Best Places to Visit in Dubai

Dubai has many best places to visit. It offers from the luxury VIP experience to the traditional heritage culture. I am sure you have already known many best places to visit in Dubai through various sources and via my blogs too. In this blog I thought of stating the best places in the view point of the Dubai Government and the Dubai Tourism Board and Authorities. Along with the usual places to visit, this blog of mine will have the attractions for the latest 2016 places to visit in Dubai.

Burj Khalifa - The tallest building always stands number one as an icon attracting many to Dubai. The Observation deck and the Atmosphere restaurant will delight you. Contact Number: 04 888 8888
Dubai Mall – The largest shopping mall, the dancing fountain, the underwater zoo and the giant aquarium is always in every traveler itinerary. Contact Number: 800 38224 6255

Palm Jumeirah – An Island which is mesmerizing with the monorail, Atlantis, The Palm hotel, Rixos, The Palm, Waldorf Astoria, Firmament, One&Only, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray and Anantara the Palm. All high end hotels are strongly standing here. Contact Number of Atlantis: 04 426 2000

Dubai Creek – An area of Heritage including the Dubai Museum, Old Dubai, Gold Souk, Spice Souk and the textile Souk. The most famous activity here is the Abra boat ride across the river for 1 Dirham only.

JBR Beach and Dubai Marina Walk – This is an area full of activities around the clock. The walk here is a must and you can find many restaurants, activities, Dubai Marina yacht club, night clubs, parties, lights, open air cinema, tallest buildings and many others all in this one location. Please do not forget to visit the JBR beach which is known to be hotspot in Dubai.

Kite Beach – This is a very famous beach for both tourists and residents. It’s located in Umm Suqeim and the best destination for kites. You can test you kiting skills here. From volleyball, beach activities, skaters, bikers and to see all others make sure to feel the sand in the kite beach.

Dubai Desert – A must visit place therefore please make sure to book for a desert safari tour. Activities include like dune bashing, quad bike rides, camel rides, shisha, BBQ, belly dancing, Tanoura dancers, sand boarding, falcon shows, private romantic dinner setups in the desert, overnight stays and all what you imagined to explore in a desert is offered in Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) – This is located in the Al Fahidi Street in Bur Dubai. Al Fahidi neighbourhood represents the old city Dubai and the SMCCU offers many heritage tours to get to know more about the UAE culture.

Madinat Jumeirah – This is a place where luxury meets tradition. It’s an area built as an ancient city with a luxury hotel, the Talise spa, Madinat Souk, Madinat theatre, many lounges and restaurants. The closest metro station to this is the Mall of Emirates station where you can take a 10 mins walk or take a taxi for 12 AED. Contact Number: 04 366 8888

Dubai Opera – A new building which blossomed in the shape of a dhow next to the Burj Khalifa with a view of the Dubai fountains. This brings the new Opera District challenging the Manhattan Broadway and the London west end. Opera is never a dream in Dubai, it’s a reality now for you to enjoy. Contact Number: 04 440 8888

IMG Worlds of Adventure – This is the world’s largest indoor themed entertainment destination. Dubai makes everything possible and this is an entertainment ring with all your dream cartoon characters and super heroes even bigger than the Disney land with rides, 5D, speed and many excitements. Go in and feel it. Contact Number: 04 403 8888

City Walk – Located in the downtown area at the junction of Al Wasl & Al Safa Road, offers a pedestrian walking area with the same European feel with an ambience of no vehicles at all. The fountains, trees, restaurants, shops, children’s playground any many more adds on to the highlights of the City walk. Contact Number: 04 317 3999

Dubai Parks and Resorts – This is the Dream of Dubai located opposite Palm Jebel Ali which is opening at the end of year 2016. This is going to be the entertainment paradise of Dubai where all types of entertainment meet in one location. From Bollywood to Hollywood, to super hero themes, roller coaster rides to water parks to the dream theme parks are planned to be hosted here. Catering from children to Adults to elders is proposed to be the most visited place in the Middle East in year 2017. Contact Number: 04 820 0820

The Outlet Village – The Outlet Village is an arena of shops of high end brands at cheap and best prices from clothing to equipment built in a historical architecture of an Italian Middle age, located opposite the Dubai Parks and Resorts. It gives you the feel of as if you are into a city of a historical movie. We seen this in movies but only in Dubai it can be experienced. This is my favourite place in year 2016. It’s open from 10am to 10pm, so make sure you visit this place and you will feel what I really mean. Contact Number

I hope my blog has given you some latest best places to visit in Dubai and keep watching my future blogs in 2017 too, to get to know of the latest and up-to-date places to visit in Dubai. Also visit Dubai Sky Dive and experience thrilling Dubai sky dive 

Also go a visit to Dubai Desert to explore the best of Dubai Desert Safari Experience & have a wonderful time.

