Dubai is the perfect steppingstone if you’re heading to Asia and find the flight too long – or if you simply want to make the most of your travel route. On our trip to Malaysia, we had to split the flight into two legs for health reasons – and what better opportunity than to experience Dubai while we were passing through?
You can absolutely do a stopover in Dubai where you just sleep – or at best, wait for three hours in the airport. We needed a night’s rest in Dubai, so we chose a flight route that allowed us to overnight there while also giving us a full day to explore the city. Highly recommended.
But what can you actually manage to see in Dubai in such a short time?
Is one day in Dubai enough?
We had 20 hours to work with, and although our list of sights we wanted to see was long, we only managed a fraction of what Dubai has to offer. Since time was so limited, we prepared a prioritized list at home of the things we most wanted to experience. Our list looked like this:
Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Frame, Palm Jumeirah, Old Dubai (spice souks + harbor), Dubai Mall (near Burj Khalifa), the Aquarium in Dubai Mall, and Dubai Marina.
Our choices were based on experiences we could realistically fit into a short timeframe. But having ideas of what to see is one thing – actually experiencing it is another.
Here’s a look at what we actually managed to do during our Dubai stopover.
Our first impressions of Dubai
Our flight landed in Dubai around midnight, and we immediately took a taxi to our hotel, Rove Dubai Marina. The journey from the airport to the hotel was an amazing experience. Driving through the city, our first half hour in Dubai was spent spotting one illuminated landmark after another. And if there wasn’t a landmark in sight, there was stunning architecture lit up in beautiful colors.
Within just half an hour of arriving in Dubai, we had already checked off several sights. We’d spotted Burj Khalifa, The Frame, Burj Al Arab, and other fascinating buildings that our taxi driver eagerly pointed out to us. We were thrilled – and our excitement clearly delighted him, as he seemed pleased with how easily he could make us point and cheer.
As soon as we had checked in for the night, we slipped out into the scorching hot darkness to buy water and toothpaste. Right in front of our hotel was a tiny, air-conditioned kiosk packed with locals doing their shopping. It was about one in the morning, yet we could see that construction work was still in full swing nearby – so, of course, the shop was open.
We walked down to the waterfront, wrapped in the futuristic glow of skyscraper spotlights, and took in Dubai. We had finally arrived.
Breakfast in Dubai
We got up relatively early to make the most of the day. My leg was sore from the flight, and our prioritized list of things to see had to be scaled down – I still needed to be ready for our evening flight to Kuala Lumpur.
We decided to have breakfast out before checking out of the hotel. After that, we planned to visit our selected sights one by one.
Breakfast was at a small Uzbek restaurant, where we were treated to the most exquisite service and the most delicate dishes. Even though we had amazing food throughout the rest of our trip, it’s still this little restaurant that we talk about the most. It might not even be an exaggeration to say it was some of the best food we’ve ever eaten.
With our bellies full of delicious food, we returned to the hotel, checked out, and took a taxi into the city.
One of the world’s largest hotels: Burj Al Arab Jumeirah
We couldn’t afford to stay at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, which has the most expensive hotel rooms in the world, nor could we splurge on their 24-carat gold coffee. But we could manage a taxi ride to the artificial island where the hotel stands. Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is probably Dubai’s most iconic hotel, and on top of that, one of the tallest hotels in the world. Of course, we soon realized that all we could do was admire it from the outside – just outside the entrance. But it was stunning: very clean, minimalist, and standing proudly like the most beautiful sailboat approaching the shore.
Jumeirah Beach (don’t do this)
Since we couldn’t sneak a peek inside Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, we decided to see the hotel from the side – from Jumeirah Beach, to be exact. And the beach was just around the corner from the hotel, right? In the middle of the day, under the scorching sun, we thought we could easily walk there. Considering we were carrying our travel clothes and bags, it probably wasn’t our brightest idea that day.
Every time I told Sebastian that the next corner would lead us down to the beach – and it didn’t – we all got closer and closer to heat exhaustion. The sun was relentless, and even though we poured water over our heads and necks, the few shady spots along the way weren’t nearly enough to cool us down from 42-degree heat.
By the time we finally reached the beach, we were so drained that all we did was dip our feet into the warm water before rushing back into an air-conditioned taxi to cool off.
Jumeirah Beach is actually a very nice beach, popular with both locals and tourists. For us, however, it became an experience we rarely mention – mainly out of fear of being reminded of how badly we misjudged the distance and Dubai’s heat.
But at least we got to see Burj Al Arab Jumeirah from the side. Check.
42 degrees in the shade and cool oases
We visited Dubai at the beginning of July, one of the hottest months in the city. During our visit, the thermometer read 42 degrees in the shade – and it can get even higher.
The heat is intense and desert-dry, stinging and burning in the nose. The sun is relentlessly strong. At midday, when we walked to the beach, we were almost alone on the street. Most people were in air-conditioned cars, and the only others we saw were guest workers walking from their barrack-like accommodations to the back of the hotels to find some shade – or tourists like us.
On our scorching walk to the beach, we came across an air-conditioned bus stop. We hurried inside and cooled our overheated bodies for a while. We also found small oases of relief in cooled taxis and Dubai Mall. You have to make do when you’re dressed wrong and make not-so-smart decisions in Dubai’s heat.
