Dubai: Old & Modern City Tour with Souks, Abra Ride & Burj Khalifa

4.80

(328 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You know, Dubai was just sand and sea when my grandfather was young,” our driver Rashid said as we left the hotel. He had this way of talking like he was letting you in on a family secret. The morning light felt sharp bouncing off Sheikh Zayed Road’s glass towers—so many shapes, all steel and blue sky. We zipped past them before Rashid slowed down by Jumeirah Mosque. He pointed out the stonework, said it looks different at sunset but I liked how the white walls glowed even now. Didn’t expect to smell the sea so close to those highways.

We stopped at Palm Jumeirah for that classic Atlantis view—everybody took photos, but honestly I just watched a couple of kids chasing each other in the sand. Then Burj Al-Arab appeared, almost cartoonish against the flat water. Our guide Farah laughed when I tried to say its name properly (I definitely didn’t). She told us stories about old pearl divers and how nobody believed Dubai would ever look like this. I kept thinking about that as we crossed the creek by abra—the wooden boat creaked under us and there was this mix of diesel and spice in the air. Seagulls everywhere.

The gold souk was next—so much gold it almost hurt my eyes. Shopkeepers called out greetings in at least three languages. Farah showed us how to spot real saffron in the spice souk (it smells sweet, not dusty). I bought some cardamom just because it reminded me of tea back home. There’s something about walking those narrow lanes with all those scents swirling together—it sticks with you longer than any skyscraper view, I think.

If you pick the Burj Khalifa option, you get whisked up so fast your ears pop—suddenly you’re looking down at everything we’d just walked through. It’s dizzying and a little surreal; I tried to spot our abra from above but no luck. On the way back Rashid asked if we wanted music or quiet—I chose quiet. Needed a minute to let it all settle in.