Dubai Travel Diary

Today we bring you guys, the travel diary of my friend Tanja and Sophie. The first stop in Dubai!

Sophie (my travel partner) and I arrived in Dubai with some prejudices. But nothing was like we expected it to be.

Before our journey started everybody told us to be careful concerning our clothing. As soon as we arrived we noticed that their/ our worries were for nothing. The only thing u should keep in mind is to cover your shoulders and knees but some even ignored that.

One thing you have to get used to is that men are always staring. We still haven’t figured out if they gawked because we are women, white or taller than 90% of them. But after some time we got used to it. Furthermore, taxi drivers honk all the time to get your attention, which is a little annoying.

We really liked the woman-only wagons on the subway. They kept us away from the stares and you nearly always got a seat, since it was not that crowded as in the mixed wagons. If u want to make sure to always get a seat u can purchase the gold metro pass. One more thing we noticed was that it is a really clean city. There is no trash, chewing gums or cigarette butts on the ground. Everything is as shiny as u know it from tv/photos.

In Dubai moreover, everybody is really really helpful and people tried their best to help us even when they had no clue or did not understand us.

Burj Khalifa

It is the world’s highest tower and a MUST see when in Dubai! But reserve the tickets at home over the Internet since you can save more than half of the local price. Also, it depends on which time you visit the Burj Khalifa. Prices vary hourly-> so make sure to check that.

The Dubai mall

Known as the biggest shopping mall in the world it contains more than 1200 shops. It took us one whole day to look around although we didn’t go to that many shops there are so many attractions next to shopping. E.g. a giant aquarium with sharks and even divers, a taxi which brings you from one end to the other, a village, a souk ( which is like a market), an ice rink…

Burj al Arab

It is the only 8-star hotel in the world… But I’m sure u have heard of it already. When you are in Dubai you need to go there for a drink or brunch. Make sure to make a reservation because if you don’t you can’t get in – the porters are very strict. It would be a pity to just look at it from the outside since you have to get there by taxi.

Jumeirah beach

It is one of the few public beaches in Dubai but it is really nice and the best place to go after an exhausting sightseeing day. The best way to get there is going to the Jumeirah lake towers by metro, then cross the big bridge until you see the sea. But just go there in the late afternoon otherwise it is way too hot. You can rent a sunbed and parasols there or just bring your own towel.

Waterfountainshow

The famous water fountain show which takes place in front of the Burj Khalifa starts at 6 pm and after that every 30 minutes. If you want to watch it go to one of the many restaurants (e.g. 5 guys -> order small fries, the regulars are like supersize). Otherwise, you can stand in the front with approx 6000 other people. And be there at least 45 minutes before it starts, to get a good spot.

In the end, we also would recommend you to do a desert safari. We wanted to do one but ran out of time. But if you have the possibility to do it, it’s most likely an unforgettable experience.