Dubai Itineraries for 2 to 4 Days in Dubai

We have recently spent 4 days in Dubai on a budget. Here’s what our perfect Dubai itinerary for 2 to 4 days looks like:

Dubai Itineraries

We have crafted the best itinerary for Dubai for 2 to 4 days. See all the highlights in two days in Dubai and add two day trips for a little (or a lot) extra fun.

Check out our Dubai backpacking guide if you want to know more about affordable accommodation and transportation in Dubai.

2-Day Dubai Itinerary

Spend 2 days in Dubai to see all the highlights!

Dubai Itinerary Day 1

Morning: Old Dubai

Start your day in Old Dubai.

• Walk the Al Fahidi historical neighbourhood in Bur Dubai
• Take the Abra from Bur Dubai to Deira
• Shop at the souks (markets) in Deira
• Visit one of the many free museums in Old Dubai like
  • Coffee Museum
  • Museum of the Poet Al Oqaili
  • XVA Gallery

You can do this on your own. We opted to take a guided tour because it was an absolute bargain. Abdulla was a lovely guide and the tour even included a light lunch.

Lunch

If you opt for the guided tour, lunch is included. Otherwise, you’ll find a lot of affordable Indian and Pakistani places in Old Dubai.

Afternoon: Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa

Head over to modern Dubai for Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.

There are a lot of free things to do at Dubai Mall. Our favourite was the Aquarium (from the outside). There’s also

• an ice rink
• a dinosaur skeleton
• a waterfall

And much more.

End your day with the undisputed highlight of Dubai: Burj Khalifa, the highest building in the world. Be smarter than us and buy your ticket at least one day in advance as we had only a couple of time slots left on the same day.

Evening: Dubai Fountain Show

While you’re in the area, don’t miss out on the Dubai Fountain Show. It’s a free water, music and light show that runs every 30 minutes from 6 pm to 11 pm.

Dubai Mall also offers some affordable dinner options.

Dubai Itinerary Day 2

Morning: Alserkal Avenue

Make your way over to one of our favourite areas in Dubai: Alserkal Avenue. There are a ton of art galleries and artsy cafes. On the day of our visit, there was a farmer’s market. We spent a couple of hours here.

While you’re in the area, make your way to the Antique Museum as it is an easy walk from Alserkal Avenue. While it’s not technically a museum but more of a shop, it’s still worth a visit. It’s such a random place filled to the brim with stuff – from lanterns over statues to some pretty weird things.

Afternoon: The Palm

Ever since we saw the construction of the Palm on TV, we wanted to go there. And taking the palm monorail is a super fun and unique way to do so. You can either buy single rides, a return ticket, or a day pass. We opted for the day pass.

The view on the way to Atlantis Aquaventure Station is amazing. You can check out parts of the Atlantis Hotel as well as the Palm Jumeirah Boardwalk.

At Nakheel Mall Station there’s not much else to do but visit The View at The Palm.

At Al Ittihad Park Station you can visit the park (which is a bit underwhelming) and you can walk to Palm West Beach (which has some nice beach bars).

Evening: Rooftop Bar, Beach Club, and Marina Walk

Viewing decks in Dubai costs a lot of money. That’s why we love a good rooftop bar. Observatory Bar & Grill boasts amazing views of the The Palm. And the happy hour cocktails are surprisingly affordable.

From here, you have easy access to the Marina Walk where you can admire some yacht and skyline views for free.

In case you like beach clubs (who doesn’t!?) check out Barasti Beach Club.

3-Day Dubai Itinerary

On day 3 in Dubai, make your way to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai Itinerary Day 3 – Abu Dhabi

While you can easily reach Abu Dhabi with public transport from Dubai, it is much more complicated to move around in the city.

Your options are

• buses
• taxis
• a Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour
• a guided tour from Dubai

We opted for a guided tour from Dubai as it seemed to be the most cost-efficient option (except for buses).

Popular places to visit in Abu Dhabi include

• Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
• Emirates Palace
• Qasr Al Watan
• Etihad Towers
• The Corniche
• Abu Dhabi Louvre
• Ferrari World

Just choose which ones interest you the most!

4-Day Dubai Itinerary

On day 4 in Dubai, venture out of the cities and into the desert.

Dubai Itinerary Day 4 – Desert Safari

No trip to the United Arab Emirates would be complete without a trip to the desert. The easiest way to do so is by guided tour. There are countless tour operators but we can personally recommend OceanAir Travels.

Depending on the tour you book, activities can include

• Sandboarding
• A short camel ride
• Camel feeding
• Visiting a desert camp
• Arabic Tea and coffee
• Henna painting
• Shisha smoking
• Photos with falcons
• BBQ dinner
• Tanoura fire show
• Khaliji dance show

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