Abu Dhabi tourist information

This blog will guide you through some of the best places to visit for Tourists entering Abu Dhabi. I hope the information can help you plan a good itinerary for you to enjoy your stay. These below are some of the tourist information provided for you to do with the things to do in Abu Dhabi.

Emirates Palace This is the only 7 star hotel in Abu Dhabi famously known after the Fast and Furious movie. You can book for a day tour of the hotel via a tour operator or you can go for an afternoon tea which will cost you around 350 – 650 AED depending on the food your order.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque The Grand mosque is visited by millions everyday as the iconic landmark in Abu Dhabi. It’s open from 10am to 10pm and the entrance is free. The only fact to take note is that please be dressed modestly and make sure you wear the costumes provided to you at the entrance which is like an abaya.

Heritage Village This heritage village gets you to an ambience of the local Bedouin and heritage culture. Here you can get to know a lot about the traditions of UAE and a good place to find some souvenirs to take back. Al Hosn Palace It’s also known as the White Fort or the Old Fort. This is the place of Abu Dhabi history as this was one of the first built palaces in Abu Dhabi. A place to see the history and a museum is available for you to visit here too. Women’s Handicraft Centre This is an awesome place to see some great craft work done by the local Bedouin women still in the old style of weaving. Quite a lot of souvenirs, bags, slippers and textiles to buy over heer while you see how they do it live. Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel This is quite a hidden experience which I wanted to share. If you want to see the Abu Dhabi city same as how you see Dubai from the Burj Khalifa, then the place in Abu Dhabi is the Observation Deck at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers Hotel. The cost is 75 AED, open from 10am to 6pm for a great view of the city. In case you dine in here or have high tea then you can redeem your ticket prices. So this is the best place to have a cup of tea and snacks with a great view of Abu Dhabi. Emirates Park Zoo Al Ain zoo is the most famous in UAE, but it is quite far. So most of the tourists hop on to this Emirates Park Zoo, which is located in Al Bahia around 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi. Kids will love to be here as you can interact with the animals very close. The tickets cost 25 AED per person. Falcon Hospital If you want to know more about falcons and closely understand the history and culture of falcons, then this is the right place in Abu Dhabi. The tours here will give you an in and out knowledge of falcons. A favourite hotspot for Falconers!

Yas Island

All in one Yas Island is the most famous Island in Abu Dhabi. It holds the Ferrari world, the Yas waterpark, Yas mall and the very popular Yas Marina Circuit for F1 Racing. A place with full of activities, all luxury hotels, beaches and restaurants! This is a place of unlimited things to do.

Saadiyat Island

If you are planning for an Island Getaway or want to go for a luxury beach vacation, then this is the best place I can advice you. Abu Dhabi’s best beaches of privacy, romance and water sports are based here.

Abu Dhabi Corniche

Abu Dhabi Corniche is a family destination for many. From the Marina eye to the Corniche beach is a top-spot for tourists. Apart from this, you must try the Dhow cruise and Yacht cruise and tours available which will add more light to your vacation in Abu Dhabi.

Liwa Desert

Most of them go for a normal desert safari during their first visit to Abu Dhabi, but if you want to get an intensive feel of a desert and live the Bedouin experience with luxury then I would advise you to go to the Liwa Oasis. This Liwa Desert Safari is little higher in price than a normal Abu Dhabi Desert Safari, but Liwa has the highest dunes and the best desert environment in the whole of UAE. Trust me, the difference will be surely felt! I am very much sure that the above tourist information can add value for you to make sure that you experience the best without missing anything in Abu Dhabi. Get ready lets go to Abu Dhabi and have a great adventure and a fun loving holiday vacation travel to cherish as memories forever. Also before plan your holiday make sure you get to know about the UAE Visa rules and regulation and get a visit visa for Abu Dhabi.

Bus Service Dubai to Abu Dhabi and Return Back

In this blog I hope I would be of help not only to the tourists in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but also to the residents in these cities. Most tourists and residents usually travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi via a car drive where you can reach within a timeline of 1 hour or 1 hour 15 mins. People who can afford can try this where it will cost depending on the taxi or private car and your exact destination in Abu Dhabi which will range from 150 AED to 300 AED.

