Location: Dubai Desert Conservatory Region
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Dubai Frame (9 AM to 10 AM): If you think that you cannot manage the morning desert safari in your itinerary, you can start your trip by checking out the aerial view of the city from the Dubai Frame. It is a relatively new addition to the marvellous buildings of the city. The Dubai Frame is designed like a photo frame and strategically placed, so that you can see the old city from one side and the new city from the other side of the bridge that connects the Dubai Frame.
Timings: 9 AM to 9 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Location: Gate 4, Zabeel Park Jogging Track, Dubai, UAE
Dubai Museum (10:30 AM to 11:30 AM): After an enthusiastic trip to the desert, head to Dubai Museum, located in the heart of the old Dubai, to glance at the past of the city. Dubai Museum is set inside the Al Fahidi Fort, which is considered to be the oldest standing structure of the city. Compared to the gleaming modern buildings of Dubai, Al Fahidi Fort surely looks ancient and does recreate the ambience of the old times. Through interesting artifacts and exhibits, you would get to know about the past of the Emiratis before they moved to the city. You would get to see their occupation, houses, clothes, accessories, markets, etc. There is lot of things to know which would surely satisfy people who love history. At the end of the tour, you would get to see an audio-visual clip that shows the story of the incredible development of Dubai from being a desert land to the ultra-modern metropolis of today.
Timings: 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM (Saturday to Thursday) and 2:30 PM to 8:30 PM (Friday)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: Al Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai, Dubai, UAE
Abra Ride on Dubai Creek (11:30 AM to 12:00 PM): The Dubai Museum is close to the Dubai Creek, which is one of the most important locations of the city. It is here where the Bani Yas Tribe first settled, when they moved from the desert. Today, the creek divides the city into two: Bur Dubai and Deira, both important business centres. To enjoy the view of both sides of the Creek, you must go on a ride on the modest abra, which was used in the earlier days for transportation. In only AED 1, you can enjoy an abra ride from one end of the Dubai Creek to the other and at the same do some sightseeing.
Timings
- Route 1: 5 AM to 12 AM
- Route 2: 24 hours
Duration: Maximum 10 minutes
Location: Deira Old Souk Abra Station/Bur Dubai Abra Station/Sabkha Abra Station/Dubai Old Souk Abra Station
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Dubai Souks (11:30 AM to 12:30 PM): If shopping is on your mind, you must visit the souks of Dubai. One of the most popular souks in Dubai is the gold souk, which has more than 300 gold stores. Next to it is the perfume souk, followed by the spice souk. While you can easily spend an entire day exploring and shopping at these souks, you do not have such a privilege when you are in the city for a stopover holiday. In this case, it would be best to do some research and choose what you want t buy. This way you can save a lot of time.
Timings: 10 AM to 10 PM
Duration: 1-2 hours
Location: Deira, Dubai, UAE
Afternoon: Dubai Mall, Dubai Mall Aquarium and Underwater Zoo/VR Park
Dubai Mall Food Court (1 PM to 2 PM): With so much activity from early morning, you must be quite hungry. Instead of wasting time looking for a place for lunch, head to Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world, which has a huge food court. You would find restaurants and stalls that serve different types of cuisines here. In short, you would be spoilt for choice at Dubai Mall’s food court.
Timings: 10 AM to 12 AM (approximate)
Duration: 1 hour
Location: Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, UAE
Dubai Mall Aquarium and Underwater Zoo (2 PM to 4 PM): Although exploring the whole of Dubai Mall in a short time is impossible, there is one place you must visit, and that is the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. Known to be the largest suspended aquarium in the world, you would find more than 140 species of marine animals in this aquarium. Walking through the aquarium tunnel is a surreal experience, as you would get to see sharks, manta rays, stingrays, etc. swimming around you. The aquarium also offers several interesting activities like cage diving, shark diving, shark encounter, glass bottom boat tour, etc. However, to enjoy these, you need more than two hours. However, do not forget to visit the underwater zoo on the upper floor, where you would get to meet otters, piranhas, king cobra, Humboldt Penguins, etc.
Timings: 10 AM to 12 AM
Duration: 2-4 hours
Location: Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, UAE
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VR Park (2 PM to 4 PM): If the Dubai Mall Aquarium and Underwater Zoo do not interest you, you can choose to visit another popular attraction of Dubai Mall, i.e. the VR Park. The VR Park Dubai is a gaming zone that brings together virtual and augmented reality. Spread around an area of 75,000 square feet, the park has 18 interactive experiences, each one more thrilling and adventurous than the other. It is perfect for those who love adventure and thrill.
Timings: 10 AM to 12 AM (Sunday to Thursday), 9 AM to 1 AM (Friday) and 9 AM to 12 AM (Saturday)
Duration: 2-3 hours
Location: Dubai Mall, Financial Center Road, Downtown Dubai, UAE
Evening: Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountain Show and Dhow Cruise/Dubai Water Canal
Burj Khalifa (4:30 PM to 6:00 PM): Located next to the Dubai Mall is one of the marvels of modern architecture, the Burj Khalifa. Although viewing the tallest building in the world from the outside is a delight, taking the Burj Khalifa observation deck tour is even more special. The evening time, just before sunset, is said to be the best time visit the Burj Khalifa as you would get to see the view of the city during the golden hour. Also, you would get to catch the sunset from a really high level, which in itself makes it special. The entrance to the Burj Khalifa is on the ground floor of the Dubai Mall, so you do not have to spend time travelling. Some other highlights of the Burj Khalifa tour is that you get to ride in one of the fastest elevators in the world and also visit a museum that shows the story of Burj Khalifa through photos and videos.
Timings: 8 AM to 11:30 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Location: 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd, Downtown Dubai, UAE
Dubai Fountain Show (7 PM to 7:30 PM): Outside the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa is the massive Burj Lake, which is most popular for its fountain show. Every evening after 7, you would get to see the Dubai Fountain Show at the Burj Lake. The fountain show is a beautiful symphony of music and lights. When the soulful music plays, the fountain starts dancing as per the rhythm and tune of the music. The show happens every 30 minutes, and each time you would get to hear a different music and different movements of the fountain. One of the highlights of the show is watching the fountain soar up to 140 meters, which is equal to 45th level of a building. If you want to have a closer look, you can go for a boat tour on the Burj Lake.
Timings: 7 PM to 11 PM
Duration: 5-10 minutes
Location: Fashion Parking, Dubai Mall, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd, Dubai, UAE
Dhow Cruise Dinner (8 PM to 11 PM): End your Dubai trip with a quiet dinner on a dhow cruise. The dhow cruise happens on both Dubai Creek as well as the Dubai Marina. As you have already gone on an abra ride on Dubai Creek, it would be best to opt for dhow cruise dinner on Dubai Marina, one of the swankiest localities in Dubai. You get to spend three hours on a traditional dhow, designed like a modern restaurant. While enjoying a delicious three-course buffet dinner (consisting of both Emirati and international cuisine), do not forget to check out the amazing sights of the Dubai Marina. You would also enjoy an entertaining performance by a Tanoura dancer while on board.
Timings: 8 PM to 11 PM
Duration: 3 hours
Location: Dubai Marina, Dubai, UAE
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Dubai Water Canal (8 PM to 11 PM): If you do not fancy dhow cruise dinner, you can enjoy a visit to the Dubai Water Canal, as the final destination of your Dubai tour. The Dubai Water Canal is a 3.2 km waterway that connects the Dubai Creek to the Arabian Sea via Business Bay. The highlights of the place are running track, cycling path, mechanical waterfall, etc. It is a great place to hangout enjoying the views of the nearby areas of the city. You can also go on a canal cruise here.
Timings: 24×7
Duration: 2-3 hours
Location: 49th Street, Between Safa and Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
Where to Stay in Dubai?
Even if you are staying in Dubai for a day, you need to book a room at one of the hotels in the city to spend your night. There is no dearth of hotel rooms in Dubai, and you can find one that is perfect for you as per your budget and requirements. While staying closer to the airport would be better if you do not want to be stuck in traffic while on the way to the airport, staying in Downtown Dubai would give you better access to the famous tourist spots. Here are some hotel recommendations for you to stay during your layover in Dubai:
- Le Meridian Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre
- Rove Downtown Dubai
- Steigenberger Hotel – Business Bay
- Radisson Blu Dubai Downtown
- Al Bustan Rotana
- Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport
- The Palace Downtown Dubai
- Armani Hotel Dubai
- The Address, Dubai Mall
- Dubai International Hotel
- Burj Al Arab
- Sofitel Dubai Downtown
If you are planning a day’s layover in Dubai, make sure to plan your itinerary and book all the entry tickets online. This will save you both time and money. On the other hand, when it comes to commuting within the city, both cab and metro are good options.