How I planned and well executed my Family Trip to Dubai!
I am a Software Architect working in Pune, India wanted to take my family for a vacation. Having visited Dubai earlier for business purposes, it was an obvious choice to go and explore Dubai like a traveller. Here is my story story on planning till execution.
Flights
Dubai is well connected from most of the places in the world. SpiceJet has a everyday direct flight from Pune to Dubai. I used MakeMyTrip to book flights. If you book early, you can get a good deal.
Hotel Stay
Dubai is widespread, based on your budget you can choose where to stay. If your budget is on higher side then you can choose stay in a hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road. If you want to do a budget hotel then you can choose to stay either in Deira or Bur Dubai.
Visa
Dubai has simple Visa laws allows easy travel. Being Indian, I could opt for e-visa. You can check services from Musafir.com for hassle free experience.
Transportation in Dubai
Dubai has a fantastic Taxi network — Dubai Taxi Corporation. All drivers are good and friendly. They will help you to make sure smooth and cost effective transport in Dubai. You can also choose to use Uber.
Sightseeing
Dubai provides various sightseeing options like
- Private Taxi — This can be booked from your hotel itself.
- BigBus Tours — You can pre-book this from website itself. I had opted for 5 day ticket. There are lot of additional things you get to do free with this ticket like Marina Dhow Cruise, Night Tour, Free tour to Sharjah, Dessert Sun Set tour etc. More details on website.
- City Sightseeing- Same services as Big Bus Tours.
Big Bus staff was very friendly. Their bus frequency is very good. You can track the next bus from their app itself.
Here is a detailed day wise plan I used.
Day 1
· Dubai Mall — Burj Khalifa — Tickets can be booked — From <https://tickets.atthetop.ae/atthetop/>
· Roam Around in Mall- Free
· Underwater Zoo & Aquarium — http://www.thedubaiaquarium.com Paid
· Dubai Fountains — Free
Day 2
Big Bus Tours — Green Tour
· Start at dubai Mall
· Jumaira Public Beach — Free
· Burj Al Arab — Free
· Souk Madinat — Free
· Mall of Emirates — Free
· Dubai Night Tour Starts at Mall Of Emirates — 7:45 PM -
· ground Floor — Gate 1
Day 3
Big Bus Tours — Blue Tour
· Start at Mall of Emirates
· Marina Walk — Free
· Marina Mall — Free
· Atlantis — The Palm — Free — Can visit Aquarium — Included in BigBus Tours Tickert
· Evening at leisure
Day 4
Big Bus Read Tour
· Morning — Spice Souk, Gold Souk, — Free
· After noon — Dessert Safari — Can be booked from Hotel or from online websites.
Day 5
· Sharjah Tour — Free — Half Day — Starts at Wafi Mall- This is not worth, I would prefer to do something else.
· Evening — Shopping — Meena Bazar/ Souks
Day 6
· Leisure — Shopping
· Global Village — Paid- Tickets can be booked online
· Miracle Garden
Hope this helps!
Here you some videos that I shot