Dubai Gold Souk: Tours & Tickets

I was picked up from my hotel at the time stated without problem. I was on the tour alone with two other couples, but made to feel very welcome. On the way to Dubai from Abu Dhabi the guide points of things of interest. Unfortunately on the day there was a sandstorm in the area which made everything appear overcast. I cannot fault the tour, the guide or the driver. I would be tempted to visit different places in Dubai with the same tour company, as I wasn’t overstruck with the mosque photo stop or the Dubai Museum visit. I also didn’t like the Souq Markets as the shop owners are constantly pestering as you walk through, making it impossible to view. They will attempt to overcharge for their products. Dubai Mall was nice with plenty of options for lunch and views of the Burj Khalifa & the indoor aquarium. There is also a couple of lunch time showings of the fountains which are worth catching. Although I’m sure the evening show is much more spectacular, it’s a nice taster.

An enjoyable half day tour of Dubai city. A well organised tour and very nice guide who managed to keep track of everyone on the tour. He spoke good English and German. It was a very hot day but the bus had great air conditioning. We had enough time at all the stops per itinerary. The bus is unable to go close to the Burg al Arab so it was a bit hot to walk all the way but still able to take a photo from the distance. I thought the Fort museum was great. His Royal Highness’s Palace was great to see also. The Abra ride to the Souks was fun. The souks were as expected a lot of annoying people trying to sell you their gold and spices. It just puts me off looking and perhaps buying. But all the same good to experience it. I thought it was fabulous value and took the hassle out of trying to visit in the heat by ourselves. I would therefore definitely recommend this tour!!

This is a good way to see both the old Dubai and the new (modern) Dubai in one day. There are 3 different routes that together cover Dubai. The commentary provides useful information on the history and culture of Dubai and the UAE. Note that together the three routes take about 6 hours to get through without jumping on and off. At unexpected times of the day there can be traffic on some of the routes. There was live English commentary on one of the buses along the red route.

What a great trip so much fitted in and driver was so skilled. Thought we would die but writing this now so clearly survived. I am not good with motion sickness but just got a slight headache which is good for me. The desert was strange and enchanting. Looked like a baked Alaska. Photos of a lifetime. Don’t eat before you go haha.

The information provided was good but there was a lot of time that there was often “filler” music which became annoying. That time could and should have been filled with more information and also information that was not so obviously directed at encouraging the spending of more money. Fewer malls and more interesting information!