I am not of such rich calibre as I prefer I can use this money for my activities to have fun. I got to know that there is a bus service from the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai. I have seen and used the buses within Dubai on a daily basis, but I was happy to know that this service is taking place to Abu Dhabi too. First time I was lost as many didn’t know the exact information even my close friend who is a resident in Dubai for almost 5 years as no clue of it. With the help of the RTA I was able to get some information which I will share with you in this blog. Keep this number 8009090 and also the email ask@rta.ae always handy as any doubts apart from my information you can just feel free to contact them and they will give you all what you need from buses, taxis, metro, water taxis and all transportation relevant information in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The happiest answer which gave me a big smile was that the ticket one way is only 25 AED. So for both ways, the journey between Dubai and Abu Dhabi and return cost me only 50 AED. Meanwhile another icing on the cake is that the bus fares in Abu Dhabi city is only 2 AED per trip. Dubai usually uses a mandatory NOL card system where you can use in the buses and metro, but Abu Dhabi city makes it much easier making you pay your 2 AED to the driver itself.

There are 02 bus locations to Abu Dhabi from Dubai. One is the Al Ghubaiba Bus station just opposite the Al Ghubaiba Metro station and the other is at Ibn Battuta Bus Station just opposite the Ibn Battuta Metro station. It depends on where you stay in Dubai usually if you are inside the city like Deira or further in Downtown then Al Ghubaiba is the closest. In case you are near to Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali or Barsha near MOE then Ibn Battuta will be faster for you.

The buses are very comfortable almost very much bigger than the city buses. Just like a big private tourist coach. The seats are so comfortable and I felt that I was in a plane. You can have a small nap too while on the drive as it is such a relaxing ride. There is no pre booking for this bus service and you can buy the tickets at the bus ticket office or in Ibn Battuta the metro station too offers the bus tickets. In case you have a NOL card and you have adequate credit loaded of 50 AED then you can use it and does not need another extra ticket on spot as the punch in and out will deduct the journey fee from the card. The journey from Al Ghubaiba will take approximately around 2 hours and from Ibn Battuta it’s only 1.5 hours. The bus does not provide any child seats, but I travelled with my kid who was an infant and he was comfortable in my seat with me. The bus also offers a separate space where you can store your luggage and there is also a small food service where a steward is available for you to buy any soft drinks, water and small snacks like noodles, chips or buns to enjoy on your way to Abu Dhabi. The front seats are for women and children same as the normal buses. Please check the signage before you sit.

The buses usually are available on a 30 mins frequency throughout the day. In Al Ghubaiba bus station from Sundays to Wednesdays the service is from 5am to 12 midnight and Fridays until 12.45am the last bus, but on Thursdays only till 11.30pm. Saturdays the service starts early from 4.15am till 12.30 midnight. The bus number is E100 and usually stops at Samha, Abu Dhabi, Shahama Village, Abu Dhabi and the last stop the Central Bus Station in the city of Abu Dhabi opposite Al Wahda Mall. Usually the last station is where we need to get off.

On the other hand for passengers using the Ibn Battuta bus station can look for bus number E101 which operates from Sundays to Wednesdays from 5am to 10pm, and on Thursdays and Saturdays until 11.15pm. Meanwhile on Fridays they start only from 6am till the last bus at 11.15pm. Here the usual frequency is between 30mins to 1 hour depending on the times.

The return from Abu Dhabi to Dubai or if you are based in Abu Dhabi and want to enter Dubai you can get the bus at the Abu Dhabi central bus station opposite Al Wahda Mall for the same price of 25 AED. The busses from Abu Dhabi depart between 04.30am to 12 midnight from Sundays to Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, the service starts only from 5am until 12midnight. The bus number is 100 and it will stop in Samha, Abu Dhabi, Al Jafiliya Landside metro bus station, Dubai, Department of Ports and Customs Dubai and end in Al Ghubaiba bus station.

At the same time if you want to arrive faster to Ibn Battuta bus station you can hop on to E101 from Abu Dhabi Central bus station which will only stop in Samha and direct to Ibn Battuta Dubai. It operates from Saturdays to Thursdays from 6.45am to 1am and on Fridays starts at 7.45am until 1am. The busses operate in similar frequencies ranging to 30mins to one hour and the tickets can be purchased freshly at the ticket office premises. You can contact 800 55555 if you need any transportation help in Abu Dhabi.

