Did you see the extraordinary tower of the Burj Khalifa, visit various shopping centers, and discover all the secrets of the desert? Do you think there is nothing to surprise you in Dubai? Discover new museums, visit the recently opened theme parks, innovative shopping areas, and new generation restaurants where you can have a date.
1. Gold Souk
How to be more attractive? Wear jewelry! The gold market is a few streets with hundreds of jewelry stores. Even if you are not going to buy anything, you should go here to see literally mountains of gold. Rings, earrings, heavy necklaces, gold bars, coins – and all this shines and shimmers as if you are in the royal treasury. Gold Souk is famous for the fact that jewelry prices are low here.
At the same time, as in any market, bargaining is not only possible but also necessary: feel free to bring down the price by a third. It is worth noting that crime in the Emirates is at a very low level, and therefore, the security system is not designed for excesses. Although a lot of jewelry is concentrated in this place, there is no police and only a few unarmed guards. Cameras are the only security systems. However, here, you feel completely safe.
2. Flower Park
This amazing park was opened in 2013. Here 45 million different flowers grow, which were collected from around the world. Incredible sculptural compositions are made of them. Green lawns alternate with variegated flower beds so that visitors can better see floral objects. The length of the walkways is 4 km. The most famous exhibit is a portrait of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, completely made from fresh flowers. Another interesting attraction is the Flower Pyramid. Its height reaches ten meters. A whole team of gardeners cares for the park, so it looks perfect at any time. You can spend an amazing time there.
3. Glow Garden
This is an interesting park where you can admire the light installations. It was built in 2015, and it covers a large territory. More than five hundred architects, engineers, and designers participated in its development. The best artists of the country and foreign experts were invited. Famous objects and structures are mounted with numerous garlands, shining with different light. There is a department with figures of giant dinosaurs. Isn’t it a nice place to go on a date?
4. Al Maha
Of course, there are no real Bedouins and tents are actually villas with a private pool, a huge bedroom, terraces, a rain shower, Bulgari cosmetics and other benefits of civilization. And yet, spending the night in an Al Maha, styled like a tent, is worth every dirham spent. Antelopes and gazelles walk around the territory. Instead of noisy streets, there are silent dunes, and it takes at least 45 minutes to the nearest skyscraper, that is, the place is for those who want to relax.
5. Dubai Opera
The Opera House has transformed Dubai into one of the world centers of modern culture, becoming on a par with such reputable theaters as the Sydney Opera House and the Lincoln Center in New York. The opera building, which has the form of a futuristic boat and is situated near the Dubai Mall is itself an example of high art. The Opera House, designed for 1900 seats. Soloists, symphony orchestras, and eminent ballet troupes are the features of the world’s best opera.
6. Bastakiya
Today’s Bastakiya is a restored version of the settlement of the same name, which appeared at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries by the efforts of Arabs who came from Iran. Well, if you dig a little deeper, once there were taken trade caravans bound for Mesopotamia. Now Bastakiya accepts caravans of tourists and doesn’t meet them empty-handed. Two dozen galleries, a calligraphy center, a coffee museum, restaurants, and antique shops, randomly scattered through the labyrinth streets are the reason to stay in the historical quarter at least until the evening. Well, if the walk continues even after dark, there is a beautiful XVA Art Hotel nearby. Get directions to the textile market with the final stop at the Dubai Creek Canal and remember that it is advisable to get your destination at sunset – at this time, evening cruises on traditional Dhow boats are especially photogenic.
7. Al Dawaar Restaurant
The spinning floor at Al Dawaar restaurant is unlikely to help get rid of excess calories, but you will enjoy the panoramic views of Dubai from the 25th floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The menu includes the triumph of cosmopolitanism: dishes come from Morocco, India, Iran, China, Korea, Japan, Turkey, and other countries coexist in such a harmony that you will forget about taste barriers. But what you need to remember is the reservation in advance – there are a lot of those who wish to join the gastronomic place, and at the same time, make several full turns during dinner.
8. Ras Al-Khor
There are hundreds of birds inhabiting Ras Al-Khor. Flamingos, cormorants, lapwings, and other residents of the reserve behave in a friendly manner and enjoy posing for Instagram. It is difficult to imagine a more accurate allegory of Dubai, where, on the one hand, palaces are built of glass and concrete, and on the other, they spend 55 million dollars a year on landscaping and nature conservation. With all this, Ras Al-Khor is one of the most picturesque and romantic places in the city. Moreover, it is the most affordable and completely free place for visitors.
9. Dubai Spice Souk
Along with the ancient city of Bastakiya, the spice market will take you to the almost forgotten Arab past. In these places, you can see the authentic oriental flavor – the trading shops on the narrow streets look like exhibits of the 17th century. Merrily noisy merchants are dressed in national outfits; ancient houses retain their appearance of past centuries. Since rapidly growing hypermarkets are slowly crowding out markets and bazaars, it is quite possible that the spice market will soon be visible only in photographs, so we advise you to hurry up. This is a real culinary paradise.
10. Next Generation Cooking Restaurant
Dubai is rapidly turning into a global gastronomic center. Today, molecular cuisine is a trend – science fiction embodied in reality. This art is perfectly mastered by the chef of the Tresind restaurant, located in the Nassima Royal Hotel near the World Trade Center. At the table, guests are greeted by a bubbling laboratory pot with dry ice, in which the chef mixes various drinks to create a unique cocktail. The molecular interpretation of the Indian classic chutney and Pani Puri is a real sensation, and the Indo-Chinese fusion rolls with duck are served with traditional cakes.
