DIY Walking Tour of Dubai

You’ve already made the big decision to book your tickets to Dubai and we are so glad you are taking the trip. Honestly Dubai is one of our favorite cities! If you haven’t already read our post about Dubai, click here for all the details like visas, getting around, and where to stay. So now we are ready to give you all our tips for the best DIY Walking Tour of Dubai! 

We’ve been to Dubai twice and both times we did a combination of walking and public transportation. Depending on the time of year you are going, it may be too hot to actually walk the whole city but November through February should be comfortable enough to get your walking shoes on to see the city! 

We generally break Dubai into three main sections: the Old Souq (markets) in the north, the modern downtown in the middle, and the beach marina area in the south. If you have three days, then definitely spend one day in each area! But if you need to condense, here is our Two Day DIY Walking Tour of Dubai. 

The Details

Day 1 – DIY Walking Tour of Dubai

There is no need to start early in Dubai as a lot of things open later in the morning so take your time, grab a delicious breakfast and coffee before heading out. You will start your adventure on the north side of the Dubai Creek. Here you can meander the small streets and alleyways of the Dubai Gold Souk and Dubai Spice Souk. It’s a great place to get souvenirs! The farther north east you go, the more local the stores get with electronic stores, visa and currency exchanges, and hair products. Feel free to explore this area if you want. After seeing all you want in the Souk area, find the nearest RTA Marine transport station (either Deira Old Souq Marine Transport Station or Al Sabkha Marine Transport Station) to cross the Dubai Creek. It’s a quick 4 minute boat ride to the other side and you can use your NOL Silver Card or purchase a ticket right at the counter. 

On the south side of the river, we recommend exploring the streets of the Grand Souk – Bur Dubai. Here you’ll find regular clothes and temple offerings for sale. The Shri Krishna Temple is nearby. Continue walking east to the Al Seef and Al Fahadid neighborhoods. These were both built to look like the old markets but are brand new. Pro tip: There are better antique shops in Al Seef if that’s what you are looking for. In these two neighborhoods, you’ll find many higher end restaurants. We recommend Arabian Tea House Restaurant & Cafe to try their Arabian Breakfast. This is a great sampling of local food including haloumi cheese, cream and honey, olives, pita breads, and jams. Also try a pot of their Karak Tea. It’s a local sweet milk black tea that is the perfect way to complement the meal. 

At this point, we are going to head downtown so if you need a break from walking, hop on the nearest metro station and get off at Max Metro. Or head to D88 and walk south. You are headed to The Frame. Located in Zabeel Park, The Frame is the world’s largest free standing frame. It symbolizes the history on one side of the frame (looking north to the old souq) and the future on the other side looking south towards downtown where you are going next. You can actually buy a ticket to take the elevator ride to the top of the frame to see the views. 

From here, continue to south on D88 and it will turn into E11 after the roundabout. We recommend walking on the south east side of E11 which you can easily get to from the roundabout. Keep walking to the Museum of the Future which has an absolutely stunning exterior. We recommend taking a break to sit near the pond out front on the benches to admire the lush greenery and architectural wonder that is the museum. We’ve never actually paid to go inside the museum but walking through the lobby is interesting enough. 

At this point, you might be hot and need to cool off so just a block south of the museum is the DIFC Mall which is basically like a mall in a straight line, a few blocks long. It’s a great way to beat the heat and be inside for part of our walk. The place has so many restaurants and coffee shops. There is a great gluten free bakery on the second floor food court called Tawa Bakery! Just keep walking south. When you pass through sliding glass doors and cross a road, just enter the next set of glass doors to keep walking! Once you’ve made it to the end of the mall, walk D86 south and cross D71. You’ll want to be on the south east side for our next attraction! 

Finally, walk over to the Dubai Mall. You can spend days here checking out all the restaurants and shops. Also inside the mall is a brand new Chinatown, a full sized ice skating rink, and a very large aquarium for your viewing pleasure. We walked each level to check out all the amazingness of this place. This is a great place to grab some food as well as they have literally all the cuisines you could ask for! 

Make sure to walk the outdoor path around the lake to get an exquisite view of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. If you want to visit the top of the Burj Khalifa, you can go through the food court in the Dubai Mall following signs for the View at the Top. It costs around $50 and is an amazing experience if you want to see as far as you can in all directions. I’d recommend booking tickets online in advance because they do sell out. 

Finally don’t forget to cross the bridge to the Souk Al Bahar where the Time Out Market is located. This is a great place to catch the Dubai Water Fountains which has an incredible show daily starting at 6pm. It’s not to be missed!  

Day 2 – DIY Walking Tour of Dubai

Today we are going to be walking around the beach area. Feel free to bring your swimsuit if you want to take a dip in the water! Take the metro red line down south and get off at Dubai Internet City stop. As you head toward the water, you are going to pass some of the biggest tech companies located in Dubai including Google, Huawei, and Cisco. You are going to walk straight out onto The Palm Jumeirah which is a man made island in the shape of a palm tree. There are sidewalks alongside the main road so it’s decently easy to get to. We recommend walking to Nakheel Mall. This is a great place to grab some refreshments and food and take a quick break. Here you can visit The View at the Palm and buy a ticket to go up to see the whole island because it’s honestly more impressive from the sky or on a map. While you’re walking on the island, it’s actually pretty hard to tell the land is in the shape of a palm tree. On the walk back, stick to Al Ittihad Park for the first half, and then cut over to the main road to see all the fancy resorts lining the beachfront. 

Back on the mainland, take the sidewalk of D94 south. One of our favorite restaurants is located down here. We recommend Bounty Beets in Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina for the best gluten free brunch we’ve ever had. The French toast was delicious, light and crispy with the best jam in the world. Continue walking south on D94 to cross the bridge and be ready to see more yachts than you’ve ever seen. 

We recommend heading straight to the JBR Marina Beach. The road labeled The Walk on google maps is full of gorgeous restaurants and shops. As you make your way to the beach, it turns into a more boardwalk vibe. Here you can rent cabanas and chairs to make for a wonderful swim. You’ll see so many people skydiving, cruising in yachts, and riding jet skis. It’s a water paradise down here!

At the end of the boardwalk, take the pedestrian bridge out to Bluewaters for some incredible views of the city and the water. The world’s largest ferris wheel called the Eye of Dubai (Ain Dubai) is located on Bluewaters Island. There are many great restaurants with incredible views out here and of course a beautiful mall, dotted with residential space. 

Finally, on your way back in, stop at the Dubai Marina for the 7km palm-lined waterfront walkway that hugs the marina for amazing views of the buildings and the yachts lining the marina. Also here you’ll find many cafes and restaurants. 

In Conclusion

Hopefully you enjoy Dubai as much as we do. There is literally something for everyone here. Whether you want to get dressed up and go to fancy dinners and nightclubs or you want to put on your walking shoes and see everything, Dubai is a city of lights and big attractions. Let us know your favorite thing you did in Dubai!