We went to Dubai in the end of February. In the beginning of the Corona Crisis. We of course didn’t know it would be a Corona crisis when we booked the trip. And even when we went, we didn’t expect it to develop as fast or the way that it did. Anyway, here we are all safe and well back at home. And we’ll share 7 shocking facts with you that we learned while visiting Dubai.
We flew with Norwegian Oslo-Dubai. Check out tickets here if you’re thinking about going after the Corona Crisis has passed.
- The Gold Souk Is NOT Nice
- You Need To Drive A Long Time To Get To The Desert
- The View From The Burj Khalifa Is Amazing, BUT..
- You’ll Get Lost In The Dubai Mall
- Palm Jumeirah Is 5.72 km², But Still The Smallest Palm Island
- Ski Dubai Is Not Great For Actual Skiers
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Is Just One Big Waiting Line
1 The Gold Souk Is NOT Nice
On our last day in Dubai we decided to go check out the Gold Souk (or Gold Souq as its also called) that everyone was talking so much about. We must say that yes, it’s really a Golden street. The whole street were filled with only shops selling gold. Which was cool to have seen. But, we didn’t really like it. We don’t know about you, but we don’t think it’s nice being approached by someone new trying to push you to buy something every meter you walk. We were not left alone one second the whole time we were there. Our stay therefore became quite short. We walked through the whole area, and then we quickly left. We didn’t buy anything. Not that we were planning to buy gold at all. But, we wish it would be more calm so that you actually had time to look around. Would you still want to visit the Gold Souk?
2. You Need To Drive A Long Time To Get To The Desert
As most people visiting Dubai, we just had to book a Desert Safari. We’d heard from all of our friends and family that had been to Dubai that it was something you just had to do. In the busiest times you must book all adventures you plan to do weeks before you travel. If not, you might end up with nothing available. Check out booking options here if you’re planning to go. These Desert Safari’s are 6-7 hour day trips. You leave around 15:00 and get back 21:00 – 22:00. What shocked us, was how long it took to get to the desert. This was not stated anywhere. It took around 1,5 hours each way. So we sat in the car in totalt three hours. We were picked up in a SUV, and shared it with two other couples. The first thing we did when we arrived in the desert, was dune bashing. Then we could ride camels. And we tried out Sand Boarding. In the sunset. Which was really beautiful. After it was drinks and BBQ. And you could walk around looking at the different stalls, getting henna tattoos and try Shisha. Have a look at the list further bellow of what was included.
Included in this Desert Safari:
- Pick-up and drop-off service
- Driver for the safari
- BBQ dinner and soft drinks
- Shisha aromatic smoking
- Henna tattoos
- Camel rides
- Local dresses for pictures
- Sand boarding
- Baby car seat (0-5 years)
The included sitting area in this package is on the ground sitting on pillows. And you need to wait in line to get food and drinks. We choose to pay 15 Euro to get a table and we’re served everything at the table while watching belly dancing and a fire show on the stage. We recommend you to do this if you can.
If seeing the desert is on your wish list when visiting Dubai, this is a nice way to do it.
3. The View From The Burj Khalifa Is Amazing, BUT..
The view from the Burj Khalifa is really amazing. It’s the highest building in the world. And should therefor be on you must do list when visiting Dubai. You can choose to pay to go to the 124th & 125th floor. Or all the way to the 148th floor. We booked this excursion here weeks before we left home. Don’t forget it, it’ll save you money. And it might be sold out if you wait until you’re there. On this site you can even book tickets that include both Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater zoo. And it’s cheaper than if you try to buy only the Burj Khalifa tickets at the entrance!
The reason why we have to mention a big BUT, is that you need to be prepared to wait a long time in line to actually get to the top of the Burj Khalifa. That is, if you buy normal tickets to the 124th and 125th floor like we did. You can however skip all the lines if you buy more expensive tickets like these.
4. You’ll Get Lost In The Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall is so big you won’t believe it before you’ve been there yourself. It’s the second largest mall by total land area in the world. And you’ll get lost there for sure. We only visited for some hours after we went to the Burj Khalifa, and we still got lost several times. Luckily, there are many info-screens where you can see where you are. And, make a route to where you want to go. I’ve heard people spending many days here because they want to see it all. If you love shopping, this is the place for you!
When we were there, we went to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. And we saw the beautiful Fountain Show outside after dark. This is something that we really recommend you to do.
5. Palm Jumeirah Is 5.72 km², But Still The Smallest Palm Island
We wanted to have a relaxing vacation in Dubai where we could spend lazy days at the beach or the pool. So, we decided to live at the Palm Jumeirah to get outside of the town. We stayed at the hotel Aloft Palm Jumeirah. And we’re really happy with it! Go check it out at the link above. We really recommend it if you want to live at one of the palms. Now, we didn’t visit any of the other palms in Dubai. But, it’s unbelievable that the Palm Jumeirah is the smallest Palm Island! Because it’s SO big! It’s so impressive that man have build this! It took us almost 30 minutes to drive from our hotel all the way to the right of the palm to the main land. Don’t worry, there’s a free shuttle bus that takes you to several stops at the main land. And most activities you book has a pick-up service.
One thing that was great about the hotel we stayed at, was that it had a fantastic view! We could see the city and the Burj Al Arab. At night we could see fireworks and all the beautiful lighted buildings. The photos above are taken from the restaurant at the top floor.
It was a mexican restaurant called “Luchador”. We ate there two times during our stay. They have a half in-half out seating area. Which was lovely during the warm evenings. The place had really tasty food and latin dancers as entertainment while eating. We recommend you to try out this restaurant, even if your not staying at this hotel!
6. Ski Dubai Is Not Great For Actual Skiers
Ski Dubai is an attraction that’s quite popular for tourists in Dubai. For those of us that actually know how to ski. And frequently do so in nature with real snow – it’s a joke. You should rather try out sand boarding in the desert if you want to try out something new!
The only reason why we’d recommend you to go to Ski Dubai, would be to see all the non-skiers fall and laugh about it! If you’ve never tried skiing before, or never have seen snow at all- then this will be a totally different experience and you will for sure enjoy this! Go ahead and book your ticket here.
7. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Is Just One Big Waiting Line
We’d heard so much about the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi before we went. We’d seen photos from the placed. And it looked so beautiful, that we decided to go on a day trip to Abu Dhabi to see it. We booked our trip here. We went on a full day tour, and where gone 9-10 hours. The drive to Abu Dhabi takes around 2 hours. We first went to the Mosque. It was just as beautiful as the pictures. And was really great to have seen.
Although, you walked in a line at all times. And it was so crowded that to get beautiful pictures was a challenge. We went in the beginning of March. It might be that other times of the year are less crowded. Anyway, if you have time we would recommend you to go here. After all, it’s one of the largest mosques in the world.
Did this post give you some travel inspiration? It’s a strange time in the World. We bitten by the wanderlust-bug have to cancel trips and stay at home. But, it’s important to still dream and plan for trips in the future! There comes a day when the world is back to normal, and we’re allowed to continue exploring it!
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