How Many Days In Dubai Is Enough? The Ultimate 7-Day Dubai Itinerary

Wondering how many days do you need to visit Dubai? Don’t you know what the main attractions are? Don’t worry, my itinerary will help you plan your 7-day trip to Dubai. 

Dubai is an extraordinary and large city where new attractions and activities rise like mushrooms after the rain. I visited Dubai many times and every time I come here, I still have something new to see and do.

If you think that 3 days is enough, you are wrong. In three days you will see very little. I recommend a minimum of 5 days, but 7 days is ideal. You can see the main landmarks, soak up the atmosphere, and relax on the beach.

I understand that planning and choosing what to see in a new city is not easy. Therefore, I prepared this 7-day Dubai itinerary, to make it easy for you. You can of course pick up some of the activities in case you are staying fewer days.

7-Day Dubai Itinerary

I prepared this itinerary for you based on the most important landmarks to see and where they are located so you don’t waste too much time traveling throughout the city.

Feel free to pick up the activities you are interested in.

➡️To save money, get the City Explorer Pass where you can choose between 3 to 7 attractions.

Day 1. Dubai Mall & Burj Khalifa

I believe that the tallest building in the world Burj Khalifa is number one on the bucket list for all tourists.

To go to the top of Burj Khalifa, you need to purchase tickets in advance as the demand is high. Sunset is usually the most popular time. Here are three options to choose from.

➡️Burj Khalifa observation deck on the 124 and 125 floors
➡️Burj Khalifa Sky on 124+125+148 floors
➡️Burj Khalifa Lounge VIP ticket 152+153+154 floors

To go to the top of Burj Khalifa, you need to go from Dubai Mall. And here is the time-saving. Dubai Mall is one of the largest malls in the world as it is located next to Burj Khalifa, you should visit it.

Even if you are not into shopping or not planning to buy anything, just go and spend some time there. There is a human waterfall going through the all floors which is amazing to see.

You will find there 1,200 retail outlets, 200 dining experiences, an Aquarium and underwater zoo, an ice rink, a cinema, and a lot of fun things like a VR Park, Hysteria, Emirates A380 simulator, for children Kidzania, Dubai Dino, and many more. 

The fun doesn’t end here. When you walk out from the Dubai Mall, you can see the Burj Khalifa in its whole beauty, take some pictures, and walk around.

You will find Wings of Mexico, a great Instagramable spot, you can walk around Souk Al Bahar where are some shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Have your lunch or dinner either inside Dubai Mall or Souk al Bahar and wait for the night sky. Why? Because at 6 pm the Dubai Fountain Show starts. It is happening every 30 minutes and it is free to watch. It is an amazing light show with music that you can’t miss. 

For the best view of Dubai Fountain, check out these restaurants.

Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall are located downtown and you can come here by metro. The metro stop is called Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall.

To stay near Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall, check out these best hotels near Dubai Mall.

Day 2. Old Town

On your first day, you saw the new, clean, and shiny part of Dubai. The second day is time to see the old Dubai. 

The old Dubai is Deira district where you can find many souks like the Gold Souk, Spice Souk, or Perfume Souk, and partially Bur Dubai where the oldest part of Dubai called Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood is located.

You will walk through the historical streets, admiring the architecture, you can visit a museum, and galleries and have lunch or coffee there.

Between Deira and Bur Dubai is Dubai Creek which you can cross by traditional Abra boat. Ticket cost just 1 dirham. Make sure you have a small change with you.

To get to the Old Town, you can take a metro to the station Sharaf DG in Bur Dubai or the Al Ras metro station in Deira.

Alternatively, you can use the Big Bus Tour, which has a stop here. You can look around and hop on another bus.

➡️Choose your Big Bus Tour ticket HERE

In the evening if you wish to relax, go for a nice dinner. However, if you still have enough energy, you can enjoy a buffet dinner on a Dhow Cruise with entertainment.

