8 Recommended Tours In Dubai

City tours can take the stress out of travelling, and good guides will help keen travellers cover more ground through Dubai’s sea, sand and souks. Compact and action-packed, Dubai is a delight to discover, whether by foot, bus, camel, boat, aircraft or 4×4. To experience a whole new side of the city, try one of Dubai’s best tours.

Navigate waterways, skies and narrow alleys, called sikka, on Dubai’s best tours with professional guides who will guarantee that you get the most out of every minute in the emirate. For avid adventurers, there are walking, driving, sailing and flying tours. Intrepid explorers can get a bird’s-eye view of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab by aircraft, visit Mesquita Jumeirah – an ornate mosque open to non-Muslims – and climb near-vertical dunes in the desert. Here are some of the most exhilarating, enlightening and memorable ways to discover Dubai.

1. Dubai helicopter tour

Amusement Park

Dubai Helicopter Flight from The Palm to The Burj Khalifa

Dubai’s year-round clement weather equates to safe skies, and regular helicopter tours around the city mean you can experience an aerial view of Dubai’s incredible skyline. See world-famous landmarks from a different perspective, such as the palm-tree-shaped island Palm Jumeirah, the man-made archipelago World Islands, ‘seven-star’ Burj Al Arab, and the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, on 12-, 15- and 25-minute tours taking off from the hotel Atlantis, The Palm. Several flights take off throughout the day, and standard helicopters accommodate up to six guests. Complimentary hotel pickups are provided.

2. Dubai speedboat tour

Natural Feature

Board a speedboat for a 90-minute sightseeing tour around the city’s coastline, starting in Dubai Marina, a glamorous neighbourhood known for its towering architecture. Share the waterways with vessels ranging from multistorey superyachts to traditional wooden dhow boats – the kind Dubai’s pearl divers would use during the pearling season, long before the discovery of oil. Closer to the shoreline, jet-skiers, paddleboarders, wakeboarders and surfers pose against unique backdrops that include two of Dubai’s most famous hotels, Burj Al Arab and Atlantis, The Palm.

4. Emirati breakfast experience

Market, Street Food

Situated at the Al Bastakiya trading village in Dubai’s Al Fahidi Historical District, the SMCCU offers you a chance to uncover Dubai’s cultural customs by dining on a traditional Emirati breakfast in a wind tower house. This 90-minute meet-up held in a majlis lounge setting gives you a chance to learn more about Middle Eastern traditions with a guide on hand to answer all of your questions. Dine on typical Middle Eastern food, with plates such as balaleet (sweet vermicelli with eggs) and baidh tomat (scrambled egg with tomato), and drink aromatic spiced Arabian coffee.

5. Seawings Seaplane Tours of Dubai

Amusement Park, Park, Sports Center

Taking off and landing on Dubai’s waterways, Seawings Seaplane Tours provides the perfect way to explore Dubai’s sea, sky and land. It offers three tours: ‘Snapshot’, which lasts 20 minutes; ‘Signature’, which flies high for 45 minutes; ‘Signature and Dubai Heritage’, which includes an added history tour on the ground. Fly by Dubai’s most celebrated architectural marvels, including the Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeriah, Dubai Creek and Burj Al Arab. Flights accommodate up to nine passengers, with regular departures from 9am to 4.30pm or 5pm (depending on the season), and flights take off from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club or JA Beach Hotel.

6. Dubai desert safaris

Natural Feature

Go on an off-road adventure and try a desert safari that takes passengers deep into Dubai’s majestic dunes. Choose between a vintage 1950s Land Rover or an up-to-date 4×4, and speed across Dubai’s dramatically undulating peaks – a national pastime known as dune bashing. Be sure to take a moment to stand on a sandy crest to take in the full scope of the desert. After a day of dune bashing, guests can experience more of the city’s culture, from henna painting and shisha smoking to falconry displays and al fresco feasts.

7. Dubai food tours

Family style, Iraqi

Get straight to the heart of Dubai’s foodie scene with a gourmet guide. As the first food-tour group in Dubai, the family-run Frying Pan Adventures’ philosophy is to preserve and share dishes from around the world that have made their way to the city. Discover Iran’s honey-and-saffron-laced confections, the best Arabian falafel and shawarma, and Indian flavours from Keralan pancakes to Goan curries on Dubai’s lesser-known side streets. Whet your appetite for what’s to come by listening to the Frying Pan’s brilliant podcast with tips on where to find the area’s best and most authentic food.

8. Dubai hop-on, hop-off bus tours

Architectural Landmark

Dubai’s hop-on, hop-off bus tours with audio guides feature more than 40 stops near most major points of interest. Alight at Dubai’s historical district Al Seef for atmospheric creekside strolling, the Spice Souk for tasty condiments or The Beach at Jumeirah Beach Residence area for sandy shores lined with seaside entertainment. For malls, try the Mall of the Emirates for indoor skiing and The Dubai Mall for access to the sky-piercing Burj Khalifa. Bus tickets cover complimentary traditional dhow cruises, non-stop 150-minute night tours and access to the Dubai Museum. Multiple ticket options are available, including one-, two- and three-day bus passes with more perks allocated per day.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.