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Dubai is a big city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a mosque in Abu Dhabi. The tours below fall into four groups: the city and Old Dubai, the desert, the long days out to Abu Dhabi and Hatta, and tickets to the main attractions.
Six ways to see the city: three guided walks, an audio walk on your phone, a photo session and a private half day by car. More tours and ideas for the city are on the page for Dubai.
A guided walk through the old districts: the Al Fahidi historic neighbourhood, a crossing of the creek on a traditional abra boat, the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk, the Coffee Museum and a stroll along the Al Seef waterfront.
Three hours around the creek and the souks with a local expert: a crossing by abra, karak tea, Arabic coffee with dates and a visit to a calligraphy house.
Three hours along the Marina promenade with a local expert, a ride on the Dubai Tram to JBR, a tasting of Arabic street food such as falafel, shawarma or samosa and a guided look at the mosque area. Shoulders and knees must be covered there.
About an hour on a short loop, with nine audio commentaries on your phone, an interactive map and use offline once the content is downloaded. No guide comes with you.
Two hours with a professional travel photographer, in a private session planned with you after booking, with candid and portrait-style pictures and professionally edited digital images.
Four and a half hours in a private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver, a route you can shape yourself and transfers between the sites.
Four ways into the desert: a classic safari with dinner at camp, a balloon flight at sunrise, an early buggy ride and a private safari with a camel and a falcon.
Six hours: at least half an hour of dune bashing in a four-by-four, a short camel ride, a photo stop on a dune top, sandboarding if you wish, live shows with belly dance, fire and Arabic dance, and a barbecue buffet dinner at camp.
Five and a half hours with transfers: a flight of about one to two hours with a certified pilot, a falcon display during the flight and breakfast at the launch site.
One hour, with a very early pick-up: a safety briefing, a guided buggy drive among the red dunes, scenic stops and sandboarding before you are driven back.
In a private air-conditioned four-by-four with your own guide: dune bashing, sandboarding, a camel ride of about twenty minutes, a falcon photo stop and flamingo watching at a viewpoint.
Four long days out of Dubai: three to Abu Dhabi, with its grand mosque, palaces and Heritage Village, and one to Hatta, with its dam and lake. Dress modestly for the mosque.
Five hours with a licensed local guide: the palaces of Qasr Al Hosn and Qasr Al Watan, an Arabic coffee ceremony, the House of Artisans and a traditional Emirati lunch in a local restaurant.
Eight hours by private car with an English-speaking driver, collected at your hotel and returned there, with the mosque as the main stop and an itinerary you can adjust.
A small group for seven and a half hours, with return transport from Dubai: a guided visit to the grand mosque, the Heritage Village, a photo stop at the Louvre Abu Dhabi and drives past the main landmarks and Yas Island. The museum interior is not included.
Eight hours with a private driver, about three of them on the road: Hatta Dam, the Heritage Village, Hill Park, Swan Lake and Wadi Hub, with a photo stop in the mountains.
Four tickets: the Burj Khalifa observation decks, the Miracle Garden, Global Village and a boat ride past the fountains.
Admission to the observation decks of the skyscraper, with different tickets for the lower and the higher floors.
Entry to a garden of flower displays shaped into castles, animals and a full-size aeroplane, a calm place for photographs.
Tickets to a cultural park with performances, stunt shows, rides, shopping and food from many countries. You can add a transfer when you book.
A short abra boat ride on the lake across from the Burj Khalifa, with a view of the tower from the water and a front-row view of the lit fountains at the showtime you choose.
The walks and the photo session take from about one hour to four and a half hours. The desert outings last between one hour, for the buggy ride, and six hours, for the safari with dinner, and the day trips between five and eight hours. The fountain boat ride is a short one.
English is offered on every tour. Three also run in German, three in Spanish, two in Italian and two in Hindi, and one each in French, Arabic and Urdu. Twelve are in English only, including the private tours, the balloon flight and all the tickets.
Five are private: the half day with a driver, the photo session, the private safari, the trip to the grand mosque and the Hatta day. Seven run in small groups, and one is a self-guided audio walk.
On six: the private half day, the balloon flight, the private safari, the grand mosque trip, the Hatta day and the buggy ride, which collect you at your hotel or at a set point. The Abu Dhabi small-group trip includes return transport from Dubai. For the walks, the starting point is shown on the booking.
On the guided tours, tips for guides and drivers and personal purchases are not included. Entry fees are paid separately where they apply, for example for the Louvre Abu Dhabi interior. Meals come only where a tour says so: the Emirati lunch in Abu Dhabi and the barbecue dinner on the safari.
Fifteen tours can be cancelled free of charge up to twenty-four hours before the start. The buggy ride cannot be refunded, and the Burj Khalifa ticket and the fountain boat ride are sold as final.
Sources: Wikidata (CC0).