Dubai Mall – a dream or a crazy reality?
Visiting Dubai Mall was on our wish list when selecting experiences. We had heard a lot about it, and I must admit, I was curious. Since it’s also located right next to the Burj Khalifa, it made sense to combine the two sights. After our insane, scorching walk to the beach, the air-conditioned Dubai Mall was a welcome opportunity to cool down and have a drink.
Dubai Mall is one of the largest shopping centers in the world, offering every marathon shopper’s dream of stores, cafés, restaurants, and everything else you could imagine. Beyond shopping, it also offers experiences that few would associate with a mall – especially one located in one of the hottest places on Earth.
Some of the most incredible attractions in Dubai Mall include the massive aquarium, an underwater zoo, cinemas, an ice rink, a waterfall, a kids’ role-playing area, and much, much more. We managed to see the waterfall, the aquarium, the ice rink, browse some shops, enjoy a little cola at an expensive restaurant, and even get a bit lost.
Time was running out, and the crown jewel we hadn’t yet experienced before heading to the airport was the iconic building: Burj Khalifa. But first, we had to make our way out of Dubai Mall.
Beautiful and peaceful Dubai Fountain
We knew we could get to Burj Khalifa from Dubai Mall – but we couldn’t find the exit. After getting lost a few times, we finally discovered some doors to our left that led us out to the Dubai Fountain.
The intense heat and bright sunlight almost knocked us back as we stepped outside. In front of us was a vast body of water – a large lake with the most beautiful turquoise color. The skyscrapers on the opposite shore reflected perfectly in the water. From huge speakers, the most beautiful music played. It felt like stepping into a dream of artificial beauty.
See the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa – from above or below
As we looked up, Burj Khalifa soared on our right, stretching high into the sky, so tall it seemed to pierce the blue. It was almost surreal. Finally, we were seeing Burj Khalifa properly – not from a plane or the highways of Dubai, but right at its base! We had to tilt our heads far back just to see the top. And yes, it was stunning.
The question then became: should we see it from above or from below?
Before our trip, we had looked into tickets to go up Burj Khalifa and enjoy the view over Dubai, the Palm, and the desert. The prices were almost as high as the 828-meter-tall building itself. Tickets could be purchased in advance, but we couldn’t agree on whether it was worth the hefty price. After all, how often does one get the chance to go up the world’s tallest building?
Standing at the base of Burj Khalifa, however, we had no doubts. We decided to skip it – for several reasons:
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We were running short on time and weren’t sure how long a visit to the top would take.
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My leg was almost done for, and I needed to rest it.
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It was expensive, and we decided to spend the money in Malaysia, where it would be more worthwhile.
You (don’t) know Dubai by its color
Dubai isn’t just an impressive and exciting city – it’s also beautiful. Clean. Captivating. Bright. Clearly built from the desert’s sand. Wherever my eyes wandered, they rested on calm, Arabic-style structures. Dubai is a very beautiful city, but behind every building’s lovely sandy hue lies a less glamorous reality.
When we visited Dubai, we were very aware that the city we encountered is the result of just a few years of intensive exploitation of guest workers to create a money magnet that draws us in to spend. I am aware that the city’s original population makes up only about 20% of its roughly 3.3 million residents. The remaining 80% come from other countries – especially India, Pakistan, and the Philippines – solely to work and help build Dubai, often living under harsh conditions.
Dubai is known for its exploitation of guest workers, offering them inhumane housing and working conditions. During our short visit, we witnessed hardworking guest workers laboring on construction sites during the “milder” nighttime temperatures. It really makes you think.
Do we, by visiting Dubai, support the regime’s mistreatment of guest workers? Or are we honoring the effort and labor the guest workers have put into the city by visiting it? Perhaps it’s a bit of both. This was a topic we discussed at length.
The truest warmth in Dubai
It was 42 degrees in the shade – but that wasn’t the heat that touched our hearts.
Of all the country’s strict rules and warnings we had read up on, we were hugely surprised by the warmth of the people. During the 20 hours we spent in Dubai – of which we slept through seven – we encountered a kindness and friendliness rarely experienced on our travels. Despite the government’s rules and regulations, the few people we spoke with were genuinely warm, sincere, and welcoming. You know that look – the spark you see in someone’s eyes when they smile at you and hold eye contact a little longer than usual.
Dubai was an incredible experience – but it wasn’t the dazzling skyscrapers or other glitz that surprised us the most. It was the warmth of the people – the real, genuine kind. And that warmth stays with you.
What we still haven’t experienced in Dubai
As you can tell, 20 hours in Dubai wasn’t nearly enough time to experience everything we had hoped for – and certainly not all that the city has to offer. On top of that, my leg condition, which limits my mobility, didn’t exactly help us see more.
I would have loved to visit the spice market, Deira Spice Souk, and even more so the old part of town and the river, Dubai Creek, which runs through the city. But that would have required more time and immersion than we had.
I don’t think we’ll be returning to Dubai anytime soon – unless it’s for another stopover like this one. If that happens (you never know), the above would definitely be among the experiences I’d seek out in Dubai. Maybe I’d even want to explore some Arabic art or cultural history, just to scratch beneath the surface a bit.
We’ll see what time brings.
What do you think we should see if we return? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments below.
