Guide to choosing the best tours to do in Dubai

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Guide to choosing the best tours to do in Dubai

Dubai is not just a gigantic city but it is also devoted to tourism and entertainment like perhaps only Las Vegas in the world. Thinking that going to Dubai only means sunbathing on the beach and visiting shopping centers is a mistake that many can make.

There are so many activities and things to see in Dubai that if you had 10 days available, every day you could do something new and fun.

Dubai is not famous for free things to do, in fact many of its attractions have to be paid for or can be visited with excursions.

But if it is true that the costs of Dubai’s attractions may seem disproportionate, in truth if you choose the right tours and tickets you can save a lot .

I have selected the best tours of Dubai and which I recommend if you want to organize your days alternating visits to unmissable places with places that, above all, If it’s your first time going to Dubai, you shouldn’t miss it.

If you are organizing your trip and don’t know where to sleep in Dubai I recommend reading the post on where to stay in Dubai, a complete guide to the neighborhoods with an updated list of the best hotels for all budgets. If you are looking for an itinerary I recommend you read what to see in Dubai in 3 and 5 days, detailed itinerary day by day.

What you will find in this post

Have you found plane tickets? See also on Traveljourn
Read also: Experience grandeur! Top reasons to visit Dubai

Traveling to Dubai and the most popular tours, what to know

Before going into detail about the best tours in Dubai here are some important things to know in order to organize your holiday in Dubai.

Health insurance – Don’t leave without travel insurance, please.
The Dubai Pass to save on tickets – If you intend to visit many attractions, given that in Dubai you pay for everything and some attractions can cost more than €100, I recommend you buy a Dubai Pass. I wrote a post about all the passes you can choose from, but if you don’t want to spend a fortune but you know you want to visit 3 or 5 attractions I highly recommend the Go City Dubai starting from €157 per person (3 attractions)
Where to sleep in Dubai- If you like to sleep in characteristic neighborhoods then look for Bur Dubai, like the XVA Art Hotel which is in a traditional structure, if instead you want to taste the typical luxury of Dubai opt for Dubai Downtown, very beautiful Royal Regency Holiday Homes. On the post where to stay in Dubai you will find a complete guide to the neighborhoods and the best hotels.. with a view of Burj Khalifa, or Dubai Marina if you want to stay close to the sea, take a look at DAMAC Maison
How to get around Dubai – It’s easy but you need to understand how to organize your travel. I recommend you read the post How to get around Dubai and the Nol Card
How to get to the Dubai hotel from the airport: Private transfer starting from €38, taxi at arrivals or , if it is still open, with the Dubai Metro
How to visit the Burj Khalifa – I wrote a specific post where you will find the list of the best tickets for the Burj Khalifa. Remember to book your ticket in advance or you risk not finding a seat at the times you are interested in.

Private tour of Dubai with guide in Italian

One of the first things I recommend you do if you have never been to Dubai is to treat yourself to a private tour of Dubai with an Italian speaking guide, if you limp a little with English (alternatively below I recommend other slightly cheaper and group tours, some also in Italian).

With this private tour of Dubai it begins with a pick-up from your hotel and you can tailor-design the itinerary to discuss with the guide before meeting you or you can let the guide himself think of one for you you which includes the main places of Dubai including the Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa and Bur Dubai which, among other things , it’s my favorite neighborhood.

You can choose between the 4-hour or 8-hour tour and the cost varies depending on the number of participants, from €350 for a group of 4 people.

An excellent way to start discovering Dubai by having an overview of the city and then being able to move around on your own.

This is the best solution for those who want a personalized and private tour of Dubai with an Italian speaking guide and are traveling with a small group.

Two Day Combo Tour – Dubai Guided Tour with Dinner Boat and Desert Tour

Don’t miss out on the first Dubai tours to consider the desert tour, which is an exceptional site for booking tours in Dubai and which has lots of offers, I found the Dubai tour with the evening desert safari combining the two-day combo ticket.

