Dubai in 7 Days: tips and itinerary to make the most of your visit

Dubai is known as an oasis of modernity and luxury in the middle of the desert, boasting world-record-breaking architectural gems that blend luxury and technology while honoring the rich Arab tradition in the heart of the Arabian Gulf desert. Thanks to its incredible transformation in recent years, Dubai has established itself as the safest city in the United Arab Emirates.

Visiting Dubai for a week and don’t know where to start? In the following 7-day guide to Dubai, you can plan your itinerary and enjoy magical desert adventures, see the city’s most iconic landmarks, and discover hidden gems—without missing out on anything there is to do in Dubai.

Welcome to your first day in Dubai! With this itinerary, you’ll visit the world’s tallest skyscraper, spend an afternoon shopping at the Dubai Mall, and enjoy dinner while watching the world’s best water and light show at the Dubai Fountain. Shall we begin?

Stroll through the gardens and parks at Burj Park

Your first stop in the city of the future will be Downtown Dubai. Be dazzled by the incredible views of the futuristic skyline and enjoy a morning stroll through the parks of Burj Park.

There, you can enjoy its incredible art installations such as: Wings of Mexico, a sculpture created by Mexican artist Jorge Marín, located in front of the Burj Khalifa where you can pose for an incredible photo for your social media.

Climb the Burj Khalifa: the world’s highest observation deck

Recognized as Dubai’s top tourist attraction, climbing the Burj Khalifa—the world’s tallest building—is a must-do if you’re visiting Dubai; it rises 828 meters, allowing you to practically touch the sky with your hands from its observation decks.

You can choose between the two observation decks inside the Burj Khalifa and enjoy unparalleled views of the city of Dubai. The 360° At the Top observation deck is located on the 125th floor and costs approximately €50. A few floors higher, for approximately €110, you can access the 148th floor, home to the world’s highest observation deck—perfect for viewing Dubai from above the clouds.

Explore the Dubai Mall and ski at Ski Dubai

The best way to spend the afternoon of your first day in Dubai is to visit the world’s largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall. A shopping complex located right next to the Burj Khalifa, it’s ideal for shopping enthusiasts thanks to its 1,200 stores, where you’ll find luxury brands, international fashion chains, and home accessories, among many others.

If you’re not a fan of shopping, don’t worry—the Dubai Mall offers endless recreational and entertainment options to keep you busy for hours, including:

• The Dubai Aquarium, featuring sharks and various marine species
• Theme parks
• Dubai Dino, a 155-million-year-old dinosaur fossil
• Ski Dubai, where you can ski and visit the penguins.

Enjoy dinner at Time Out Market with views of the Dubai Fountain

After a busy afternoon of shopping at the Dubai Mall, head to Time Out Market Dubai and enjoy a delicious dinner at one of its 17 restaurants—no reservation required.

While you enjoy your dinner, cap off your first day in style with the best musical light and water show at the Dubai Fountain, highly recommended if you’re visiting the Burj Khalifa at night. The world’s largest dancing water fountain, thanks to its jets reaching a height of 150 meters.

On your second day, I suggest traveling back in time by visiting the Heritage Village and enjoying an authentic experience as you explore the souks and eat like a local, all in the historic Deira neighborhood.

Visit Heritage Village and Heritage House

On your second day, I invite you to travel back in time and discover what Dubai was like before it modernized. The best way to do this is by visiting the Heritage Village and the Heritage House.

Both are open-air museums where you can experience firsthand family life in traditional Dubai homes during the 19th century and discover the traditional work of artisans and weavers who crafted textiles or fishing boats. Before you leave, be sure to visit the shops inside to pick up an authentic souvenir.

Also at the Heritage Village, you can interact with and pose for a souvenir photo with animals emblematic of Dubai, such as falcons, and ride a camel.

Tour of Dubai’s traditional souks

Enjoy a tour of the Souks, historic Arab markets located in the traditional Deira neighborhood, where you can lose yourself in the narrow alleys filled with shops where merchants will be happy to haggle with you for a good price on the various items of Arab and Asian culture they have for sale.

As you walk through the different souks, you can sample various traditional dishes at the street food stalls found in the markets and eat like a true local. Don’t worry about getting your hands dirty—eating at these stalls guarantees a unique and affordable experience in the traditional Deira neighborhood that you wouldn’t get in a restaurant.

