Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Dubai on a budget!

If you landed in the evening maybe rest and explore around your hotel. You will be surprised at how many amazing places you can find for shopping or eating out. For dinner: eat a shawarma(around 5-10 dirhams) and have a karak chai(2 dirhams).

My personal favourite: The K hotel (super affordable (around 250 - 300 dirhams/night), close to a metro station and great places to eat)

If you landed in the morning or afternoon, after a couple hours of rest lets head out. We will take a metro and head to Burj Khalifa/The dubai mall metro station. The metro is the most affordable way of travel in Dubai. If we are here for a few days its much better to buy a nol card ( cost 25 dirhams and come with 19 dirhams credit). We will take the red line and stand on your right. There you can spot the Dubai Frame and rhe museum of the future on the way. 

• Once we reach the metro station which was about a 15 mins ride, we will go downstairs and we will find the bus station. You can already spot the burj khalifa from here. Wait for the bus F13 Dubai Mall. This bus will take you to the front door of the Dubai mall but thats not our destination. Wait for the bus to depart the dubai mall and around 5 mins ride we will stop at a bus stop near starbucks. Find attached location.

• Walk from the bus stop to the Burj Park where we can find an amazing view of the Burj Khalifa along with Souk Al Bahar.

•Take a picture at the wings of mexico statue.

• Walk to the palace downtown hotel and have a vogue photoshoot in the entrance of the hotel. Its totally free🤩

• Now walk to the right and follow the instructions into Souk Al Bahar. Enjoy the magnificent buidings and make your way to the dubai mall.

• Catch the waterfalls at the dubai mall and the giant free aquarium.

• Come back outside at 6pm for the free fountain show. The shows are scheduled at a 30 mins interval as from 6pm. How we go early for a good spot at the front.

•Dine at Nando's or KFC at the dubai mall for a fancy experience. Lets head back to the hotel bye metro.

Lets explore one of the most beautiful and breathtaking garden in the world

• Take a metro to the mall of emirates metro station. We can also visit the mall since we are already here. Next at the bus stop below take a the bus 105 miracle garden. Its only 5 dirhams ans runs every 30 mins.

• Explore every nook and corner of this beautiful Garden and take as much pictures as possible. Book your tickets online for a much easier experience. I recommend this website for much cheaper tickets

https://www.thrillophilia.com/tours/dubai-miracle-garden?enquiry_only=true&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=181023-100-Thrillo-INC-Pmax-Dubai-Act-Miracle-Garden&utm_term=&utm_content=Pmax-Miracle-Garden-Asset&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqsitBhDlARIsAGMR1Rgg847Bxe4kFXXfBi6QWYZKo0kel0u1NKo4DwsYyXxwru3vckCkAqUaAtN1EALw_wcB

• Take the same bus back to the mall emirates.

• Lunch time: Head to this amazing and affordable local place to have lunch. Its a 15 mins walk from the mall of emirates or you can take a metro to mashreq metro station. Sultan Al Arab Restaurant. Its has one of the best grill platter in dubai and the longest shawarma you can find.

• Next we will take bus no 12 and ride for 10 mins.

• First explore Souk Madinat Jumeirah for some amazing photography — its like a mini venice.

After enjoying the Burj Al Arab we can walk to the beach where will enjoy the rest of the evening.

We will start our day with a visit to the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. Such a rich place to start the morning with a rich culture. You can easily head there by taking a bus to Deira Old Souk Marine Transport Station. Here we will take an abra(a boat for 2 dirhams) to cross the creek.

• After roaming the alleys of the old dubai we can take a coffee at this beautiful starbucks. A refreshing drink will be most welcome in the heat

• After that, head to the Grand Bur Dubai Mosque on foot to visit the beautiful mosque. However be mindful to be Modestly dressed

• Head to the gold souk using the same abra we came through. Even if you won't buy gold, its a must to visit. You can also visit the neighbouring souks such as spice souks, perfume souks etc...

• For the afternoon let's head to the dubai marina. We can enjoy walking there or even taking an abra in the marina to enjoy the scenic view.  

• Head to JBR Beach for some sunset vibes and relax

• For dinner we can go the marina mall where we will find that McDonalds has an amazing outdoor seating view of the marina.

Lets keep today light because the star show will consume our complete evening. 

• We can start with a sunrise at the Dubai Creek Harbour. Such a natural space.

• Afterwards we will catch the bus for the dubai safari. I recommend booking on the groupon dubai website where you can get safari deals as low as 35 dirhams and the experience is totally worth it. This experience will go on until 9 pm at night. It takes around 2 hour drive to reach the desert.

• Then head to any day to day supermarket for some shopping — From gifts for dear ones to food stuffs you will find everything at affordable prices. 

The last day. Most people may have their flights today so lets check out the hotel, keep our luggage in the hotel storage space and lets head out to global village. I would recommend to go on an empty belly so you can enjoy the different cultures. Its so big that you will need many hours to visit all and tasting the amazing food. To reach there take the metro to the mall of emirates. Then at the bus stop take the bus 106. I would also recommend to buy the entry tickets online to save some dirhams.

Here you will learn all the tips I have to maximize your time in Dubai visiting all main attractions and staying on a budget. You will also learn 

Lets answer the main question most of you have when we think of Dubai. Where to stay? The most affordable place for backpackers or people wanting to stay on a budget:📍Deira

Dubai on a budget!

Buy to unlock full guide