Planning a trip to Dubai? Read on for a complete 3 days in Dubai itinerary in 2024 including the best things to do, where to eat and where to stay according to a local.
3 Days in Dubai Itinerary (2024)
Dubai, a small city in the Middle East is a modern Arabian city and a concrete jungle that attracts millions of tourists from all over the world annually. With a very small local population and limited resources to run the country, the Ruler of Dubai has turned the small Emirate of UAE into one of the biggest travel destinations on the world tourism map. Always buzzing with life, Dubai has many of entertainment activities, manmade wonders, and even some exciting adventures for the adventure seekers.
Dubai is very small in size but there is a lot to do and see in the city. Here is a 3-day Dubai itinerary to explore the best of Dubai.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission if you make a booking using my links at no extra cost to you.
Day 1 of Dubai Itinerary
Burj Al Arab
Start your morning with a visit inside of Burj Al Arab Hotel, the iconic sail-shaped hotel and one of the most well known landmarks in Dubai. This 7 star hotel is located on its own artificial island with beautiful views of the Arabian Gulf.
Even if you are not a hotel guest you can tour the inside of the hotel or enjoy a luxurious golden cappuccino at the outdoor cafe.
Kite Beach
After a nice and filling breakfast, the best way to head on with the day is to visit the most popular public beach in Dubai, Kite Beach. The Kite Beach is in close vicinity of the Burj Al Arab, which offers great views of the hotel. It also very famous for different water sports activities including kite surfing and jet skiing. Not to mention, Dubai is one of the cleanest cities in the world and the beaches of Dubai are even cleaner. As the weather of Dubai remains bright and sunny for the most part of the year, there are umbrellas and day beds to lie down and relax.
Dubai Mall & Musical Fountain
For those who don’t know, the Dubai Mall is the largest mall in the world. It is located adjacent to Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world. Visiting Dubai, then going to the Dubai mall is almost mandatory for every traveler!
The Dubai mall is a whole different world in itself. From more than 500 retail outlets to restaurants, cafes and an indoor aquarium, the Dubai Mall is never short of any entertainment. Not to mention, it requires four to five hours to completely explore the mall. The most exciting activity to do in Dubai Mall is to watch the musical fountain show. The show happens every thirty minutes every day after 6 PM. It is a free show to watch so definitely it is something not to miss.
Day 2 of Dubai Itinerary
Desert Safari
Do you know that almost 70% of Dubai’s land is desert? This means that even if you don’t love doing adventures while traveling, going for a Desert Safari in Dubai is a definite must! You can go for the safari independently but it is highly recommended to go with a tour company like this one. There are many tour companies organizing the desert safari tour. It is a four to five hours tour that starts in the morning which includes dune bashing with a professional driver. After dune bashing in the desert, there is a falcon and belly dance show which eventually ends with the lunch.
Mall of Emirates
After an adventurous start of the day with the desert safari, some afternoon nap is definitely a must! However, to start off with the evening, a visit to the Mall of Emirates could be made. The Mall of Emirates is one of the most beautifully designed malls in Dubai. It has a huge Carrefour store and a cinema too along with hundreds of retail outlets and brands. The most interesting activity to do at the Mall of Emirates is the Ski Dubai, which is a snow park.
Marina Cruise
After the lazy stroll or a shopping spree at the Mall of Emirates, the day can be ended at a high note with a dinner at the Dubai Marina Cruise. The Dubai Marina has many kinds of dinner cruises from hosted by different tour companies like this 1-hour cruise. You can find longer cruises as well:
Day 3 of Dubai Itinerary
Atlantis The Palm
The last day in Dubai can be planned to be more relaxed so starting off the day by visiting the manmade wonder of Atlantis, The Palm would be a great idea. Atlantis, The Palm is the biggest and the most luxurious resort hotels in Dubai. It is built on Palm Island, which as the name suggests is a palm-shaped artificial island. The visitors are not allowed to enter inside the premises of the hotel; however, you can still enjoy the view of the hotel from the small Corniche area right in front of the hotel.
