Dubai Vacation
I just came back from a family vacation to Dubai. I went a few days earlier for work and family joined later. We were travalling with our kid and wanted to relax more than seeing a lot of places. I used chatGPT to plan the trip and it was a great experience. Here are some hacks to make your trip to Dubai easier:
Airport
Dubai airport has 3 terminals. Terminal 1 and 3 are connected and Terminal 2 is a bit far. Terminal 1 & 3 are connected by a metro and you can easily move between the two. Terminal 2 doesnot have a direct metro line and you will have to take a taxi to reach the metro station or the city. Busses area available form Terminal 2 to the city.
| Terminal | Airline | Metro / Taxi / bus |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Emirates, Quantas | Metro & taxi |
| 1 | Indigo, Spicejet | Metro & taxi |
| 2 | AirIndia Express, Fly Dubai | Bus & Taxi |
Public transport
First thing you should buy is a NoL card. This card can be used in metro, bus, tram and water taxi. You can buy the card at the airport or any metro station. The card costs 25 AED which gives a 19 AED balance. (6 AED is the card cost). You can top up the card at any metro station or using the NoL app. The card can be used for 5 years. You can also use the card to pay for parking in Dubai. Card is also accepted in some shops and restaurants.
There are 4 card types - Red, Silver, Blue (Personal) & Gold. Get a red card only if you want to use the metro once. Silver card is the most common. Gold card is used for Gold class cabins in metro.
| Card Type | Cost (AED) | Balance (AED) | Validity | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 2 | 0 | 90 minutes | Single use |
| Silver | 25 | 19 | 5 years | Most common |
| Blue | 70 | 50 | 5 years | Personalised, special rates for students & senior citizens |
| Gold | 25 | 19 | 5 years | Access Gold class cabins in metro |
If you have an NFC enabled phone, install the NoL app and you can use your phone to check the card balance. You can also use the phone as a NoL card if you register your card on the RTA app. You can also use the app to top up the card.
Dubai Metro in association with Lego introduced limited edition Lego themed (Silver) Nol cards and is definitely a collector’s item. Card has the features of a silver card. You can buy the card at any metro station for 25 AED.
Minimum fare for metro is 3 AED and for bus is 2 AED. You can also buy a day pass for 20 AED (or a week pass for 80 AED) which is valid for unlimited travel in metro and bus for a day (or week). You can find the details on RTA websiteß
There are 2 metro lines in Dubai - Red line and Green line. Red line runs in north-south direction with Airport at the north (Almost) end and expo city / UAE exchange at the south end. Green line runs in the old Dubai area. There are 2 interconnecting stations - Union and Burjuman. There is a tram line in the Marina area with connection to metro red line at Shoba and DMCC. There are also water taxis which connect the Marina.
Taxi fare starts at 5 AED and is 2 AED per km. There is a 15 AED surcharge for airport taxi - meter starts at 20 AED. The common taxi is the beige colored taxi. Top color - blue or green only means the taxi company and has the same fare. There are also limousine taxis (number plate will start with letter L) which are more expensive. Pay with cash, NoL or credit cards. You can also use Uber and Careem app in Dubai.
Stay, location
Dubai is a big city and you can stay anywhere. If you are travelling with family, it is better to stay near a metro station. This will help you in moving around easily. Keep in mind that Dubai is a hot city - 350 mtrs from hotel to Metro station is walkable in the morning but 700 mtrs in the afternoon is not. This is personal though.
Shopping
Dubai is a shopping paradise. You can find a lot of malls in Dubai. Dubai Mall is the biggest mall in the world. Mall of Emirates is another big mall in Dubai. There is also a ski slope in the mall. Visit Marina Mall for a view of the Marina. You can also visit the Gold Souk in Deira for gold shopping.
Sightseeing
The list is so huge so I am only writing must see places in Dubai. You can find a lot of information on the internet.
Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountain, Dubai Aquarium, Souk Al Bahar, Timeout
These are all in the same area.
- Take the metro to Dubai Mall station
- The station is connected to the mall by an air conditioned walkway. (Taxi or bus is available form the metro station to the mall if you cant walk)
- Dubai mall is so big that you can spend the whole day here. Go to the food court for Lunch. Visit the Aquarium (tickets required) inside the mall if you like fishes and penguins.
- The mall is also connected to the Burj Khalifa. You can buy tickets for the Burj Khalifa at the mall. There is approx 45 min wait to reach the top (by a superfast lift) of Burj Khalifa. Plan so that you can reach there by 5 and see the sunset.
- Get down by 6 - 7 PM and exit the mall towards the fountain. The fountain show starts at 6 PM till 11PM with a show every 30 minutes.
- Visit the Souk Al Bahar which is just across the fountain.
- Plan dinner at Timeout on the first floor of Souk Al Bahar.
You can also visit the Dubai Opera in the same area if you have time left.
Mall of Emirates, Ski Dubai
- Take the metro to Mall of Emirates
- The mall is connected to the metro station by a walkway.
- Visit the Ski Dubai in the mall. You can buy tickets for the ski slope at the mall. There are different packages available. You can also rent the ski clothes and equipment at the mall.
- Visit the food court for lunch.
- You can also visit the Magic Planet in the mall if you have kids.
- Visit the Carrefour in the mall for groceries.
Dubai Frame
- Take the metro to Al Jafiliya
- Take a taxi to Dubai Frame. The frame is a 150 mtrs tall and 93 mtrs wide frame. You can see the old Dubai from one side and the new Dubai from the other side. There is a glass floor at the top. You can also see the Dubai skyline from the top.
- There is a museum inside the frame which shows the history of Dubai.
- There is a park outside the frame where you can relax.
Dubai Marina, Marina Mall, The Beach - JBR
- Take the metro to DMCC
- Take the tram to Marina Mall, cross the road and walk to the Marina mall
- Go to the L3 floor of the mall and exit to the Marina walkway
- Walk along the Marina walkway and enjoy the view
- You can also take a boat ride in the Marina. A yacht ride is available for a group of upto 10 people for 500 AED for 1 hour. You can also take a water taxi for 7 AED for a short trip (15 min) to Blue waters.
- There are 2 hour boat rides with buffet dinner available for 150 AED per person. These usually start at 8 PM. You can book these online or at the Marina walkway.
Food
Dubai has a lot of food options including a lot of Indian restaurants in Dubai. You can also find a lot of vegetarian options. Food courts in the malls have amazing options.
Follow me on Instagram for more travel updates.