Dubai

Dubai is really two cities strung along the Arabian Gulf coast. At the northern end sits historic Old Dubai around the saltwater Khor Dubai (Dubai Creek), where wooden dhows still tie up three deep at the wharf, coral-and-gypsum wind-tower houses shade the alleys of Al Fahidi, and traditional wooden abras ferry passengers between the Gold and Spice Souks of Deira and the textile lanes of Bur Dubai.

Drive twenty minutes south down Sheikh Zayed Road and the scale leaps into the 21st century: first the torus-shaped Museum of the Future and the soaring needle of the Burj Khalifa in Downtown Dubai, then the man-made fronds of Palm Jumeirah and the high-rise canal of Dubai Marina, with rolling red desert dunes forty-five minutes inland. Start with our first-timer briefing.

Dubai International Airport (DXB) sits remarkably close to the city (just 15 minutes from Old Dubai and 20 minutes from Downtown), with Red Line Metro stations built directly into Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. A second airport, Al Maktoum International (DWC) in Dubai South, lies further south near Expo City. All airport links, Nol card rules and Careem tips are in how to get to Dubai.

Because Dubai stretches over 35 kilometres from Deira in the north-east to Dubai Marina in the south-west, picking the wrong base means spending hours in evening traffic. Stay in Downtown Dubai for sightseeing and Metro access, Dubai Marina/JBR for beachfront walks, or Al Seef/Jumeirah for quieter character. We compare six areas in where to stay in Dubai.

Cross Dubai Creek on a traditional wooden abra and walk the Al Fahidi Historic District, book sunset or morning views at the Burj Khalifa and the Museum of the Future, ride the monorail out to The View at The Palm, and spend an evening in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. See the full list in things to do in Dubai.

Dubai's kitchen reflects its population of more than 200 nationalities: slow-cooked Emirati spiced lamb machboos and saffron-cardamom luqaimat dumplings poured with date syrup in Al Fahidi, Levantine charcoal grills and hot garlic shawarma on Al Dhiyafah Road, and Pakistani karahi, Kerala fish curries and Iranian kebabs along the Creek. We cover where to eat in our Old Dubai and food guide.

Long before oil was discovered offshore in 1966, Dubai Creek was a thriving free-trade port for pearl divers, Bedouin traders and merchants from Persia and India. Emirati hospitality still revolves around gahwa (lightly roasted Arabic coffee infused with cardamom and saffron, poured from a brass dallah pot into handleless cups alongside soft dates) and the cultural houses of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding.