24 Hours in Dubai: A Dubai Layover Guide

Dubai is an extravagant city to say the least. It’s home to the tallest building in the world and countless shopping malls, high-end hotels, and restaurants. It’s also a massive transit city, with one of the largest airports in the world by passenger number. Dubai for most visitors starts and ends in the airport, during a stopover between two long-haul international flights.
I designed my Dubai layover to be two days between my flights from Georgia to the Philippines. Aside from spending a day going to the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, I had 24 hours to see the highlights of Dubai.
This canal-ridden shopping, dining, and hotel complex mimics the architecture of old Dubai. As you wander through spotless streets, over arched bridges and through the flashy central bazaar, you’ll get a feel for what an Arabic medina would be like if was translated to the 21st century.
Madinat Jumeirah is a bit like a theme-park with boats to take you around the canals, and designated “selfie” spots. It’s a great place to have dinner, grab a beer by the water, or get some shopping done. There’s a view of the Burj Al Arab as well, although the best views are in roped-off sections reserved for hotel guests only. Head to the beach for better views of the Burj Al Arab, h.
Take public bus 88 or X28 for six Dirham from the Dubai Internet City Metro/bus station to be dropped across the street from Madinat Jumeriah.
You can also take the Red Metro line to the Mall of the Emirates. From the mall you can take a taxi for 15-25 Dirham to be dropped in the heart of Madinat Jumeriah.
The Mall of the Emirates’ claim to fame is the ski area inside of it! There’s one small ski lift and a snowy slope inside a cooled glass enclosure. You pay to rent ski gear in an area that was built to look exactly like the inside of a ski lodge. Smaller kids can play in the snow and go sledding (have their parents pull their sleds) at the base of the hill.
For people who may never have seen snow, I can imagine this is a really exciting experience!
Dubai’s Red Metro line connects directly to the Mall of the Emirates.
If you’re looking for a more cultural Dubai experience, there IS such a place! “Souk” is the Arabic word for a bazaar, a set of stalls packed close to one another and usually selling similar products.
The north part of the city has a few of these souks, where you can buy things like gold, jewelry, clothes, and other knick knacks. You’ll be harassed at every step by someone asking to come look at their products, come into their store, just looking, just looking!
There’s not as much sugar-coating for tourists here, as you’ll notice while passing unkept alleyways. It’s definitely authentic UAE.
Transfer from the Red Metro line to the Green Metro line, and exit at the Al Ras station. If you walk 10-15 minutes, you’ll find yourself lost in the heart of the souks!
This was my favorite stop in Dubai. There’s a dancing fountain light show every 30 minutes here between 6pm-11pm. On some days there are also afternoon fountain shows between 1-2pm. Check the schedule here.
The Burj Khalifa‘s light show is a recent addition. On Sunday to Wednesday the light show happens every hour from 7:45pm to 10:45pm, and on Thursday to Saturday it’s every half hour from 7:45pm to 10:45pm.
Several restaurants and fast food chains (Hi Pret-A-Manger and KFC) have outdoor seating here, so you can enjoy the fountain show from your dinner table.
The Red Metro line has a Burj Khalifa stop, but beware it’s about a 30 minute walk from the metro station exit to get to the fountain! If you’re trying to time your visit to see the light shows, be sure to factor this in.
The Dubai Mall is a great place to hang out and get all your shopping needs fulfilled before or after the fountain show. The mall has stores from all over the world, which is a treat for someone who travels a lot. I hadn’t seen some of my favorite stores in years until I wandered through here! There’s also a massive supermarket on the ground floor.
The two-story aquarium and “underground zoo” is a highlight of this mall. You can pay 120 AED ($32 USD) to enter and walk through the Instagram-famous shark tunnel, open from 10am to midnight. You can purchase several VIP experience tickets as extras as well. There are free viewing points in the mall for a massive tank filled with sharks, schools of large fish, and stingrays.
The Red Metro line drops you about a 15 minute walk away from the entrance to the mall. The entire walkway between the metro to the mall is covered and complete with moving walkways
I quickly realized that 24 hours is not nearly enough time to see all of the cool things that Dubai has to offer. Not even 48 hours later would I have been bored of such a commercial city.
Here are some other activities in Dubai that should be considered during a layover here:
The main method of transportation I used in Dubai was the metro. At the airport, you can purchase a rechargeable Silver Metro Card (costs 25 Dirhams but you get 19 Dirhams credit on it). I used just about 100 Dirham on Metro rides during my 48 hours in Dubai.
The map of the metro is simple. The Red Line spans across town, then a smaller Green Line intersects the Red Line twice and makes a small loop in the north part of town.
Your fare will change depending on the 7 zones that you may ride through on the Metro. It ranges from 6 Dirham ($1.63) to 15 Dirham ($4.08) per ride, including metro line transfers. An in-depth explanation of metro cards and fares can be found here.
Dubai’s budget accommodation options can be found on Hostelworld.com.
Check out everything from budget options to super extravagance on Booking.com, one of the most comprehensive accommodation sites for Dubai.
The United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) is the currency used throughout Dubai. The conversion rate is roughly as follows:
I spent the following amounts when I went for a breakfast run to a 24-hour convenience store near my hostel:
Overall, prices were similar to in the United States or other Western countries.
I felt very safe while I was in Dubai. It’s a progressive country with lots of wealth, independent women, and great infrastructure. However, it is still a Muslim country ruled under Shariah Law. This means there are some things that are illegal or have harsher punishments than what you would expect from other countries with similar levels of economic development.
0 thoughts on “24 Hours in Dubai: A Dubai Layover Guide”
Everything money can buy!
Exactly!! A very extravagant city