My favorite souks

• Gold Souk: if there’s one word to describe this market, it’s luxury. Visit it and discover the true meaning of the saying “worth your weight in gold”
• Spice Souk: Located on Old Baladiya Road, this is a dream market where you’ll find spices beyond your wildest imagination.
• Bur Souk (fabrics): don’t let its small size fool you—it’s the ideal market for tourists looking for the perfect souvenir. Find textiles of all kinds with exquisite embroidery and in every color.

Dinner Cruise on Dubai Creek

End your day exploring the banks of Dubai Creek, a 10-kilometer-long estuary that once served as a maritime trade hub for goods from Africa and India, which were then sold in the souks.

The best way to enjoy this area is by taking a night cruise along Dubai Creek and savoring a traditional Arabic dinner aboard a dhow, a traditional Arabian sailing vessel.

You can start your third day in Dubai at a leisurely pace with a stroll along Marina Walk, but don’t forget your swimsuit—later on, it’ll be time to have some fun in the water at Atlantis Aquaventure, the world’s largest water park.

Sightseeing by ferry or on foot along Marina Walk

Start your third day in Dubai with a morning stroll along the Marina Walk, a 3.5-kilometer pedestrian promenade surrounding the artificial water canal, and be dazzled by the incredible views of Dubai’s most modern and cosmopolitan area.

Enjoy the rest of the day at Atlantis Aquaventure

Enjoy a full day of thrills and adventure at the world’s largest water park, Atlantis Aquaventure. Located within the grounds of the famous Atlantis hotel on the iconic Palm Jumeirah artificial island, you can reach it via a monorail that runs every 23 minutes, with a round-trip fare of approximately €2.40.

Pack your swimsuit and enjoy an unforgettable day at the park’s various attractions, where you can:

• Slide down the 79 slides at Aquaventure Waterpark
• Surf on a wave simulator
• Swim with sharks and rays in Shark Lagoon or with 65,000 colorful fish while snorkeling in Lost Chambers
• Sunbathe and swim at its private beaches

If you’re traveling to Dubai, you have to go on a desert safari and let yourself be enchanted by its magic to live a nomadic experience like the Bedouins —riding a camel and, of course, enjoying extreme sports in the sand like dune bashing or sandboarding.

Race through the desert in a 4x4

On your fourth day in Dubai, I suggest an itinerary that will take you away from the modernity of the skyscrapers for a trip back in time to discover the magic of the desert through the region’s most popular and famous activity: a desert excursion in Dubai.

The best way to explore the desert and ride the dunes is through dune bashing, an adrenaline-fueled activity perfect for speed lovers that involves racing up and down the dunes in a 4x4 Jeep.

Try extreme sports on a quad bike or glide down the sand on a sandboard

Another activity to enjoy on your desert safari if you’re an adrenaline junkie and extreme sports enthusiast is sandboarding on the dunes; just like snowboarding, it involves sliding down on a board, but instead of snow, it’s desert sand. You can also use the board as a sled if you’ve never tried snowboarding.

If speed on wheels is more your thing, experience the thrill of driving through the sand dunes on an off-road quad bike race through the Dubai desert starting at approximately €50.

Camel ride like the desert nomads

If you’re traveling to Dubai, you definitely should take a camel ride —and what better place to do it than in the desert while snapping some wonderful photos at sunset, perched on the humps of your traveling companion?

Camel riding is definitely the most popular and relaxing activity to do after a day full of adventures on the Lahbab Desert tour, which starts at approximately €50 and includes pickup and drop-off at your hotel in Dubai.

Dinner under the stars with the best buffet and live show

End your desert safari day with a Dubai desert tour featuring dinner and a live show, where you can relax and enjoy the best selection of traditional Arabic cuisine while taking in a live performance such as belly dancing or fire shows under the starry sky in the middle of the Dubai desert.

During dinner, the buffet menu features the star dishes of Arab cuisine, starting with chickpea hummus and baba ghanoush eggplant dip, which you’ll enjoy with khubos bread. Following this, you can choose between grilled fish, chicken, or lamb, served with potato salad or couscous salad, better known as tabbouleh.

To finish off dinner, you can try delicious Arabic sweets and accompanying drinks such as:

• Dates or fruit
• Baklava, the famous pistachio and honey dessert
• Luqaimat (fried dough with cardamom and saffron)
• Mint tea to aid digestion
• Traditional Arabic coffee, prepared with saffron or cardamom

Enjoy a cultural day visiting the Dubai Museum in the traditional Al Fahidi neighborhood, visit the Jumeirah Mosque, and end the day at the Dubai Frame observation deck to see both sides of Dubai—the modern and the traditional.