The combo ticket can be used over two days. On the first day you will take a one day tour of Dubai in English, which includes Al Fahidi and Bur Dubai but also the Burj Al Arab, the only seven-star hotels in the world, and the Palm Islands, the most fascinating artificial island ever created.

The evening ends with a dinner on the boat, a very popular activity and a great experience that I recommend you do in regardless of the combo ticket.

The next day you will leave for the desert, the departure is in the afternoon so you have the morning free, and in a 4×4 you will reach the dunes where you will have a session of dune-bashing, that is, a nice and quite adrenaline-filled drive through the dunes. The day ends at a Bedouin camp where you have dinner and watch evening shows.

The combo ticket for a guided tour of Dubai, dinner cruise and desert tour costs €80 per person and you can buy here.

If you also want to addaccess to floors 124 and 125 of the Burj Khalifa you can buy this ticket which costs €93 per person, and I assure you it is a super deal, given that the ;Single entry to the Burj Khalifa costs around €40.

Are you only interested in visiting the Burj Khalifa?
If you are interested exclusively in the Burj Khalifa I recommend the reading the post on tickets for the Burj Khalifa and tips for visiting it

Group Tour of Dubai, Blue Mosque and Bur Dubai

This is a tour of approximately 4 hours which can also be held in Italian, just choose the option, and we will will lead you to discover the most famous places in Dubai and also includes a ride in an Abra at Dubai Creek.

The tour includes pick up at your hotel and will take you to The Pointe at Palm Jumeirah, where the famous Atlantis hotel is located , on the way you will stop to take a photo from Dubai’s famous Vela beach, Burj Al Arab. This will be followed by a visit to the Blue Mosque where you can visit its intricate interior decorated with beautiful chandeliers and a library housing nearly 40,000 religious books.

The visit will continue towards old Dubai and Creekside where you will take a short ride on an abra, the oldest means of transport in the city, to reach the Deira neighborhood where the famous Gold Souk and the spice souk are located.

This will be followed by a visit to the Al Khayma Heritage House in the historic district of Al Fahidi, where you will take a tour of the house during which you will discover more about the history of the United Arab Emirates. At the end of the tour you can stay in the souk or return to the hotel.

The tour costs At the end of the tour, you are left alone at the souk or return to your hotel or selected location.

The tour costs €53 per person.

Dubai Half Day Tour in Italian and Burj Khalifa Entrance Ticket

This tour can also be booked with Italian speaking guide and lasts 5 hours. The plus of this tour is that it also includes the entry ticket to the Burj Khalifa, floors 124 and 125, the price is excellent because it costs €62 per person , considering that entry to the Burj Khalifa alone costs €35/40.

The tour starts from Jumeira, the Burj Al Arab and the majestic Jumeirah Grand Mosque which dates back to Fatimid rule. You will continue towards Bastakyia Historic District, the historic center of Dubai where the Dubai Museum, located in the 200-year-old Al-Fahidi fortress.

The ticket to the museum is included in the cost and you can visit it independently. You will then cross the creek on board an abra to reach Deira which is home to a beautiful souk whose most famous are those of gold and spices.

Before reaching the Burj Khalifa you will visit the Zaabeel neighborhood and then reach the Dubai Mall and finish the visit to the Burj Khalifa where you can stay as long as you want.

The tour which also includes entry to the Burj Khalifa costs €63 per person and is also available with an Italian speaking guide ( includes hotel pick up but not drop off).
You can read the reviews and book it at this link.

Dubai Desert Tour by 4×4 and BBQ Dinner

If you are not interested in the combo tour of Dubai and the desert but only want to organize the latter then this tour is for you.

Among the best tours in Dubai and the most popular, I cannot in fact mention the desert tour . You will find many and different types, from the hot air balloon at dawn to the quad, but the classic tour is the 4×4 tour in the afternoon which ends with a dinner in a Bedouin camp with evening show.

