Exploring old Dubai and the Souks

Old Dubai

It is very easy to get caught up in the shiny skyscrapers, man-made islands and designer shopping malls in Dubai but if you head to old Dubai you will find a place full of culture and charm. I really wanted to explore different parts of Dubai and not just the Instagrammable spots you see online. I was delighted I headed down to old Dubai and I explored the souks and even rode an Abra across the creek. I wanted to share some pics of my ramble around old Dubai and I will link my Vlog below so you can have a better look at it for yourself. 

I left it too late to book a walking tour of old Dubai so I had a quick google and I decided to explore it myself. I found a really good DIY walking tour post which you can check out here. I was staying in the Jumeirah Emirates tower and I asked the taxi man to drop me to the Gold Souk. The taxi only cost me roughly 30 Dirhams which is around €7. The taxi man dropped me to the Gold Souks and I was instantly in the heart of all of the hustle and bustle. At first, it was a little intimidating with all the merchants shouting and trying to get you to go inside their to their shops to look. However, once I got used to it and I started to ignore the annoying men shouting “Shakira, Shakira” I found some bargains. 

From the Gold Souk, I walked to the Grand Souk and Spice Souk. Even though I had no internet on my phone I was able to use the google maps on my phone to check my location and I used the app to help me navigate the streets. My favourite had to be the Spice Souk. The smell of the Spice Soul is a smell I will never forget. I stumbled across a little teacup shop near the Spice Souk. It was on a little side street. Trust me to sniff out the china! The value was unbelievable, I got a massive tea set for a little shy of €50.  

From the souks, I rambled to the Deira old Souk abra station. An Abra is a water taxi and for only 1 Dirham ( 20cent) I was able to get on the boat and cross the creek to the other side. I loved the feeling down here. There were loads of boats flying up and down the creek and such a hustle and bustle and energy around the place. The Abra will leave you at the Bur Dubai Abra station. I then turned left and walked through another Souk, this one was more of a textile souk. I then stumbled across a cafe facing the creek. I had a pit stop to rest my feet., did I mention at this stage I was lugging around my new tea set! I had a gorgeous coffee and Bruschetta whilst I watched the boats go up and down the creek. 

On the Bur Dubai side of the creek, there are loads to explore. I walked to the Al Fahidi historical neighbourhood, there are loads of museums and pretty places to eat around here. I spent a good hour walking in and out of the little museums and taking in the sights. There were loads more to explore on the Bur Dubai side of the creek so do look online and do visit the other spots. I would have loved to spend more time exploring. You could easily spend the say down there walking and exploring. It was so nice to see the history and where it all started. From Al Fahidi I got a taxi back to my hotel. The difference between old and new Dubai is definitely worth seeing. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, Please do check out my Dubai Vlogs below and you might find my other Dubai posts useful. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a thumbs up on the video if you enjoyed it. 

Chat soon, 

Catherine. 

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3 Comments

  1. Lostvestige
    February 18, 2018 / 2:31 pm

    This part of Dubai has so much character! I think my favorite part of visiting new places is seeing the oldest and most historical parts of town.

  2. Catherine Carton
    February 19, 2018 / 8:13 pm

    Thanks so much for reading, This was one of my favourite days exploring old Dubai. It was so lovely to photograph x

  3. Mary Rucker
    February 25, 2018 / 3:40 am

    How thrilled I was to be able to experience your trip to Dubai. I live in Las Vegas Nevada. I am an artist. And I have been watching your YouTube videos for about 3 months. I think you deserved your reward and I think you will get more Awards the future. If you ever decide to come to Las Vegas Nevada please get ahold of me at maryrucker 2 at gmail.com and I will help you navigate your way around the town thank you so much for your wonderful YouTube videos

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