Gold Souq
After exploring the modern side of Dubai, it is finally time to get to experience the local neighborhood of the glamorous city. The Gold Souq (Gold Market) of Dubai is the best place to get up and close with the not-so-glamorous side of Dubai. The Souq is a big marketplace with small confusing alleyways filled with tiny congested gold shops, most of which are owned by the Indian expatriates living in Dubai. The Gold Souq also happens to be one of the oldest areas of Dubai, which was formed nearly some twenty years back by the expatriate South Asian workers who came to Dubai as laborers.
Dubai Festival City Mall
After experiencing the chaos at the Gold Souq in the old Dubai area, the final stop of the trip can be the Dubai Festival City Mall. Just like any other mall in Dubai, the Dubai Festival Mall is also a huge property with hundreds of retail outlets and restaurants. However, not many people know that the Dubai Festival Mall also hosts a laser light show called ‘Imagine’ and a musical fountain show every evening just like the Dubai Mall. Though the musical fountain show is not as great as the one at the Dubai Mall this one is also definitely one to watch out for.
Dubai Travel Tips
Looking for more things to do in Dubai? You can find more unique things to do in Dubai here.
Dubai has a good public transportation system including buses and the Dubai Metro. You can find taxis easily or use a ride-hailing app such as Careem or Uber. You can also hire a full-day private car and driver.
An easy and affordable option for getting around is a Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour which stops by all the major tourist attractions.
If you enjoy guided tours, there are several half and full day tours that can provide you with an overview of Dubai, including this SUV tour, bus tour, bus and monorail tour and short helicopter tour.
To save money on admission fees, consider purchasing a tourist pass.
Where To Stay In Dubai
If you are looking for where to stay in Dubai, these are two most popular and affordable areas.
Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai is the old Dubai area, which is a twenty-minute drive away from the Dubai International Airport. This place has accommodations of all kinds for great to the boutique to some very cheap ones too. Moreover, this is a more local neighborhood in Dubai with most of the Asian expatriates living in the area; therefore, you will find a lot of Indian, Pakistani and Filipino restaurants and shops here. Bur Dubai is ideal for anyone visiting Dubai on a tight budget. However, the condition of some of the hotels would not be very good but if you’re only planning to spend a couple of nights, then staying at Bur Dubai is perfect.
Barsha
Barsha is a more modern area of Dubai, which is a thirty-five to forty minutes’ drive away from the Dubai International Airport. Barsha has a boutique to luxury accommodation options for the travelers. Also, this area is more close to the center of the city with many major monuments and places to visit in the close vicinity only. However, this is a more expensive part of Dubai as compared to the old Dubai area. Along with the high hotel prices, the overall expense for food and shopping in Barsha would be slightly more than that in Bur Dubai. However, if you’re looking to explore the urban vibe of Dubai by staying in the heart of the city, then Barsha would be the perfect choice for you to stay at.
Rahma Khan is the blogger behind ‘The Sane Adventurer‘, a blog aimed at safe travels and adventures in off the beaten tracks around the world. An engineer by profession and a traveler by passion, Rahma is currently just ten countries old. However, her love for traveling across all the continents is slowly but passionately taking her to new places. She loves nature, adventure, and animals and that’s what she seeks on all of her travels around the globe. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
5 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Dubai is incredible. Your itinerary was well made, I will probably use some of these tips in a future travel. ?
I’ve heard so much about Dubai. I never thought I’d want to go to the desert, but it’s really much more than that, isn’t it? Do they really fly kites at Kite Beach? You point out some attractions I could really enjoy!
I would definitely go on the desert safari!
I am going to Dubai next month, will definitely go for Desert Safari and Marina Cruise, Dubai looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Planning to visit Dubai with my family next year. We will surely go for the laser light show at Dubai Festival Mall. Excited to visit Dubai!
Thanks for sharing this article! 🙂