When I did it I was a little nervous. skeptical having done many desert tours, but in the end the experience turned out to be really fun also because the drive on the dunes was much more adrenaline-filled than I expected.

The tour includes hotel pick-up and drop-off and lasts approximately 6/7 hours and costs €36 per person .

Before doing the 4×4 ride on the dunes you will stop at the quad field which you can do at extra cost (and it’s super fun!).
For more information on the tour, reviews and to book online click here.

Dubai Desert Tour, Quad Bike and Dinner

This tour is similar to the one above but also includes the quad, option not available in December. The pick up at the hotel takes place between 2pm and 3pm and the first stop will be right at the quad field and then followed by the drive through the dunes in 4×4 and end at the Bedouin camp for dinner and then return to the hotel.

The tour costs €36 per person and also includes 10 minutes on a quad. For more information, reviews and to book online click here.

Dubai Marina – Yacht cruise with breakfast or bbq

One of the most popular activities in Dubai, after the desert, is definitely a boat or yacht tour. You can find luxury yachts and beautiful boats that don’t cost much and include lunch or dinner.

There are many options, from 2 hours with breakfast or BBQ to longer tours with dinner. Tours of this type combine the boat experience with panoramic tours to see some of Dubai’s most important places from the sea starting from Dubai Marina to Blue Water Island.

If you want to book a yacht tour I recommend you take a look at these:

Dubai Marina dinghy excursion

This is a very nice tour because it allows you to discover Dubai from a different point of view, that is, from the sea and you will do it on board a dinghy.

The cruise starts from Dubai Marina Lagoon, and then reaches the Palm Jumeirah , Ain Dubai and JBR. The tour lasts 90 minutes and costs €49 per person and departs several times a day (at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm).
For more information and to book online click here.

Fujaira: tour with snorkeling in Dubai

This tour will take you to the emirate of Fujairah where you can swim in the Gulf of Oman and have beautiful snorkeling sessions.
You will reach the port in about two hours by car (included in the cost) and from here you will board the yacht which it will take you to a small island about 15 minutes away where you can dive and snorkel.
The tour leaves around 6 am and the return is scheduled for 4 pm, it costs €90 per person.
To book it online and read the reviews click here.

Tour and Hatta mountains

If you are tired of the city and want to treat yourself to a day in nature away from the skyscrapers and casinos of Dubai then I recommend you go to the picturesque Hatta mountains.

Hatta is an enclave of the emirate, on the border with Oman, and is known for its breathtaking landscapes but also because in summer it has a cooler climate than the hot (unbearably hot) Dubai while in winter it is the ideal destination for activities such as kayaking and cycling.

The tour includes a visit to the restored traditional village, theHatta Heritage Village, one of the oldest in the country dating back to third century BC.

You will continue to visit the Hatta dam characterized by blue waters that reflect the surrounding mountains, and then reach the famous Hatta Honey Bee Garden, where after donning a protective suit you will enter a large beehive.
You can also add a bike or kayak session at extra cost.
The tour costs €36 per person (group tour) and lasts 6 hours. For more details and to book online click here.

Visit Abu Dhabi from Dubai (1 day)

A few hours’ drive from Dubai is Abu Dhabi, where the famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is located. Unless you decide to stay multiple days in Abu Dhabi, the most convenient and easiest way is to go with a day tour that includes transportation and the entrances.

During this day tour you will visit the Great Mosque, characterized by the white marble structure composed of 82 domes, chandeliers and floral designs, the Corniche of Abu Dhabi, which extends for 8 km over the Persian Gulf, the Emirates Palace, Etihad Towers, the official government building of Abu Dhabi and the

You will take a lunch break at Marina Mall, and then visit Qasr Al Watan Palace, which means “palace of the nation”, the presidential palace, and which represents the cultural emblem of Abu Dhabi.

The tour lasts 9 hours and costs €98 per person, the cost also includes entrance fees to attractions.