Day 3. Beach

So if you come to Dubai to also relax and enjoy the lovely beaches, then the third day after two busy days is a time to gain some more energy. There are several beaches where you can go.

There are private beaches that belong to the hotels however there are many free public beaches where you can go depending on the area you are staying in.

Close to Marina and JBR are Marina Beach and JBR Beach with many amenities. A little bit farther is Barasti Beach.

Close to Burj Al Arab, you will find a popular Jumeirah Beach and Umm Sequem Beach. This is a great spot for pictures with Burj Al Arab. 

There is also Kite Beach very popular with kitesurfers and La Mer Beach which is now under development and should be open in September 2024.

In the evening you should take a lovely walk in one of the best areas in Dubai. My favorite is Marina and the other one is JBR.

In Marina, you walk along the canal surrounded by shiny skyscrapers. There are many restaurants and cafes around where you can have dinner, drink or shisha. There is also Marina Mall.

JBR is close to Marina and it is a nice promenade with shops, restaurants, cafes, and food stalls. Both these areas are worth the evening walk, so you can keep the other one for another evening.

Day 4. Desert Safari

You can’t visit Dubai and not go to the desert. It is the best and the most authentic place in Dubai. I love it there. Such peace and escape from the noisy city. While you can go there by yourself with a 4×4 car, the best is to take a tour. And trust me, the choices are endless.

There are morning tours, evening tours, or overnight tours. You will be picked up from your hotel or apartment and will drive out of the city. Then you will change the vehicle and will experience some adrenaline during dune bashing. If you are not interested in that, you can skip it. 

You will stop the car in a good spot and take some awesome pictures. After the pictures, you continue to the open-air camp.

Each tour provides different activities like camel riding, quad bikes, and sandboarding, you can try shisha, get a henna tattoo, and dress in national clothes, and in the evening there is a buffet dinner and entertainment which is usually Tanoura Dance or belly dancer and fakir show.

If you go for the morning desert safari, then you will still have almost half a day free which you can use for exploring the area where you stay, going to the beach, or doing some shopping.

If you choose the evening one, you have some free time in the morning as you will be picked up in the afternoon.

➡️See the options for the desert safari tours HERE

Day 5. Waterpark

Whether you are old or young, if you love waterparks, you must visit one in Dubai. I guarantee you will have so much fun. The best Waterparks in Dubai are Wild Wadi and Aquaventure. 

Aquaventure is one of the largest waterparks in the world with a record of most waterslides and it is located on the artificial island Palm Jumeirah in the Atlantis Hotel. Wild Wadi is next to Burj Al Arab. To see whether Wild Wadi or Aquaventure is better, read my comparison here.

In Aquaventure there is also a dolphin encounter, with which you have entrance to the waterpark for free. The dolphin encounter is an amazing experience and I highly recommend it.

To get to Atlantis Hotel you can either take a taxi or use public transportation. There is a monorail going From Nakheel Mall, but you will still need to get to the Nakheel Mall either by taxi or tram and walk.

To get to Wild Wadi, the easiest way is by taxi. There is also a bus service available.

It is also good to book the waterparks in advance.

➡️Book Aquaventure Waterpark HERE or Dolphine encounter HERE

Day 6. Global Village

Global Village is a magical place. Visiting Global Village means going around the world. There are different pavilions representing countries from all around the world.

You can see it in the architecture, products, and food. There are different events and shows, rides, games, and attractions for old and young to experience.

Global Village is open from October to April from 4 p.m. For more information about Global Village, read my article here.

In the morning you can relax on the beach or if you are interested in the largest flower garden in the world, you can visit Dubai Miracle Garden in the morning. In case Global Village is not for you, you can also replace it with Miracle Garden. The choice is yours.

To get to Global Village you can either take a taxi or a metro and then a bus. There are buses number 102, 103, 104, 106, and 107 from different metro stations.

To get to Miracle Garden you can take a taxi or metro to the Mall of the Emirates metro station and from there bus number 105.