I had a wonderful and peaceful journey with my wife and kid travelling between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It was very comfortable and I almost saved 75% per person which I spent for food and activities in Abu Dhabi which was worth than just having spent that on a car drive. During the bus ride, I was able to also window sight see many unbelievable and creatively designed buildings of Abu Dhabi and also some calm desert environments. I left Dubai at 6.30am and reached back to Dubai that day by 10pm after having had the best of Abu Dhabi and on the next day I emailed RTA and got the exact schedule which I had shared for you to download in this blog. This will help you plan you journey better. As per their customer service representative information to me they had confirmed that this schedule remains throughout the year no matter it may be Eid or any public holidays. The only variation would be a 5-10 mins earlier or later from the expected take off time.

It’s now your chance to save some money just as I did in my vacation in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Also check our Abu Dhabi to Dubai Bus Timings which may help to plan your journey better

Abu Dhabi Ranked as one of the safest cities in the world

To the world it’s that people know only Dubai as it represents the entire country UAE to the globe. But today Abu Dhabi being the Capital of UAE is recognized and ranked as the safest in the Middle East while at the same time topping in the chart of the top list as one of the safest in the world beating almost 50 countries and some of the well known cities of the world map. Abu Dhabi is a hidden treasure to the world but it’s the real hub for most avenues of journalism, government institutions and financial bodies.

Abu Dhabi takes credit of this prestige as a “Safest City” not only known for safety in luxury and finance but also in cyber security, digital world security, health and hygiene security, personal in means of tourism and residential security and finally the infrastructure and architectural security.

Abu Dhabi unlike Dubai is very less known for accidents and any damages. Dubai too has less but when compared to the landscape and the population, Abu Dhabi hits higher to the next level on top. Safety and Security is a prime factor that Abu Dhabi Government worked while Dubai was completely into Tourism initially. Abu Dhabi while mastering their oil trade ensured that they concentrate more on safety and security which has made them today successful as one of the most wanted luxury tourism destination. It a city of known to be of class. The people of Abu Dhabi are safe to live over there and the skyscrapers have detected very much less responses on bottlenecks. The pollution too in Abu Dhabi is very conservative than most cities in the Middle East. Corruption, pedestrian deaths, thefts and murders are very much less almost to zero in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi’s average income range is more than the level of Dubai and their strict traffic rules results in it being the safest place.

This mission of safety has helped them today to rule the nightlife world in many new islands like Saadiyat and Yas as they were very firm with their foundation of safety and security. A city today famous among expatriates and even global tourists as when even Dubai was at a gossip of terrorism threats (while it was not true), Abu Dhabi’s name was never been used as there is no chance of such an incident to occur in this calm city Abu Dhabi.

The international arena and the social media followers list usually only praise Dubai Police for their cars and technology. If Dubai is ruling with a color of green on the other hand Abu Dhabi is rocking in the color of red.  Abu Dhabi Sheikhs are the owners of the best and fastest cars in the world and the Fast and Furious movie is a simple evidence of it. To celebrate the success, Abu Dhabi Police thought it’s high time they showcase what they do to the world. This video is just a 10% example of what they are capable of on a day-to-day operation, minute-to-minute monitoring and second-to-second actions. 

Having a very talented and multi-tasking Police Force, Special Forces, the Armed Forces and the Civil Defence, Abu Dhabi ensures that at all times their residents and tourists are safe and it’s a safety haven. While Dubai takes a challenge of the quick recovery overcome situation, Abu Dhabi on the other hand makes sure that there is no such risk to begin with and take on the burden.

It’s one of the only cities in the world which serves with an Air Ambulance which will fly to any desert in need to serve an emergency on spot or rise of an unexpected circumstance.

Phenomenally Abu Dhabi is popular and attracts tourists and residents for their magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Ferrari World and the luxurious Emirates Palace. But today it’s attracting a lot of people even from Dubai and across the globe to understand it’s safety measures to ensure a peaceful life while at the same time enjoying a facility of luxury especially the best desert destination for couples, heritage values and VIPs on board.

This is an assurance to all travelers and tourists that Abu Dhabi and their Ministry of Interior will take care of your safety and security as if it is their own souls to build a society of relationships and bonds with a vision and mission of making it the World’s Number One Safest City.

