What to do in Dubai in 3 or 4 days: Itinerary and tips

What to do in Dubai in 3 days or 4 days

Let’s get into this 3-4 day Dubai itinerary!

Day 1 in Dubai

Whether it’s your first day in Dubai or you only have one day to visit the city, I suggest visiting one of the oldest parts of the city and one of the most modern part of the city. In these areas you will find some of the best places to visit in Dubai. In this way, you will be able to get to know a bit of the past and present of Dubai.

Summary of your first day in Dubai:

• Al Fahidi and Al Seef.
• Spice Souk and Gold Souk.
• Burj Khalifa.
• Dubai Mall.
• Dubai Fountain.

The historical neighborhood of Al Fahidi, starting point for this Dubai itinerary

Once you finish visiting Al Fahidi and Al Seef, I recommend visiting Bur Dubai Abra Station where you can get on an abra (traditional boat) and cross the Dubai creek and get to Deira.

In this area of the city, I recommend visiting the Dubai spice souk and gold souk.

Getting lost in the Dubai spice souk will be an experience you’ll never forget, thanks to the amount of smells and colorful spices piled up at the entrance of each business. Maybe you can take some spices home to give your favorite recipes a new touch. I recommend bargaining with store owners!

In the Gold Souk you can find an authentic exhibition of gold. Whether you are ready to buy or just want to look, it is an interesting place to visit in Dubai. One of the shops houses the largest gold ring in the world. It weighs 58.68kgs!

Burj Khalifa, a must-see place in Dubai

After visiting the old part of town, head to one of the best places to visit in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa! It is currently the tallest building in the world and paying it a visit is a must if you are visiting Dubai in 1 day.

Thanks to its impressive height of 828 meters, admiring this building from the streets of Dubai is enough to take your breath away. However, if you seek a unique experience, I recommend visiting At The Top, Burj Khalifa. Taking queuing time into account, you’ll spend at least 2 hours visiting the observatory.

The general ticket, At the Top, Burj Khalifa, allows you to visit floors 124 and 125. There is another ticket, At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY, which grants you access to the 148th floor. In my opinion, all things considered, the basic general admission is enough to have a wonderful experience.

• General Burj Khalifa entry ticket.
• SKY Burj Khalifa entry ticket.

Dubai Mall

In order to visit the Burj Khalifa observatory, you’ll first have to enter the Dubai Mall. Whether you are visiting the Burj Khalifa or not, I recommend strolling through the most popular mall in Dubai.

In addition to countless restaurants and shops, you will find other attractions such as an ice rink, a 26-room cinema, a haunted house, a trampoline park for children, a virtual reality room and a digital art exhibition.

Dubai Fountain Show

What better way to end your first day in Dubai than by going to the Dubai Fountain show? This water, music, and light show is held every afternoon, every half hour, from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM. It is totally free. You’ll love it!

After enjoying the Dubai Fountain show, head to Time Out Market Dubai and have a drink or a meal.

Day 2 in Dubai

On your second day in Dubai, I recommend visiting the Dubai Marina area, and also going for a ride on the Ain Dubai, the world’s largest ferris wheel. In the afternoon, get ready for the best day trip in Dubai.

Summary of your second day in Dubai:

• Dubai Marina.
• Ain Dubai.
• Trip to the Dubai Desert.

Strolling through the Dubai Marina

I recommend starting your second day of this 3 or 4 day Dubai itinerary in the Marina. It is one of the liveliest areas of the city.

You can enjoy a good beach day at Marina Beach and also perform a wide variety of water sports. If you prefer, you can go shopping or stroll along the Promenade, a path that runs through the port, or at The Walk, a promenade full of shops, restaurants and stalls.

If you want a break from the city, you can go to the Dubai Marina Mall, where you will find a wide variety of shops and restaurants.

Going on a ride in Ain Dubai, the biggest ferris wheel in the world

This 250-meter-high ferris wheel located on Bluewaters Island opened just a few months ago. Like many other things in Dubai, Ain Dubai has broken a record for its dimensions.

If you decided not to go up to the Burj Khalifa, I recommend going on a ride on this ferris wheel. You’ll have a great time. The tour lasts approximately 38 minutes on an air-conditioned cabin. I am sure that you will be amazed by the incredible views of this part of the city. It is well worth it!

