How to Spend 3 Days in Dubai

This a guest post by a fellow blogger and travel lover. You can see the bio at the end of the post. It’s all about how to enjoy a few days in Dubai. I’ve been to Dubai myself and loved it. Enjoy the guest post!

If you’ve got only three days to spend in the glittering city of Dubai and you think you won’t be able to enjoy it much, don’t worry. You have three full days in Dubai! That’s enough time for us to take you on a journey of wonder, of astounding manmade marvels and magical vistas that are seen only in dreams.

Dubai is absolutely the best place to visit as a family. There’s something for everyone here – adventures galore for kids, history, art, and amazing architecture for the grownups. Are you ready to see how to spend 3 days in Dubai? Come on, let’s go!

Here’s our sample itinerary on how to spend 3 days in Dubai, with a little bit of everything thrown in. We’re presuming that you’ll be landing in Dubai early in the morning, so we’ve scheduled your day beginning at 10 a.m. Let us know if you like this itinerary!

Day 1: 10 a.m. – A Historic Treat 

We will head to the beautiful Jumeirah Mosque, the only mosque which encourages people of all religions. Admire the mosque’s domes, minarets, and gardens. At night, when the lights are lit, the mosque makes a beautiful picture against the dark skies. Next, we head to the Al Fahidi Fort, which houses the Dubai Museum. Here, through artifacts, you’ll learn about Dubai’s history and evolution from a fishing village.

A walk through the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood’s cobbled alleyways and you’ll understand how people lived here before. Houses built with black coral, art galleries, cafes, and old irrigation Falaj systems dot the neighborhood. We’ll then cross the Dubai Creek on a wooden vessel called the abra and explore the Deira side, which is a major market selling spices, clothes, gold, and much more. You’ll find the largest gold finger ring on display here! A visit to the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding for an intro to pearl diving and Dubai’s military and cultural history, and then it’s lunch at an incredible Arabian café.

Day 1: 5:00 p.m. – Overnight Desert Safari

We’ll take you to the desert along the scenic Al Awir route. At our camel farm, we’ll help you ride a beautifully decorated camel into the desert. After this we head to our Welcome Tent, where you can rest awhile, nursing hot Arabian coffees or cool drinks. During sunset, our photographers will set up tripods and you can take some great pictures of the desert sunset – a rare privilege. 

Sit back, lounge on soft silk cushions and watch the amazing belly dancing by exotic beauties, followed by the whirling tanura dance and the dangerous fire dance. Get your arms tattooed by henna artists. Feel free to try the hookah pipe, put on some Bedouin robes and play the role. Spending the night under the stars, with a night desert exploration thrown in, plus sunrise photography at dawn, breakfast and coffee and the trip home – sound good for your 3 days in Dubai itinerary?

Day 2: 10:00 a.m. – Atlantis Aquaventure

We reckon you’ll be glad to dip into cool water at Atlantis Aquaventure, after the heat of the first day. The Leap of Faith ride offers a 27.5-meter plunge through a clear tube surrounded by sharks. Enjoy a riot of waterslides – an excellent start for your 3 days in Dubai – the Tower of Neptune, Zoomerango, Poseidon’s Revenge, and the Tower Of Poseidon.

Float away on the 1.6-kilometer river course, lounge on the private beaches, and let your kids enjoy the kids’ play areas. Feast your eyes on the incredibly beautiful Atlantis The Palm hotel, a hot favorite for Instagram shots. Let’s have a wonderful lunch at Wavehouse, one of the many restaurants at the waterpark. 

Day 2: 5:00 p.m. – Dubai Marina Dhow Cruise

It’s 5 p.m. now and you’ve had all the water fun you can stand. Let’s head to the Dubai Marina – the artificial canal city, and enjoy a relaxing dhow cruise. Both sides of the winding canal are dotted with skyscrapers and fancy luxury yachts. The marina extends all the way from Al Sufouh Road, encompassing Jumeirah Beach Residence Walk, to the outskirts of Palm Jumeirah Island.

The dhow is a beautifully renovated and decorated ancient vessel with every kind of luxurious facility on board. Enjoy the onboard dinner, comprising of Emirati and continental BBQ and Middle Eastern dishes. Lounge back on silk cushions, get your arms henna painted, and watch exotic dancers perform belly dance, tanoura, and fire dances. You can also watch people whiz by at great speeds along the world’s longest urban zipline, from JBR’s Amwaj Towers to the top of Marina Mall.

Day 3: 10:00 a.m. – Burj Khalifa, Dubai Fountains, and Dubai Mall

It’s time now to pay homage to the tallest giant in the world – the Burj Khalifa. We’ll book sunrise viewing slots for you at the observatory at The Top deck. It’s an unbeatable, visually stunning experience. Use one of the several telescopes mounted along the deck to focus on the city’s landmarks. You can see the entire city and beyond – the desert and the seas.

After we’ve had our fill of the Burj Khalifa, we’ll make our way to breakfast at one of the food outlets at Dubai Mall. The next few hours are yours to explore the extravagant Dubai Mall and shop at any of its 1200+ retail outlets. Dubai Mall is home to the VR Virtual Reality Park, a skating rink, Dubai Underwater Aquarium and Zoo, and much more.

Explore all of them – we have plenty of time. Lunch at Dubai Mall, and at 1:30 p.m., we’ll be on time to watch the Dubai Fountains come into motion. The fountains are simply mindblowing, especially at night, with the music, water, and light extravaganza. 

Day 3: 2:30 p.m. – IMG Worlds of Adventure

IMG Worlds of Adventure stretches for 1.5 million square feet and features 5 zones of fun and thrilling activities for the whole family. It’s the world’s largest indoor theme park.

Here you’ll find all your favorite Cartoon Network and Marvel Comics characters come to life. This theme park has tons of roller coasters, immersive rides, interactive fun parks, activity centers, and amazing animatronic dinosaurs at Dino World. It’s the most amazing indoor theme park in the world and worth every minute you spend here.

Day 3: 5:00 p.m. – Beach Evening

It’s time to hit the beaches – Kite Beach and Jumeirah Beach – two of the best beaches in Dubai. You can enjoy an eyeful of the spectacular Burj Al Arab from both beaches and take pictures of the amazing 7-star hotel with its iconic billowing sail shape. Kite Beach has trampolines, kids’ play areas, water sports equipment shacks, skate park, and adventure gyms.

You can surf, snorkel, and kiteboard, go banana boating, kayaking, and more.  We’ll eat a fantastic dinner at one of the many food trucks lined up on Jumeirah Beach. If you’d rather, we can avoid the beach appointment and set up a cocktail booking for you at the SkyView at the Burj Al Arab. You can enjoy a brilliant sunset from there, and feast your eyes on the Burj’s interiors. 

Conclusion

So that was your 3-day in Dubai itinerary! If you want, you can add to this itinerary and edit it as you wish. You can choose to spend less time shopping and more time enjoying Dubai’s other magnificent attractions, such as the Frame, the Museum of the Future, the new Palm Fountains, the Dubai Canal, and more if you wish. Just let us know and we’re ready to make your 3 days in Dubai your dream-come-true vacation. 

About the Author

Neha is a postgraduate in Mass Communications and a keen writer. She is passionate about traveling to new places, reading fiction, learning new things, and loves being a nature trekker. You can check out more info about Dubai on the Facebook Page for Neha and Dubai Wikia.