60 Hours in Dubai – how we spent it

When we were planning our trip to Italy, we knew that we wanted at least a 24-hour stopover to shower, stretch our legs, and sleep in a regular bed. Living near Sydney, Australia means there are no direct flights to Italy, as the total flight time is approximately 20 hours (14 1/2 hours from Sydney to Dubai and 5 1/2 from Dubai to Venice). A few years back we did back to back flights from Sydney to San Francisco to Tampa and we were wrecked, so wanted to see if we could recover better from our long flight if we broke the two up. We wanted enough time to recover and explore but did not want our time in Dubai to eat into our Italy itinerary, so we stayed in Dubai approximately 60 hours – arriving mid-afternoon on Saturday, and departing early on Tuesday morning.

We stayed at NH Collection Jumeirah, which is on the base of the palm at Palm Jumeirah. Not knowing what transportation on and around the Palm looked like, we wanted to stay closer to the mainland so that we had easy access to everything Dubai has to offer. Before we arrived, we figured we could walk from our motel to the metro station which is just off the Palm, then use public transport to make our way around Dubai. Even though Google Maps was indicating we could just walk over a specified bridge, the walking directions provided lead us to a 10m high retained wall upon which sat a highway like road. Unfortunately, we discovered Dubai is not really a walkable city. By all means go for a walk on the Palm, there is an 11km long running track on the base of the palm and HEAPS of doggos going for walkies, and there is a monorail which runs to the top of the Palm. But if you would like to see other parts of Dubai, then an Uber is your best bet.

So, what did we do in 60 hours?
– An Arabian Adventures Evening Desert Safari, which accounted for all of our Sunday afternoon and evening (9 hours)
– Walk around the Palm West Beach and exploring Nakheel Mall (3 hours)
– Taxi to the Souk Madinat Jumeirah and walk to Burj Al Arab for photos (3 hours)
– Visit to the Mall of the Emirates (2 hours)

– Visit to The View at the Palm for sweeping views of the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai (2 hours)
– Monorail ride to the top/end of the Palm (1 hour)
– Visit to the Al Fahidi Historical District and markets (3 hours)

– Abra creek crossing and visit to the Gold Souk, Spice Souk and Textile Souk (4 hours)
– Visit to Dubai Mall and pictures of Burj Khalifa (2 hours)
– Swimming in our rooftop pool and nearby beach (6 hours)

– Eating, sleeping, showering and packing (25 hours)

We by no means hit all of the must do’s or can do’s in Dubai, but that was never the point for us. Our aim was to see enough of Dubai so that if we never get back there, we are happy to have explored, while also leaving enough to still do if we are to return in the future! Dubai is a great destination or place to stop and recharge before travelling onto the Middle East or Europe. With warm weather year round, an excellent road system, and lots of dogs (!!), there is plenty to do and see.

As always, find us on Instagram at AndiamoHarrigan x