If you want ancient history the destination is Europe but if you want modern luxury and sci-fi postcards you might want to consider a trip to Dubai.
Today Dubai is in fashion, something that the Arabs themselves set out to do some time ago: turn their land into a luxury tourist destination, create a desert city and make it shine with feats of modern engineering. OK, they have conquered us, but what can we do four days in dubai?
Dubai, the queen of the Middle East
Dubai is an emirate that composes along with six others, United Arab Emirates. It rests on the Persian Gulf, in the Arabian desert. Naturally it existed before oil, people around here were more into the pearl trade, but it wasn't until its occupation by the British that it had a place in Western interests.
Dubai it is a constitutional monarchy and despite being an oil country, finances are the ones that generated the most income in its economy. Also the construction sector, of course, and that is precisely why Dubai has emerged from the desert with its own brilliance. And truth be told, if it weren't for its urban skyline we wouldn't be talking about Dubai right now.
Why four days? After traveling to various parts of the world I have realized that I four day formula works pretty well for me. Three days is always little because I arrive tired and I have to learn to move from scratch, five days is usually a long time if I do not move and do excursions or Day Trips, so four is the magic number.
First day in Dubai
You will arrive at Dubai International Airport. If you arrive during the day, you will contemplate from the plane this modern city that is literally nestled in the desert and you will also see the artificial islands for which it is so well known. A beauty that impresses. The airport it is five kilometers from the center and the three terminals are connected to each other by a bus. Unless you travel through Emirates, you will arrive at Terminals 1 and 2.
There is a highway that leads straight into the city so You can take air-conditioned taxis, limousines and buses. These buses work with a card that you must buy at the metro station (be careful that it closes at night), and they have several routes. The best option is the subway: fast, fresh, clean. From Terminals 1 and 3 it leaves every ten minutes with service starting at 5:50 am until midnight or until 1 am on Thursdays and Fridays.
There is no subway service on Friday mornings, it starts working at 1 pm, and there are two lines. If you arrive early you go to the hotel, rest and leave, if you arrive at night, you sleep and the next day it will be your first day in Dubai. You can take advantage, get up early and make a city tour starting by a walk through the Dubai Mall. There are about 1200 shops, but in addition there is an Aquarium and a wonderful Underwater Zoo. And an ice rink for skiing!
The shopping center opens to an external area above the city center and or musical fonts Amazing and a good view of Dubai's iconic building, the Bruj Khalifa. When the sun goes down the light and sound show It takes place every half hour from 6 pm until 10 pm so it is a good place to return.
The Burj Khalifa will be your destination from 5 in the afternoon but first you can visit the Playa de las Cometas or Kite beach, a place where you can do water sports, enjoy juices in cafes and restaurants and have a good view of the iconic Dubai hotel.
Climbing the Burj Khalifa is the best and I believe that you have to enjoy the day and the night so it is advisable to go before sunset and observe it from there. The observatory floor is called At the Top and costs 125 Dirhams per adult. It is advisable to book because the ticket costs less than at the box office and there are always people to take in the views of Dubai from the 124th floor. It is entered from the mall.
By the end of the day you have had a beach, walks, food in a restaurant and a sunset meters and meters high. You end the day by going out to dinner.
Second day in Dubai
It is the day to go out a little and do the most classic day trip: the desert safari by 4 × 4 truck. The van picks you up at your hotel and takes you by caravan to the dunes, many of them very high, which are only 20 minutes from downtown. You also spend some time in an Arab camp in the middle of the desert and you can dance or ride a camel, be painted with henna or eat delicious.
You spend the whole day outside and come back in the evening, very tired, but happy. As you can see, the walk takes you all day and you arrive exhausted to do something else.
Third day in Dubai
You can get up and stroll through the oldest part of the city, Bastakia. Here are some of the most important museums and the oldest building of all, the Al Fahidi Fort, today the Dubai Museum, which in a way gives its name to the entire neighborhood. Narrow, bare streets, alleys and towers. For those who love history this is a very good destination. You can also visit the Jumerirah Mosque and take some photos.
If you take a water taxi (called open and they cost between 5 and 10 Dirhams), and you jump The Creek you will be able to wander spice markets and do some scent and gold jewelry shopping at the Gold Souk. There is everything and the prices are usually good. The Creek is a saltwater estuary, the original settlement of the Bani Yas tribe, and it is here that pearls were fished, for example.
You can have lunch here and then spend the rest of the day in the Madinat Jumeirah, un recreation complex inspired by the ancient citadel with luxury hotels, spa, theaters, restaurants and others.
Even better, you can sign up for a dinner cruise and see Dubai from another perspective. They depart from Dubai Creek or the Dubai Marina Creek and last two hours.
Fourth day in Dubai
I can not forget the Palm Island, Palm island, or of Sheikh Palace, but if you want to have fun then you must join the Yellow Boat Tours: a ride in a motorized rubber boat that lasts 60 minutes. They can carry between six and eight people and speeding down the Marina River giving you fantastic views of Dubai and Palm, the Burj Khalifa, Atlantis and the yacth. There is an experienced guide on board who recounts very well everything you are seeing.
The Palm Jumeriah is the artificial island shaped like a palm tree seen from the space. It has hotels and residences just for the rich and famous. If you do a helicopter tour You can contemplate it in all its splendor, if you do not walk through its streets but really at ground level there is not much more than elegant mansions to contemplate. At the end of the island is the Atlantis Hotel which has an adventure park.
How do you get to the island? Well you take the monorail That leaves you at the beginning of the island and comes back so it's better than the car. Before sunset it is even more beautiful. Speaking of transport, it must be said that you can move around Dubai in a rented taxi since the prices are reasonable, but the metro is much more efficient and its stations are very well located. There are only two lines, so it's even better.
And finally, for a four-day stay in Dubai you can buy the book The Entertainer to save money. It comes with vouchers with discounts at attractions, hotels and restaurants. It costs AED 395 and if you use it for four days it is more than convenient. It is useful for the Yellow Boat Tour, the Dhow Cruise, the desert safari and much more.
These are my four days in Dubai. When I was there I continued my journey to the Seychelles, a beautiful destination and not far away. Do you like to continue?