Dubai-The city of Gold! It has been on my wishlist forever, especially as a family destination, as it offers something for everyone.
Dubai bowled me over and it was special in many ways. Most of all, it was my first self planned overseas trip, and that too with family!! We had 2 toddlers and a senior citizen in our group.
So, if want to plan your own trip, especially with family and small children, this guide is for you!
NUMBER OF DAYS
5-7 days is ideal for your first trip to Dubai. Finalise the list of activities and then finalize the number of days.
FLIGHTS
Flights are comparatively cheaper in February. Emirates is the best option to fly to Dubai and offers direct flight from major cities. From Bangalore, the round trip was costing around 25k. However, we flew Air India with a stopover in Mumbai(cost approx. 18k per person for round trip!!). The stopover time was 2 hrs during onwards journey and 2.5 hours during return.
A word of caution on taking flights with stopover in India. While returning, you have to collect your baggage at your first stop(for us it was Mumbai), do immigration, get customs clearance and again check in your luggage for the domestic flight. So, make sure you have a long enough stopover, since the whole process takes over 1 hour.
HOTELS
A 3 star to 4 star hotel can cost between 6k-10k per night for 2 people.
A general guide while selecting the area is that hotels are cheapest at Bur Dubai or Deira. This is the old part of Dubai, and reaching Burj Khalifa(12km), Marina(30km) or Palm Jumeirah(30km) will require you to travel. However, Bur Dubai has good connectivity through bus, metro and marine transport. To be close to many attractions you can stay in downtown Dubai or Palm Jumeirah, but the prices of hotels are much higher.
We chose a hotel in Bur Dubai - Howard Johnson by Wyndham. We got rooms on a budget of approx. 9k for 3 people. For 2 people, it is around 6.5k. The hotel had included breakfast, and they had a separate Indian spread for breakfast, as well as an Indian restaurant, which was quite useful as sometimes we felt the need for comfort food like Khichdi or Pulao.
VISA
Visa will cost 7k-7.5k per person. UAE has a family visa scheme wherein a child accompanied by at least 1 parent, will not have to pay visa fees. Only processing fee and insurance fee may be charged by the agent. So child visa may cost between 2.5k-4k. However, most online portals will charge lower visa fees but same fees for adults and children.
We got our visa done through a travel agent, and got it within 1 week. Only soft copy of passport and soft copy of passport size photographs(white background) along with return tickets. The photographs were taken on mobile camera itself.
ACTIVITIES
Dubai is teeming with activities, and you can easily budget 10k-20k per person for activities.
Best View Point: At the Top(Burj Khalifa), Sky Views Observatory, THe VIew at the Palm, Dubai Frame, The Viewing Point(Dubai Creek Harbour).
Best Aquariums: Dubai Mall, The Lost Chambers at Atlantis, Sea World Abu Dhabi
Best Beaches: JBR, Kite Beach, La Mer Beach
Best Amusement Parks: Atlantis Aquaventure, Legoland, Wild Wadi, IMG World of Adventures
Best Adventure/Leisure activities: Yacht ride, Dune Bashing & ATV ride, Skydiving over palm jumeirah, Zip lining over marina, Edge walk at Sky Views Observatory, Ferrari World(Abu Dhabi), Indoor Skiing at Mall of Emirates, Miracle Garden, Global Village
OUR ITINERARY
DAY 2: Dubai Mall(Free), Dubai aquarium & underwater zoo(Paid), Dubai fountain show(Free)
DAY 3: Burj Khalifa Sunrise(Paid), Desert Safari(Paid)
DAY 4: Dolphinarium(Paid), Museum Of the Future Lobby(Free), Dubai Creek Harbour and The Viewing Point(Free)
DAY 6:Old Dubai(Al seef, Al Fahidi, Deira Souks) (Free), Miracle Garden(Paid), Global Village(Paid)
DAY 7: Dubai Frame(Paid), Dubai Marina Yacht Ride(Paid)
We didn't have time, but do cover Burj Park as well, and get photos with Wings of Mexico, Dandelion statue, steel heart. Also, if time permits, visit Palace downtown hotel for amazing views of Burj Khalifa.
Dubai is a wonderful place for your family adventure. If you've been to Dubai or other places in the UAE, do share your experiences on Tripoto and win credits.
For more such adventures, follow me on Tripoto and Instagram
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
