One of the best ways for first time visitors to learn about modern Dubai is to take the Dubai Big Bus Beach Tour. The tour is also a great way for those with a short stopover in Dubai to gain a quick overview of the world’s fastest growing city and witness the incredible scale of development occurring in Dubai.
Like the City Tour, the Beach Tour operates a convenient hop on, hop off system which allows passengers to leave the bus to explore places of interest and join a later bus at a time convenient to them. A ticket is valid on both tours for 24 hours so if you join the tour in the afternoon you can continue sightseeing the following day.
The Big Bus Beach Tour takes visitors through the old city without stopping, then along Jumeirah Beach Road to the Dubai Marina, returning to the city centre along the skyscraper-studded Sheikh Zayed Road.
Below are some places where it is worth leaving the bus and exploring on foot.
Jumeirah Mosque
A beautiful white stone, photogenic structure, Jumeirah Mosque is the only mosque in Dubai open to non-Muslims. If you time your arrival correctly you can take a 75 minute mosque tour before rejoining the bus.
Mercato Shopping Mall
Mercato is a relatively small, light, colourful shopping centre of interest mainly because it is designed in Italian renaissance style, complete with piazzas, campanile style towers, flowered balconies, columned arcades and frescos.
Jumeirah Beach
The stop here provides an opportunity to see and photograph the famous Burj Al Arab hotel, the world’s tallest stand alone 5 star hotel (pictured). In fact the bus makes an extended 15 minute photo stop here, but unless you intend to swim, there’s not much else to do at Jumeirah Beach. So don’t miss the bus’s departure.
Souk Madinat Jumeirah
Not a true Middle Eastern souk, Souk Madinat Jumeirah (pictured) is an upmarket shopping mall specialising in traditional Middle Eastern clothing, artefacts and artwork. It forms part of a larger complex of hotels, restaurants and convention centres which stylishly merge traditional Emirati wind tower architecture with Venetian style canals.
It is worth stopping here to have a drink canalside and take an exploratory walk around the complex.
Mall of the Emirates
After being overwhelmed by the incredible scale and pace of development occurring at the Dubai Marina, the Mall of the Emirates is good place to break the return journey. Here you can visit the largest shopping mall outside North America, have a snack and peer through the windows at Ski Dubai, the world’s largest indoor snowfield.
Useful Information about the Dubai Big Bus Beach Tour
- Travel time on the Beach Tour is 135 minutes, but allow enough time to explore the places which interest you. Alternately, make a time to visit them later.
- Deira City Shopping Centre, the nearest stop to the airport, is the official starting point for the Beach Tour but tours can be joined at any stop.
- For information on bus times, prices and how to obtain tickets see the Dubai Big Bus website.
- A ticket on the Beach Tour is also valid for the City Tour. The tours intersect at Wafi City and Deira City Centre, allowing passengers to switch from one to the other.
- Buses are double decker with an open top. The front half of the upper decks are shaded but it is wise to bring along a hat and adequate sunscreen protection.
