48-Hours Dubai Stopover Itinerary with Family

People traveling from the east to the west often find themselves in Dubai for a stopover between flights. Apart from the location, the facilities and amenities Dubai Airport offers makes it one of the best places for connecting flights. While most Dubai stopovers last for a few hours, if you want, you can extend this to a short holiday before going for an actual holiday. With a Dubai transit visa, you can visit the city for 48 hours or 96 hours, depending on the option you pick. While 2 days or 48 days may be too short to see everything the city has on offer, it is perfect to get a gist of the golden city of Dubai. An easier option would be to choose one of the Dubai vacation packages. But if you want to explore the place on your own, here is a 48-hours Dubai layover itinerary that you can follow.

Day 01: Old Dubai and Downtown Dubai

The first day of your Dubai stopover itinerary can be dedicated to check out the most popular sites of the city. Your day begins in the oldest part of the city and ends at the most stylish and glamorous part of the city.

Morning: Old Dubai

It is best to start your tour with a visit to the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, which is a remanent to the past when Dubai was a simple village that thrived on fishing and pearl diving. Walking along the narrow, cobbled streets, you will get to see the traditional buildings, many of which have been turned into museums. The Coffee Museum is a must-visit, not only to know about the history of coffee but also to get your caffeine fix with a cup of hot coffee. One of the most important museums to visit here is Dubai Museum. After exploring the area, you can visit the traditional souks to buy gold, spices, and perfume. An abra ride on the Dubai Creek  would complete the trip to this area. In case you are in the area until lunch time, head to the Arabian Tea House for a traditional meal.

Afternoon to Sunset: Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa

After spending a day in Old Dubai, head over to Downtown Dubai to explore the largest mall in the UAE, the Dubai Mall. Spread around an area of 1.124 million square feet, the Dubai Mall is a paradise for shopping lovers with more than 1200 stores that sell fashion, accessories, jewelry, electronics, home décor, and so much more. The mall has a large food court and several restaurants and cafes as well. Apart from these, Dubai Mall has an aquarium and underwater zoo, a large ice rink, and several theme parks, including KidZania and DXB Dubai, a virtual-reality gaming zone. Checking out these places is one of the best things to do in Dubai with kids.

Once you have explored the mall, head to the ground floor, which is the entrance to tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. Here, you need to take the elevator to reach the observation deck either on the 124^th and 125^th floors or the 148^th floor. Whichever floor you choose, you will be rewarded with a 360-degree, panoramic view of the entire city. There are specialized binoculars here, which would give you a closer view of the important landmarks of Dubai. The best thing about visiting the Burj Khalifa at this time is that you get to watch an incredible sunset. Moreover, you get the chance to see the city in daylight and with all its sparkling lights as well.

Evening: Dubai Fountain Show and Dhow Cruise

After the sunset, head outside the Burj Khalifa, to check out the Dubai Fountain Show. This incredible light and sound show happens on the Burj Lake, one of the largest manmade lakes in Dubai. The show lasts for 3-5 minutes and involves fountain jets dancing on the tunes of amazing music along with colorful lights. The show happens every 30 minutes and is one of the best things to do in Dubai for free. After the show, head to Dubai, one of the city’s most glamorous neighborhood. Hop on to a beautiful dhow cruise and sail along the Dubai Marina while relishing a delicious buffet meal, entertaining shows, and the view of the place.

Day 02: Sightseeing and Desert Safari

Morning: Museum of the Future, Dubai Frame and Green Planet

There is no dearth of tourist attractions in Dubai. The city is filled with theme parks and unique attractions that would be liked by kids and adults alike. While you start the second day of your short holiday or weekend trip to Dubai with these attractions, you end it with the phenomenal desert safari.

You begin the second day of your trip with a visit to the Museum of the Future. Apart from being a futuristic museum with some mind-blowing exhibits, it also known for its iconic structure. Shaped like a torus, completely made in stainless steel with Arabic calligraphy all over it, this is a building that you must definitely check out.

Featured

Dubai Stopover Delight

Dubai

Check Availability

Featured

Dubai Seasonal Stopover

Dubai

Check Availability

Your next stop for the day should be Dubai Frame, another unique structure in Dubai. As the name suggests, the structure is shaped like a photo frame and is also the biggest photo frame in the world. The Dubai Frame is also the symbol of Dubai’s past, present, and future. The observation deck at the top gives you the view of old Dubai on one side and the modern one on the other.

After exploring the Dubai Frame, the next stop of your short Dubai trip itinerary should be the Green Planet Dubai. A vertical garden, the Green Planet is an indoor rainforest, where you will get to see more than 3000 species of tropical plants, animals, and birds. The Green Planet is also educational, as you get to know the importance of the rainforests.

Afternoon: Dubai Desert Safari

Dedicate the rest of the day to one of the most popular things to do in Dubai, which is the desert safari. The desert safari tour begins early in the evening and ends at night after a BBQ dinner. Between the time you reach the desert and the time you head back, you get to enjoy a series of activities involving adventure, entertainment, and so much more. At the desert safari, you can try dune bashing, sandboarding, quad biking, and camel riding. Watching the desert sunset is another highlight of this trip. Once the sun sets behind the horizon, the desert camp lights up and gets ready for entertainment programs like belly dancing and Tanura dancing. You can also smoke a shisha, get your palms painted with henna, and click pictures wearing the traditional Arabic clothes. The 3-course BBQ dinner offers a fitting end to the eventful evening in the desert.

Conclusion

This itinerary for two days in Dubai will work if you are arriving in Dubai early in the morning and staying for 48 hours straight. You can also tweak this itinerary to serve your needs and requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions