It is with great pleasure that travel restrictions have now been rescinded. If you’re a travel enthusiast, you’re probably packing your essential travel materials and making arrangements to visit travel hotspots in the world.
But we can’t talk about travel destinations without mentioning Dubai. Adventure seekers from all over the world over come in numbers every year to visit and explore this wonderful city in the Middle East.
Dubai is truly blessed with a lot of major attractions, rich in timeless culture and aesthetic delights that are not only fancy through a camera lens. You need to visit Dubai and experience these things for yourself.
Then again, a pressing question may linger in your mind: is it expensive to visit Dubai, especially at this time of the year? Will I be breaking the bank for a Dubai holiday experience?
The truth is, this isn’t the case. You don’t have to cancel your Dubai trip, because Dubai isn’t that expensive to explore and have a fun-filled experience.
Thankfully, I will tell you some of the best places in the city which are completely free to explore. If you want to travel to Dubai and stay within your budget, this is the blog for you to read.
Before we get down to it, first things first.
From Old to New – A Brief History of Dubai
When a city owns the tallest building in the world—the Burj Khalifa—it always gets people talking. Over time, that’s bound to create the illusion that the city is so expensive, even for the average adventurer.
Fact is, Dubai wasn’t all that glamorous back in the day.
Evidence of countless archeological researches show that Dubai was once a hub for large-scale trading throughout various time periods. Particularly, in the 7th Century, Dubai was officially recognized as the first known Muslim Dynasty—the Umayyad. This dynasty became an empire centered in the Arabian Peninsula which stretched from Spain to India.
Soon, Dubai became a centralized hub for nearby coastal cities to trade their goods as more travel routes increased. Dubai’s economy was heavily dependent on fishing and pearl diving.
At least, that was until the city struck oil in 1966. Dubai’s economy, due to the discovery of oil, boomed in an immense way. Soon after, the city switched its currency from Rupee to Dirham (AED). In 1971, the UAE was formed with Abu Dhabi as its capital city.
Since then, Dubai has grown from a quiet suburb into a megacity. While the city is best known for its delightful and impressive infrastructure, its souks connote more relevance to the daily life of the people.
Is it expensive to visit Dubai?
Dubai’s souks are traditional markets where authentic items depicting this Arabian city are sold. Some of these souks are unique, selling items ranging from spices, textiles, jewelry, perfumes, and lots more.
These souks are located in Old Dubai, scattered across either side of the Dubai creek.
We will be exploring some of the souks I visited while I was there:
Gold Souk
A visit to Dubai isn’t complete without making a quick stopover at the gold market. This is one of the major tourist attractions in the Deira section of Dubai and I personally recommend that you visit there.
You may be asking What is Dubai gold souk? Dubai Gold Souk is a massive market where gold jewelry is sold for the right price.
It would interest you to note that this sprawling market was established in the early 1900s with a handful of local jewelry shops. It experienced massive growth when trade policies and directives encouraged Indian and Iranian jewelers to set up their own shops there.
But it was the oil boom in the late 1960s that took this souk to where it is today. Over time, the gold souk has experienced numerous expansions but it continued to maintain its enticing charm and elegance that tourists seem to love.
Just at the entrance of this unique hub, there’s a banner displaying all the COVID guidelines you must strictly adhere to. Some of the rules include wearing a face mask and disposable gloves, maintaining social distancing, and make use of the hand sanitizer before going in and when stepping out.
As you walk into the souk, you’d be overwhelmed by the massive collection of gold items for sale.
Everywhere you turn to is a marvel to behold! You may have probably seen the place on my YouTube channel and maybe thought to yourself: is it expensive to visit Dubai and tour these souks? The answer is a resounding NO.
The gold souk is the best place in the city if you plan on buying some gold jewelry. However, if you aren’t a shopper like me, you can simply take a stroll into the market and feed your eyes.
If you plan on buying some of the items displayed in these exotic shops, there are a couple of things you need to understand:
Know the market price of gold
Like stocks, gold fluctuates in price daily. You need to understand how the value of gold in the open market before you can buy these items. The Dubai Retail Gold Price publishes daily going prices of Gold in AED. However, real-time prices are displayed outside these shops.
Understand the type of gold
Gold jewelry at the souk is typically sold by karat and weight. The higher the karat of gold, the purer it is, and the greater the price at these shops.
Choose the item you want to buy
Everything from gold earrings, necklaces, chains, pendants, wristbands, bracelets, bangles, etc. are sold in the souk. Apart from gold, you can also find, silver, pearls and diamond jewellery as well. Choose the item you want to buy.
Learn to haggle the price for the item
One of the coolest things about the souk is that the prices aren’t exactly fixed. The sellers expect everyone to haggle for an item. So, they intentionally beef up the price. You’d have to deploy your haggling skills to barter off at most 30% off the original price. You just might be lucky if the deal is favorable for you. If it isn’t, there are several shops you can stroll into to bargain better.
I am visiting the souks, during the summer to avoid crowds. However, the best time to explore the gold souk is in the winter or fall when there’s less heat. To get to the gold souk, you can take a Metro train and stop over at Al Ras Metro Station. Get down and ask for directions; it’s nearby.
Textile Souk
Right after the gold souk, I was just wandering and looking for the next souk and I came across the gorgeous Textile Souk.
If you’re still pressed with thoughts such as “is it expensive to visit Dubai? and explore its delights?”, worry no more. The textile souk is another destination to see when you visit Dubai. This massive edifice contains different shops showcasing exotic fabrics, apparel, and unique dresses.
As fishing and pearl diving slowly grew Dubai’s economy, it attracted several non-Arabs, Persians, Indians who saw an opportunity to trade their textiles. However, as the oil discovery happened, this souk experienced massive transformation as more and more traders flocked to display their wares for interested buyers.
Here, I was fascinated by the impressive blend of different cultures depicted in the textiles and fabrics. I was intoxicated by the vast number of high-quality wares to purchase. As usual, I had to haggle to beat down the price of the items I wanted to buy.
Utensil Souk
Another souk you should check out is the utensil souk. Located along the road, the souk is a massive collection of narrow alleyways of different stalls displaying utensils, ornamental pieces, and exotic kitchen items.
The history of this place is pretty much the same as the other souks. This is the reason why you’d notice a semblance is almost the same, even though the traders sell different items.
Here, you’d find a colorful array of kitchenware depicting exotic Arabian culture. You can bargain for each of the items you’re interested in.
This entire souk area intertwines with one another. I could barely tell, when I got out of one and stepped into the next.
Spice Souk
A couple of walks away from the utensil souk, you’d be soaked in the welcoming atmosphere of the spice souk. A gentle stroll through the souk will expose you to numerous spices showcased in different stalls in enticing containers. As I entered this beautiful souk, I was engulfed by the pungent aromas of all the herbs and spices like, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin etc.
Everything from chili, chicken masala, frankincense, tandoori, curry, white pepper, and so much is sold here. It’s not surprising why it is one of the most popular souks in the city. I could just walk around in these narrow colorful alleyways and get lost.
Cool fact: there’s no entrance fee here, just like the others. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything, you can walk around, take pictures and have a pleasant time there. During my university days, I used to visit this part of Dubai often on Photo walks. So this place really brings back a lot of memories too.
Traditional Emirati Transportation
Crossing over the creek from Deira to Bur Dubai, a short boat ride called Abra, is a famous Traditional form of transportation. Moreover, it continues to exist till this day. Although I grew up in Dubai, I never had the opportunity to ride the Abra. As a child I was scared and when I grew up I just drove everywhere. So I was extremely thrilled take this boat ride to the other side to explore further.
The ride takes less than 10 mins across the creek to take you to the other side. It is a small boat that holds up to 20 people or so. Sometimes the simplest of things can bring you such joy. It was by far one of the most peaceful rides ever. If the most traditional and authentic mode of transportation in Dubai costs Dhs. 1 per person, then you tell me is it expensive to visit Dubai? Forget expensive Dhow cruises or private yachts, this is the real way to see old Dubai.
The Hindu Temple
The Hindu temple commonly referred to as the Shiva and Krishna Mandir is a sanctuary for Hindus in the UAE to worship. It is the first and only Hindu temple in the UAE, making it a tourist attraction to Hindu and non-Hindu worshippers who are looking to explore.
Located above a set of old shops, the Hindu temple is located on the other side of the Dubai creek. In 1958, this Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al Maktoum permitted the temple to be built. Down below, you’d a couple of shops displaying Hindu items for Hindu worshippers to purchase.
The temple is open daily for worship and is located across Dubai creeks away from the creeks. To locate it, you’d have to walk down to the Deira Old Souq Station and board a Dubai Abra ride across the river to the other side.
Dubai isn’t all about shopping malls and experiencing Desert Safari. This is authentic Dubai. So coming back to our question in the beginning – is it expensive to visit Dubai? I believe a place can be as expensive or as affordable as one would like. So if you’re backpacker or a budget traveler and you think Dubai isn’t for you? Well, think again!
In case, you plan to visit Dubai during the pandemic, do over my previous blog post about Dubai Travel Guidelines. Safe Travels!