You can visit the Ain Dubai’s website for more information and purchase entrance tickets.

Trip to the Dubai desert

We’ve arrived at one of my favorite activities in Dubai… A trip to the Dubai desert! Taking a trip to the desert is one of the best excursions in Dubai.

The standard trip to the Dubai desert starts at about 2PM after being picked up from your hotel. After a shared ride, which lasts about an hour, you’ll arrive at the Dubai desert. You’ll then be picked up by a 4×4 vehicle and visit the sand dunes for approximately 45 minutes. Some desert trips even include sand-boarding, an amazing addition to any desert trip

After watching the sunset, you are taken to a traditional camp where you will be served dinner. Afterwards, you can enjoy various shows and activities such as smoking shisha, getting a henna tattoo, dressing up in traditional clothes, etc.

You can book your trip to the Dubai desert in advance. The trip costs around $50 and has very good reviews!

Day 3 in Dubai

I’ll recommend several interesting places to visit on your 3rd day in Dubai. Dubai is a fairly large city. Therefore, the places are somewhat far apart from each other. If you don’t want to beat yourself up, just choose the best things to do in Dubai in 3 days.

Summary of day 3 in Dubai:

• Miracle Dubai Garden.
• Jumeirah Mosque.
• Dubai Frame.
• The View At The Palm.
• Palm Fountain (The Pointe).

Miracle Dubai Garden, interesting place to visit in Dubai in 3 days

If you love flowers, I recommend visiting Miracle Dubai Garden. It’s an interesting place worth your while. It is the biggest flower garden in the world with approximately 150 million flowers that form different buildings and structures. Does it sound like an interesting place?

One of the most popular structures in the garden is the Emirates A380, a replica of one of the planes used by the country’s airline. You will also love its corridor covered with hearts made up of different-color flowers.

Miracle Dubai Garden usually opens during the winter months (November to March). Therefore, I recommend checking if it’s open prior to going. You can get your skip-the-line ticket for this attraction here.

Jumeirah Mosque

If you want to learn more about the religion of the United Arab Emirates, Islam, I recommend visiting the Jumeirah Mosque, one of the main mosques in the city. Unlike other places of worship, this mosque welcomes all visitors, regardless of their beliefs.

What is very interesting about this mosque is that every day, except Fridays, guided tours are held at 10AM and 2PM. These guided tours allow you to get to know the mosque while a local tells you everything you want to know about Islam.

Dubai Frame, what to do in Dubai for 3 days

Not very far from the mosque you’ll find the Dubai Frame, another very interesting place to visit in Dubai in 3 days. This well-known frame measures 150 meters in height and 95 meters in width.

Apart from being able to take incredible photos of the city through the frame, you can also visit the interior, the expo and the viewpoint, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Dubai.

You can purchase an entrance ticket to the Dubai Frame here in advance. I recommend visiting the observatory right before sunset.

The View at The Palm, enjoy the view of The Palm Jumeirah

One of the best places to watch the sunset in Dubai is at The View At The Palm, an observatory located on the 52nd floor of The Palm Tower. This tower is located on the artificial island of The Palm Jumeirah. The tower hosts many incredible villas, luxury hotels, recreational centers and restaurants.

We enjoyed the 360º panoramic view offered by the viewpoint at sunset and it was beautiful. On Fridays and Saturdays, it is also open at dawn. Admission starts at around 20USD. You can get the ticket to The View At The Palm here in advance.

Palm Fountain, located in The Pointe

If the Dubai Fountain show wasn’t enough for you, at The Pointe you can enjoy another water, music and light show. The Pointe is a boardwalk with luxury shops, restaurants and cafes located on The Palm Jumeirah. This place is also home to the Palm Fountain, the largest fountain in the world.

The Palm Fountain Show is held several times, every evening of the year. The first show starts at 7:00PM and the last one at 11:00PM during the week and 1:00AM during the weekends. It lasts about 3 minutes and occurs every half hour.

If you are looking for a 3 day Dubai itinerary, your visit to this city ends here. If you have one more day, keep reading!

