Beyond The Glamour & Glitz, Here's My Experience Of Exploring Old Dubai For A Day

I had never considered visiting Dubai because I like more natural elements around me and a break from the city. But my friend finally convinced me to give her city a chance.

I am so glad that she did. Because Dubai wasn't just about the tallest building, the biggest malls, the most expensive gourmet restaurants and luxury brands. Dubai also had a soul and that is what I loved.

But that soul spoke to me only when I visited the 'Al Bastakiya' or 'Al Fahidi' area, i.e. 'Old Dubai'.

Let's be clear - nothing about Dubai is really old! Specially to an Indian who comes from centuries of history. For us 'old' means something different. What this place was the sort of what 'Dubai' was. Markets, yellow sand colored buildings and more that gave the entire place a 'historic' feel. It was rustic and vintage and a very very Instagrammable area!

This was the area where rich merchants once lived. Imagine Arabian homes with traditional towers, winding alleys and tucked in between that is the coolest Sephora store, nice restaurants and posh art galleries!

So here is my little 'guide' on spending a day in this 'Purani' Dubai.

Morning At Arabian Tea House

Start your day early and start it with a satisfying solo brunch. I ended up here during lunch time and loved the atmosphere right away. It matched the traditional and 'old world' vibe of the neighbourhood. I had a spice rubbed Kingfish (you really cannot take the Goan out of me)-with a LOT of rice and bread. But what you have to have in this café is the breakfast. It's supposed to be the best so go there and try it for me?

PS: I had a meal within 80AED (not exactly cheap but not bad for Dubai standards).

Coffee, Coins, History and More

It's probably going to be hot after the long satisfying meal. So why not spend sometime indoors. The entire area has a lot of museums, simple artefacts, but worth a visit - specially for those who are here for the first time.

I found myself paying 10 AED for the Coffee Museum and while there was nothing much but a little old house full of traditional coffee machines, I loved it. It has a cute café upstairs as well but that single shot of strong Arabic Coffee that they give you as a part of the experience is honestly more than enough!

Take some photos in the alleys as the light and shadow give you some natural effects!

I travel alone and wandering about on your own can be nice except you never have someone to take your photos. But I recently used my head and realized that my phone has a self-timer. After that? Well it's all about finding a wall to lean your phone against and an angle.

Art love

I love collecting art prints from every place I visit and it was only natural of me to find an art gallery. The Majlis gallery is open even for viewing and it now has the reputation to get some of the finest middle east artists and giving them a platform.

The courtyard itself is very charming and worth a stroll.

I spent around 100 AED on my art souvenirs, but they were hand drawn prints. And your souvenir budget is really up to you - isn't it?

Walk To Al Seef and Dubai Creek

Now that the sun is cooler in comparison, start walking towards Al Seef - a similar area full of souvenir shops and cafes. It also houses one of the nicer looking Starbucks. From Al Seef, you take the traditional wooden boat or Abra to the Deira Old Souk Station (where you find the iconic markets). But wait till the sun is about to set and is orange before you get on the boat because the boat ride itself is a short ferry and you don't spend much time in it. So why not be there at the best moment?

Head to the souks in the evening for some souvenir shopping. Beware it's the most 'Indian' of all places and is all about haggling and bargaining. But the items itself is not what you are there for, it's the ambience.

End your evening with some camel ice cream (approx 25 AED) and some local shwarma (approx 15-25 AED) and take the metro back home to give your legs a little rest!

So, what do you think? Excited to spend a day at Dubai's most 'soulful' area?

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