Folks – Previously, I have published two posts about
my visit to the Emirates (Which pretty much shows how much I loved my visit
;)). Before I jump on planning my upcoming trip to Turkey, I wanted to document
some of the pre-requisites if you plan on visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi and want
to plan it out yourself. I had gotten multiple requests for my Dubai itinerary
so I thought of putting this piece together to help you guys better navigate as
you go about planning your next big trip.
PS: I got a ton of help from locals to help me plan
this up and this is purely based on my own experience from my recent visit.
Visa- If you book through Emirates they will have an
option on their portal itself to apply for the visa (Once you book your
tickets). You have to different visas - depends on how many days you plan on
visiting:
| Visa type |
Validity |
| 96-hour |
96 hours from
arrival date |
| Tourist - short
term (one entry) |
30 days from
arrival date |
Air Tickets - direct flights with Emirates and other local
airlines (Air India, Indigo, etc.) Nonstop as well as One Stop flights (Good
Price Point - Rs. 12,500 to Rs. 25,000 - peak season)
Ground Transportation - Dubai is very well
connected in terms of public transportation (Trains, cabs, etc.). They are
reasonably prices and the taxi cabs operate by meter.
Foreign Exchange Fees (VERY IMPORTANT):
Since this will be considered as a foreign transaction
for you, you might incur foreign exchange fees based on your payment method.
Try to find ways to avoid incurring these fees -
typically cards like American Express waive of foreign exchange fees which will
help save a considerable amount.
Accommodation -
Old Dubai: Budget accommodation available
here - very similar to Mumbai (Lot of Indian immigrant population as well as
good food options). Well connected to major parts of the city by metro as
well as public transport. Look at Bur Dubai, Karama, etc. for hotel options.
New Dubai: Accommodation on slightly higher price range
available here - Good restaurant options available close by. Well
connected to major parts of the city. Well connected to major parts
of the city by metro as well as public transport.
List of Local Restaurants (Which I personally visited
- MUST TRY):
The groupons and snapdeals of Dubai - Keep an eye out for
tour deals on this site (You should be able to find deals for all the tours I
have mentioned below at a very good rate compared to any tour agency). We did a
couple of our tours from here - the quality and service is similar to the
normal tour, it’s just at a discounted rate. Very similar to the way Groupon or
Snapdeal operates in India:
1. Yallabanana.com
2. Cobone.com
PS: The tours on these sites are operated by local
tour agencies itself. Usually the site will tell you this tour is operated by
“XYZ agency” and you can reach out to these agencies on the side and ask for
additional discount (Since you are by passing yallabanana/cobone, they are
saving on the middle man cost and will usually give you some discount
;) J )
Suggested Tours - (I have added some rough time
estimates, to help you customize the plan - try to do all of these if you have
enough time)
1. Half day Dubai City tour
- This is a standard package offered by most of the tour agency,
doesn't vary too much. All the tours will show you around new and
old Dubai and all the historic places, etc. Try and finish this up on
Day 1 itself, so you have a decent idea about your whereabouts. (Time: 9
am to 2 pm)
2. Dubai Marina evening Dhow
Cruise with buffet dinner - Take this cruise over the other option
i.e. Dhow Cruise. This is a better experience in terms of the cruise itself,
the places they take you, food, etc. (Time: 6 pm to End of Day)
3. Top of the Burj Khalifa
- Purchase the ticket from the Burj Khalifa website itself (Tour
agents will charge you more). Make sure you get it at the right time else the
time slots will run it. Don't buy the ticket on the spot; it will be around
three times the price. A good time to get the ticket would be around 45
minutes before the sunset. That way you can witness the day and night
views. Step out of Burj and try to stop by for the water show - they have
timings allocated to it, and it is a very nice show to see. (Time - 6
pm - 9 pm)
4. Dessert Safari with Quad
Biking - This will be a one day activity - totally worth it. They will
take you through the dessert, do the safari and then have a traditional Arabic
setup with food, shisha, dances, etc. Try to get the one with Quad Biking -
it’s a very nice experience. (Time: 3pm - End of Day)
5. Abu Dhabi City tour with
Ferrari world - Spend about a day visiting Abu Dhabi and Ferrari
world. This might be a slightly hectic day since you will leave fairly early
and visit Abu Dhabi (1.5 hours from Dubai). Overall a good experience and you
can look at a packaged deal of the city tour with Ferrari world - will turn out
economical.
6. Dubai Mall - You
can spend about half a day exploring the Dubai Mall (Depends on your agenda -
if you want to shop there, etc.). The mall has a really nice aquarium
which is a MUST visit. Really good experience - take the combo package which
includes the underwater aquarium tour, the boat ride and the zoo.
Worth the price. This would be about a 3 - 4 hour experience, so if you want to
shop - set aside one day for Dubai Mall itself.
Sample Email to send Tour operators while asking for
quotes, etc.:
Hi There,
I am reaching out to request a
quote for the below tour options on Jan 6th and Jan 8th, 2015 for Three Adults.
1. Dubai City Tour
2. Dhow Cruise
3. Dessert Safari with Quad
Biking
4. Abu Dhabi tour with Ferrari
world
I am open to the open of
packaging one or more of the about tour options.
Awaiting your response.
Thank you,
Your Name here
Local Tour Operator Emails (The ones I had reached out
to for a quote):
24x7@sharaftravel.com
info@utravel.ae
alrais@emirates.net.ae
Info@welcomettc.com
info@travelginie.com
aadops@emirates.com - This is
Emirates Airline's tour agency
reservations@godubai.com
support@isango.com
Cheers,
Adi