Day 7. Visiting other Emirates

If you are staying in Dubai for one week or longer and you are not interested in relaxing on the beach but rather exploring different places, then you can consider visiting other Emirates or places around Dubai.

There are six more Emirates where Abu Dhabi is the capital city and after Dubai, it is the most popular to visit.

There is one of the most beautiful mosques, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which is free to visit. When visiting the mosque, you should dress respectfully and women should cover their hair. They also lend clothes and abaya to women.

Other than the mosque, there is a Grand Palace that you can see from outside and Ferrari World, which is a famous amusement park, the Louvre Museum, Yas Waterworld aquapark, and the newly opened Seaworld.

To visit Abu Dhabi, you can take a tour, or go by bus, car, or taxi. Here is a tour from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

For more information about how to go from Dubai to Abu Dhabi click here.

Another interesting Emirate where people go is Fujeirah. It is a great place for diving and mountain walking as this Emirates is the most mountainous. There is also the oldest mosque, museum, and fort.

Another nice place to visit is Al Ain. It is about 140 km from Dubai. You can visit the Al Ain Museum, Al Ain Zoo, and Oasis where you will see the irrigation system that has been used for thousands of years.

Moreover, you can drive to the highest point of Abu Dhabi called Jebel Hafeet from where you will have an incredible view.

How To Move Around Dubai

Dubai is a large and busy city with frequent traffic jams. Therefore it is important to choose activities in one day that are close to each other.

There are a few different ways how to move around. Dubai is not a very walkable city, so to get from one side to another, you will need some sort of transport.

• For the first-timers, I recommend using the Big Bus for moving around the city which will give you an idea about the structure of the city and you can also visit some attractions on the way.  We used it when I first time visited Dubai together with the Abu Dhabi Tour.
• There is an option to rent a car if you want to be independent and drive around. You need to know that traffic here is heavy and people drive fast. To rent a car is not necessary. If you wish to rent a car, check out some options here.
• The best thing is to use the metro for long distances and if you need to reach an attraction where the metro is not going, you can take a taxi from that station, or buses if there are available. Around Marina and JBR, tram service is also available.
• Taxis are very good and not that expensive. There is also Uber, but it is more expensive than city taxis. 
• To get from the airport to your hotel, the best option is to take a taxi which you will find at the airport.  You can also use a private transfer.

How Many Days In Dubai: FAQs

For more questions, check out these FAQs below.

Is 3 days enough to visit Dubai?

I would say no. However, if you have only three days, then these three days are enough to see the most important landmarks of Dubai.

When is the best time to visit Dubai?

For me, the best time to visit Dubai is from mid-September until mid-May. I don’t really like the months of January and February as they are not so hot and there can be some rain or sandstorms. However many people prefer these months as they don’t like the heat.

I would avoid visiting during summer June-August as it is too hot and also during Ramadan. 

Are there other things to do in Dubai that are not suggested in this itinerary?

Definitely yes. There are many amusement parks like IMG World, Motiongate, and Legoland, and many museums like the Museum of the Future, the Museum of Illusions, the Dubai Museum, and the Etihad Museum.

You can visit Dubai Safari Park, the Green Planet, Sky Views Observatory, and Love Lakes, have a picnic in one of the parks, go skiing in the indoor ski center, go for a tour or dinner in Burj Al Arab, go clubbing at night, go to infinity pool like Aura Skypool, Dubai Frame, take a helicopter flight or hot air balloon flight.

For adrenaline junkies, there is skydiving or ziplining. And many, many more.

The Wrap-Up: 7-day Dubai Itinerary

This Dubai itinerary was made for people who would like to see the most important parts of Dubai peacefully without rushing and also relax on the beach.

In case you don’t have 7 days, you can do the most important attractions in 5 days.

I hope this itinerary is going to help you to plan your trip to Dubai. If you have any questions, please let me know.