Dubai is a city known for its luxurious inhabitants, its towering skyscrapers, its high-end cars, and its expensive hotel rooms. Surely visiting the most expensive city in the Middle East must come with a hefty price tag. And actually enjoying it must be for millionaires alone… but the good news is: it’s not!
In fact, having a great time in Dubai for cheap is relatively easy. You won’t be cruising around in a Lamborghini or staying in a five-star hotel, of course, but much of Dubai’s stunning sights and attractions will still be accessible to you. With reasonable expectations and an open mind, there’s no reason you can’t have a blast.
The easiest way to save money in Dubai (and anywhere else) is to save on transportation and living expenses. That means finding the best deals on plane tickets and avoiding hotels if possible. Airbnb makes it super easy to find reasonably cheap living arrangements even in a city like Dubai.
For activities, keep your eyes open for fun things to do for free.
If that’s not enough for you, here are some more free or inexpensive activities put together by Out Of Town Blog’s Piers van der Merwe:
Cheap Things To Do In Dubai
Dubai Mall
Sebastian Wilke via Flickr
The Dubai Mall is an amazing place to get lost in. There is so much there that you could do for a day or two and almost none of it will cost you any money, unless you want to spend. The Mall contains an aquarium, an ice rink, fascinating displays like one of divers over a waterfall. But of course, at the Mall there is the tallest building in the world – the Burj Khalif. Even though this will cost you something, it is well worth going up. There are 2 levels that you can choose to go to. The first at the 123 and 124 floors, and the second almost to the top to the 148th floor.
Jumeirah Beach
Guilhem Vellut via Flickr
Spend time on the amazing Jumeirah beach where you have a view of iconic Burj Dubai Hotel. All of this makes for an interesting day at the beach! If you are a beach lover, I would suggest you avoid the height of summer when the temperatures may be a little on the high side for a comfortable experience.
Palm Jumeirah
Jason Mrachina via Flickr
This is a must visit, even if only because it’s an engineering marvel. It’s the largest man-made island in the world. In fact, it’s actually a series of islands connected in such a way as to make it look like a Palm. You can take a monorail out to the islands, although getting to the start station can be challenging. The sheer magnitude of the island will leave you speechless.
Old Town Dubai
Caroline via Flickr
Another “free” thing to do in Dubai is explore the souks of the Old Town, that’s if you can resist the temptation to purchase anything. Sometimes referred to as Old Deira, it’s a treasure trove of spices, perfume and jewelry. One interesting way to do this area of Dubai is by following the National Geographic Walking Tour.
There you have it! You actually can explore and enjoy the city of riches without blowing a year’s pay. Hope you have fun!
You can read Piers’ full article about Dubai on Out Of Town Blog here.
Feature image courtesy of Out Of Town Blog.