World City Guide

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
Dubai is a sprawling city that can be difficult to walk around and there are no official guided or signposted tours. However, a self-guided stroll around the older central parts of Deira and Bur Dubai is a great way of discovering the delights of the city, exploring its traditional souks or stumbling across hidden mosques or wind towers.

Bus Tours
A number of companies offer half-day city tours, including Arabian Adventures (tel: (04) 303 4888; website: www.arabian-adventures.com) and Net Tours Dubai (tel: (04) 226 8661; website: www.nettoursdubai.com). Tours vary depending on the operator but most go to the old and new Dubai souks, Jumeirah Mosque, the thriving commercial area and include a creek crossing by abra (local water taxi). Prices start at Dh110. Another option is to see Dubai by night. Post-tour dinner in one of Dubai’s many restaurants is usually a feature of the night-time tours, which also incorporate the mosques, palaces and souks. The tours operate a very organised system, with pick-up at all main hotels.

Boat Tours
Arabian Adventures (tel: (04) 303 4888, website: www.arabian-adventures.com) offers a variety of cruises on Dubai Creek, with prices starting at Dh150 for a half-day adventure aboard a 20m (65ft) schooner, which sets off onto the Arabian Gulf from the International Marine Club. Other Arabian Adventure cruises depart from the Sheik Zayed Road, next to the Metropolitan Resort and Beach Club. Alpha Tours (tel: (04) 294 9888; website: www.alphatoursdubai.com) operates evening dhow dinner cruises, which take two hours and cost Dh230. Alternatively, tourists should go down to Dubai Creek and charter a traditional abra (water taxi), which costs Dh40-60 for a short river tour lasting 60-90 minutes. The length of the tour and the price should be agreed in advance. Otherwise, visitors can just ride one across the creek to the other side (journey time – 5 minutes) for Dh0.50.