Day 4 in Dubai

If you are going to visit Dubai in 4 days, you can follow any of the following itineraries during your trip to Dubai. I suggest visiting Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. If you prefer to spend a day relaxing or having fun, I have a couple of places in mind that you will surely like.

Summary of day 4 in Dubai:

• Trip to Abu Dhabi.
• Drift Beach Dubai or public beaches in Dubai.
• Dubai Waterpark.
• Dubai Creek Harbour.

Trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai

A great finishing touch to your trip is visiting Abu Dhabi. Dubai is indeed the most visited city in the United Arab Emirates; however, Abu Dhabi is quickly getting more and more attention from travelers.

The capital was once a fishing town. After finding oil in the area, the city began to develop into the political and business center of the country.

Two places are hidden in the streets of Abu Dhabi that make this city well worth visiting. I am talking about the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum.

If you choose to visit the city without a tour, the most affordable option is to take a bus in Al Ghubaiba Bus Station. The buses run every 15-20 minutes and the trip lasts 2 hours. You can also book a tour of Abu Dhabi from Dubai.

Relax near a beach at Drift Beach Dubai

If you don’t feel like moving around so much on your fourth day in Dubai, I recommend spending a relaxing day at Drift Beach Dubai. It is one of the most amazing beach clubs in the city, located on one of the best beaches in Dubai. It belongs to the One&Only Royal Mirage Resort, one of the best 5 star hotels in Dubai.

Drift Beach Dubai offers different types of hammocks, a swimming pool with a view of the Dubai Marina skyline, a restaurant that offers delicious dishes and a bar where they offer refreshing drinks. All this surrounded by the luxury that only a place like this can offer.

The price for a sunny day at the beach and pool in this place starts at $50 per person from Monday to Friday and $60 on weekends. This includes a hammock rental and a bottle of water. On the Drift Beach Dubai website you can see more information about prices, menus, etc.

If you want to spend a day at the beach in Dubai completely free, you can go to one of the public beaches in Dubai.

Visit a waterpark in Dubai

One of the best ways to escape the Dubai heat is by cooling off in one of its many waterparks. If a day at the beach sounds a bit too intense for you, plunging down huge water slides may be a better option for you.

The most popular water park in the city is Aquaventure Waterpark, located next to the famous Atlantis Hotel. We went to this one and, although there are some cool attractions, there were too many people. I don’t know if it just happened to be a crowded day or if during those hours there were more people than usual. Nonetheless, If you want to go to Aquaventure Waterpark, you can buy your tickets here.

Other well-known waterparks in Dubai are Laguna Waterpark, Legoland Waterpark and Wild Wadi Waterpark.

Sunset from the Dubai Creek Harbour

If you want to end your 4 day Dubai itinerary in the best possible way, I recommend visiting a lesser-known area of ​​the city called Dubai Creek Harbour. It is a developing commercial hub that is expected to double the size of Downtown Dubai in the near future.

Once you reach this area of ​​the city, go to the Dubai Creek Harbor View Point to experience an unforgettable view of the entire Dubai skyline at sunset. You will be breath-taken!

Where to stay in Dubai

If you’re still looking for a hotel, I recommend reading my guide about where to stay in Dubai. The best areas are the Dubai Marina or Downtown Dubai, which are perfect if you are visiting the city for only one or two days.

Hotels are expensive in these areas of Dubai, especially if you travel during high season. If you are traveling on a budget, check my post about cheap hotels in Dubai. All of them are close to a metro stop and have good reviews.

Recommended hotels in Dubai:

• Dubai Marina: Millennium Place.
• Downtown: Ramada Downtown Dubai, Address Sky View.
• The Palm Jumeirah: One&Only The Palm, Atlantis The Palm.
• Deira: Super 8 by Wyndham.
• Bur Dubai: Rose Garden Hotel Apartments.

Map to visit Dubai in 3 or 4 days

In the following map I have marked all the places that I advise visiting on each day. You can also find the hotels I have recommended with their respective links to Booking.

Check my United Arab Emirates travel guide to keep planning your trip!

I hope this article about what to do in Dubai in 3 days or 4 days has been informative and very useful to plan your next trip to Dubai. If you have any questions, I encourage you to leave a comment. Until next time, traveler!