Dubai - Best Quality of Living

As everyone knows Dubai is a place of luxury where even a common man can enjoy it in a better and economic value for price and money. A simple example is in other countries to play golf or to fly in a helicopter is so expensive. Not only if you have money it’s going to be possible but you also need to be a VIP and many rules and conditions need to be followed. In Dubai there are no such criteria, as Dubai looks at everyone equally in the things each person needs to do and experience. Happiness is unique to everyone and Dubai stands on each person’s heart in that aspect. In Dubai Golf or Helicopter rides are not very expensive, it is of normal price meanwhile if you have money to afford it you can just go and enjoy the facility without any formalities.

Not only Dubai residents enjoy the best quality of living, but also tourists, travelers, visitors, transit passengers and many others, may it be in any form from land, air or sea they all enjoy the best quality of living for the 5 mins they may spend for or may it be they are in the city for years. Some people condemn that Dubai is expensive but for the salary pay in the country and also the standard in the services never makes people regret for the cost of the services. After all it is a Tax Free country. Whatever you earn is all yours and the Government of UAE don’t grab and eat your money which is popular nowadays throughout the globe. The UAE Government is a body which only helps people in all ways making sure their residents are happy in means of their local Emiratis as well as the expatriates. Tourists are always respected in UAE and Dubai is the hub and haven for tourism.

In terms of the quality of living, Dubai stands as the best in all Emirates in UAE followed by being the Number One in the Middle East and one of the top ranked in the entire globe. Dubai tops every year on this and all surveys as it plays a key role in safety. Residents and expatriates from all around the world feel safe to work happily in Dubai. They are treated well thus being all governments in all countries make Dubai the first priority if anyone wants to work overseas.  Also most employees in Dubai settle down with their families in this lovely city enjoying the standard of living which is compared to none other.

By standing on the hit list Dubai holds this prestigious position as of the pillars of world events they hosted, the successful Expo 2020 adding to their agenda, the infra structures, the technology, first in the globe attractions, the Political stability, popular destination among tourists, socialism, less of security threats and no domestic violence. Dubai is the base today for most multinationals, corporate companies and any innovative creations thus increasing employment opportunities around the globe and welcoming more tourism to feel the exposure of the exciting and surprises Dubai initiates around the clock.

Dubai is the only city in the world which is growing every minute, issuing hundreds of visas every hour and tourists landing every second. Dubai is the only city in the world which offers the best quality of living not only for the white tourists but also for the blacks, middle-east tourists and from any corner of the world. UAE is the only country which makes sure that all the expatriate residents and the locals of the country both enjoy the same equal and the best standards of living.

At the end before I close off a Dubai tourist once and now a resident of Dubai Ms. Ally Solvia says “I Love Dubai more than my own Country”. Every soul and body in Dubai says “I Love Dubai” and we all say “We Love UAE” and this happiness of safety and peace being affordable for their memorable days gives the award for Dubai to carry this Victory of Pride as the Best City for the Best Quality of Living yesterday, today, at this moment, tomorrow, always and forever.

Bicycle Rental – Is it Possible in Dubai

Dubai never says no to anything and this is another YES to prove that Bike Sharing system is available in Dubai. This facility is not available in Abu Dhabi or any other emirates but may come into action in future as per the demand of the city.

Dubai is a main hub of tourists with different types of demands and here this avenue caters all such needs to as it aroused from within the travelers and visitors of Dubai to enjoy their experience.

Please not that bicycles are not allowed to cycle on the highways at any given time and it is a mandatory requirement to wear a helmet and a high-visibility jacket at all times. Not following these rules might lead to a penalty or a fine of 500 AED. This is mainly requested to be adhered only for your safety and security.

If you are a first time user you need to follow a registration process via phone hotline on 800 3330 or register online in the website http://www.bykystations.com/en/dubai/ or login via the smartphone app or at one of the rental terminals. After this initial process, in future you can rent a bike easily from any city under this entity.

Then once you want to rent a bicycle you can go to the official rental locations and unlock the bike by calling the hotline or via the phone app or from your customer card you hold. Upon release and accepted you can take the bike for a ride on a duration basis starting from 30 mins to 24 hours. Upon completion of the time the bicycles have to be returned and parked at any of the official locations of the bike sharing system entity. There is no need for you to bring it to the same starting point whereas you can park it in any of the other official locations of the bike system. Before you leave make sure you tag out of the system via the phone or your customer card along with the payment. Payments are made only through credit cards.

The location of the official renting or docking system is only available ate 04 places in Dubai city. They are at DowntownDubai, Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah 

We all love Dubai for many reasons as it never fails to surprise and now this Call & Go to rent a bicycle concept has made us love Dubai for cycling too.