Visit the Jumeirah Mosque

Start your fifth day in Dubai with a visit to one of the city’s most important cultural and religious centers, the Jumeirah Mosque. Located in the main residential area, Jumeirah is considered an architectural gem near the sea that you can visit from Saturday through Thursday. It is the only mosque in Dubai that allows non-Muslims to enter for 1-hour guided tours, only at 10 a.m.

If you plan to visit the mosque, you must follow the following dress codes, which apply to all mosques in general:

• Men must wear long pants to cover their legs, as well as cover their shoulders
• Women must cover their hair with a scarf and completely cover their arms and legs.

Cultural stop at the Dubai Museum and traditional Arabic food

Following the cultural itinerary for the fifth day, I recommend visiting the Dubai Museum, located right inside the Dubai Fort in Al Fahidi, the second traditional neighborhood of Old Dubai.

You’ll discover the history, origins, and cultural essence of Dubai from a different perspective thanks to its incredible exhibition of historical artifacts organized chronologically, including dhows over 1,000 years old, antiques, and architectural pieces.

After exploring Dubai’s history, head to the Arabian Tea House, just a few steps from the museum, and try the Tahta Laham, the restaurant’s signature dish made with meat, rice, and spices—a delicious traditional Arabian meal with an average price per person ranging from approximately €10 to €30.

End your day at Zabeel Park and head up to the Dubai Frame

After a day of cultural exploration in the historic Al Fahidi district, head to Zabeel Park and enjoy the sunset in Dubai’s largest green space, where you can have picnics during the winter months while enjoying live music and exhibitions like the Dubai Garden Glow.

To round out the day, head to the Dubai Frame, two 150-meter-tall towers connected by a 93-meter-long glass observation deck that offers an incredible panoramic view of the city—on one side, you’ll see modern, tech-driven Dubai, and on the other, the old, traditional Dubai—starting at approximately €13.

Before leaving Dubai, make the most of your visit and take a day trip to Abu Dhabi to visit the most beautiful mosque in the world and enjoy a day of adventure at Ferrari World.

Take a trip to Abu Dhabi and head up to the observation deck of the Etihad Towers

Before leaving Dubai, take advantage of its proximity to the capital of the United Arab Emirates and take an organized tour to Abu Dhabi from Dubai starting at approximately €50. The trip takes about an hour, and you’ll be able to visit the city’s most iconic landmarks, such as the Etihad Towers.

In the most iconic area of Abu Dhabi, you’ll find the Etihad Towers, where you can enjoy unique views of the city from the Observation Deck at 300 for approximately €20.

After soaring above the clouds, walk to Qasr Al Watan Palace and visit its incredible library—for approximately €15—whose collection of historical artifacts includes the famous Birmingham Quran.

Visit the world’s fastest roller coaster at Ferrari World

If you’re a fan of adrenaline and high-end cars, you have to head to the artificial island of Yas and visit Ferrari World, where you can enjoy an afternoon of adventure inside the world’s largest indoor theme park.

It features 19 attractions, including the Formula Rossa, the world’s fastest roller coaster. You can also visit the Ferrari car museum and dine at its themed restaurants.

Visit the most beautiful mosque in the world: Sheikh Zayed Mosque

After a day of sightseeing in Abu Dhabi, end your day with a must-see stop and visit the third-largest mosque in the world, the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

To visit the interior of the mosque, it is important to follow the dress code out of respect for its residents and worshippers.

Women must cover their shoulders and arms, wear loose-fitting clothing with long pants, and completely cover their hair with a tunic or pashmina.
Men must cover their shoulders and legs; for this, I recommend wearing long pants.

I suggest that, before the sun sets, you walk about 15 minutes to the Oasis of Dignity viewpoint. From there, you’ll witness a truly spectacular sight; the white color of the mosque will contrast with the beautiful sunset, and you’ll see it reflected in its pools—I assure you, it will leave you speechless.

If you don’t have any clothing to cover yourself, the mosque will lend you some completely free of charge.

What better way to end your week in Dubai than with a full-day cruise aboard a dhow, a traditional wooden Arabian boat, sailing along the stunning coastline of the Arabian Sea in Mussandam Dibba, in the Gulf of Oman.

Enjoy water activities perfect for friends and family, such as snorkeling, swimming in crystal-clear waters, or simply relaxing while sunbathing on board the cruise. The excursion includes a delicious buffet featuring traditional cuisine and beverages such as Arabic tea and coffee.