Budget Dubai

Taking an abra on Dubai Creek.

Dubai may have a reputation as a luxury destination – and we didn’t do anything to dispel that myth by staying at a swish villa on The Palm, did we? – yet it doesn’t have to be an expensive place to visit. Compared to many European cities, Dubai is a great value destination with loads of stuff to do that is free or costs next to nothing.

Transport is cheap and plentiful
You can rent a car for as little as UK£20/US$30 a day, yet negotiating Dubai’s traffic can be stressful for those unaccustomed to driving in the Middle East. Taxis are affordable and plentiful and the new metro is even cheaper and runs frequently. A taxi from our villa on The Palm to Mall of Emirates cost AED21-25/UK£3.50-4, and from there a ride on the metro to Bur Dubai or Deira costs AED6.50 or just over UK£1. A ride from one side of Dubai Creek to the other on an abra (wooden water taxi, pictured above) costs just AED1/UK£0.17!

Museums are (mostly) free
Dubai has some engaging museums that offer a fascinating insight into the pre-oil days. Most museums are either free or cost as little as AED1/UK£0.17. Dubai Museum in Al Fahidi Fort, near the Bur Dubai waterfront, should be your first point of call, providing a quick introduction to Dubai’s rapid development through a multimedia presentation, exhibitions of antique firearms, musical instruments, costumes, and jewellery, kitsch life-size dioramas, and a compact but compelling archaeological section. The splendid Heritage House, a restored pearling master’s residence, and the adjoining Al Ahmadiya School, Dubai’s first school, near the Gold Souq in Deira, are also worth a visit.

It costs nothing to explore the Bastakiya…
On the waterfront near Dubai Museum, this lovely labyrinthine quarter is worth a wander. Boasting narrow lanes lined with traditional Persian windtower houses that have been beautifully restored, it’s now home to atmospheric boutique hotels, excellent art galleries such as Majlis Gallery and XVA, and cafes such as the lovely Basta Art Café, where a refreshing Basta Special, a thirst-quenching fresh mint and lime juice drink, in the leafy courtyard is a treat.

… nor stroll Dubai Creek and the Dhow Wharves
A saunter along Dubai’s action-packed Creek, from the Bastikya, where you can take in stunning views of the striking Deira skyline from Al Seef Road Park, to Bur Dubai souq, where you can browse the bustling textile market is a must. From there you can continue your amble along Dubai Creek to Shindagha, the oldest part of Dubai, and home to the Heritage and Diving Village, a recreation of the early fishing and pearling village, and Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum’s House, one of several grand old residences lining the waterfront – this one the former home of Dubai’s ruling family with fascinating exhibitions of old black and white photographs. (See my walking tour here on National Geographic Traveler’s website). You can then backtrack to the abra dock and take one of the little wooden boats across to Deira where you can mosey along the Dhow Wharves, checking out the extraordinary array of stuff the sailors load onto the old dhow boats – everything from kitchen sinks to cars!

Eating locally is affordable
Skip the hotel restaurants in favour of simple street-side dining in the down-to-earth Arabic, Iranian, Indian, and Iraqi eateries that line the streets of Bur Dubai and Deira. They are liveliest in the evenings and many have alfresco seating – lovely at this time of year. Dubai is home several ‘eat streets’ including Al Dhiyafah Road, Satwa (a 10-minute taxi from Bur Dubai, or 20 minutes from The Palm), and Al Riqqa Road and Al Muteena Road, a bit further afield on the Deira side of the Creek. At any of the fluoro-lit restaurants here a couple of people can feast on an array of dishes and fresh juices for as little as AED100/UK£17. At Kan Zaman, an excellent Arabic eatery adjoining the Heritage and Diving Village at Shindagha, you can snack on a few mezze and a mango juice, followed by a fragrant sheesha (narghile/hubbly bubbly) for AED60/UK£10, and take in the enchanting Creek views for free.