There are three
means of sightseeing in Dubai when travelling by
bus. The most common is the standard Dubai City
Tour, the second is by Big
Bus, and the third is by Wonder
Bus.
Standard Dubai City Tour
Our fascinating excursion through the city of Dubai,
also referred to as the City of Gold, where we will
explore a contrast between the past and present.
The journey begins at the magnificent Jumeirah mosque
and continues along the Jumeira beach road, which
is the most luxurious urban area in Dubai. We pass
in front of the Mercato themed shopping mall and
stop for photographs at the Burj Al Arab (Arab Tower)
hotel. We continue towards the Nad Al Sheeba camel
and horse race tracks, where we can see camels coming
and going on their training. We then head along
the skyscraper area of Sheikh Zayed Road, also referred
to as little Manhattan, where we pass by the Emirates
Towers and Dubai World Trade Center. Now heading
along the Zabeel road, we pass by the palace of
Sheikh Mohammed, as well as the Sheikh Rashid palace,
which unfortunately we are not allowed to photograph.
We now head towards the Dubai creek, where we will
stop for photographs of the creek side. We pass
by the Al Bastakiya’s old-wind tower houses,
which were built by the wealthy merchants of the
past. Our next stop takes us to the historical Al
Fahidi Fort, which has been converted into the Dubai
Museum. The Museum is the 200 year-old restored
Palace of Sheikh Saeed, which has important records
of pearl diving and trading activities that went
on. The tour takes us to the Abra station, where
we will take an Abra (water ferry) to cross to the
opposite side of the creek, as was done in the not
so distant past. We then set out on foot as we navigate
through the bustling alleys towards the spice and
gold souks (markets) as you see insight of Dubai’s
growth as a major trading center.
The
tour lasts for a duration of 3 or 4 hours and will cost Dhs. 120 (US$ 33)
for adults and Dhs. 75 (US$ 21)
for children. The pick-up time is around 10am and the drop-off time is around 1pm.
