UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 10 Days

One of the best solo trip I have ever done until now exploring Dubai's main attraction, having an amazing adventure in the desert and visiting Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Presidential Palace.

In case you are wondering how it will be to travel as a solo female traveller in Dubai, as it is a Muslim country, and you have no clue on where to start planning your trip then this itinerary is perfect for you! For info on the best time to visit, accomodation or transport have a look at my related blog post here.

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Day 1 - Day at Marina Beach and night at Dubai Marina

As this will be your first day in Dubai and you probably had a long flight getting here, take some time to familiarise yourself with the city by spending the day at Marina Beach. Have a nice walk around the area where you can find plenty of places to shop, eat, and drink as well as participate in different activities such as windsurfing (depending on the weather), jet sky and much more. For the evening, stay around the area and enjoy a beautiful evening walk around Dubai Marina where you can find some nice selfie spots, hundreds of restaurants, and a huge shopping mall and observe the beauty of the Marina by night. There are some little boat taxis that run from one side to the other of the marina for just a few AED.

Day 2 - Dubai Frame, the Dubai Mall and Top of Burj Khalifa at night

Start your day with a visit to the Dubai Frame. The Dubai Frame is basically a huge building with the shape of a golden frame where you can visit a museum explaining how the city developed since its beginnings and a viewing area at the top. I loved the fact that the Dubai Frame was purposely built in a strategic position that allows visitors to see the old parts of Dubai, such as Deira town and Dubai Creek on one side, and the modern city skyline on the other. The contrast between ancient and modern gives you an idea of how much the city has changed in such a short time frame, from 1970 until today. The entry fee for this attraction is AED 50 (about 10£) and the visit will take you roughly 1 to 2 hours. Unfortunately, the metro station is a bit far from the Dubai Frame, so I decided to get a taxi instead to get there as my hotel was about 10 min by car from it.

For the rest of the day make your way to the Dubai Mall. I’m not even starting to explain what you can do inside the Mall as there are thousands of options to choose from, so I will simply advise you to just go with whatever you feel like doing once there. As you might already know the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is right at Dubai Mall. I personally decided to just observe the huge fish tank from the outside, however, there are lots of experiences you could choose from such as visiting the penguin cave or the whole aquarium itself if you would like to. Have a look at the Aquarium website for more info.

Plan your afternoon activities well and make sure you get up to the top of the Burj Khalifa right after sunset (or at sunset if you can, but I would suggest you book in advance for sunset hours as they are the busiest and most expensive ones of course). Going up to the tallest building in the world is a must-do if you are in Dubai and you’ll know why once you reach the top. The most common option is visiting the 124th and 125th floors, but there are also some other options you could choose from here .

Hopefully, you’ll be lucky enough to see the fountain show from the top of the Burj Khalifa, but make sure you also stop by Burj Lake later, to assist in the tallest performing musical fountain show in the world.

Day 3 - Beach Day

Well-deserved Beach Day. From Dubai Marina, all the way up to Deira you will have plenty of beaches to choose from. I would suggest starting with a quick visit to one of the best 7 stars hotel in the world the Burj Al Arab and then spend beach hopping from Jumeirah Public Beach to Kite Beach and then spending the rest of the afternoon walking around the seaside which is full of little places to eat along the way.

Day 4 - Deira old city Souk Market, Dubai Creek and Al Fahidi Historical District

Spending an entire day around Deira Old Town, will give a totally different view of Dubai. It will be like going back in time and will give you a hint of how the locals lived before modernity took over in the city. First stop of the day was the Souk! Get lost between the little market streets and get ready to be asked a million times to buy stuff. Just keep strong and enjoy. I would suggest you start with the Spice Souk and from there, simply follow the numerous maps and signs so that you don’t miss out on anything. Get ready for lots of glittering at Deira’s Gold Souk. The world’s most famous and busiest gold market, currently holding about 20% of the world's gold supply (that’s roughly 10 tons of gold!).

Once you finish with the market head over to ‘Deira Old Souk Abra Station’ and take a boat taxi or ‘Abra’ to Al Fahidi Historical district for just AED 1. Abras are old wooden boats that have been around since the 17th which will take you through Dubai Creek to Al Fahidi District in just a few minutes (see photo gallery below). Spend the rest of the day around the district, have a look at the Dubai Museum and watch the sun going down on Dubai Creek surrounded by the traditional buildings of Al Fahidi.

Day 5 - Museum of the Future and Desert Tour

Book a visit to the Museum of the Future well in advance. The Museum was inaugurated this February and was defined as “the most beautiful building on earth”. From the inside, the Museum is a guided journey on what a possible sustainable future might look like for humanity and the city of Dubai itself, with an entire floor dedicated to new technologies and innovation. An unmissable experience and an awakening call for the future worth seeing. And you can also get a coffee done by a very friendly robot! To book your experience click here.

For the afternoon make sure to book a tour to the desert. I chose one including an hour of quad biking in the desert, a camel ride and dinner and a show at a Bedouin camp. However, I must say I really regret not choosing the one where you can stay overnight in the desert. The Bedouin camp experience was so nice and immersive that I really didn’t feel like going back to Dubai that night! Click here to check out the tour I participated in or to search for the overnight tour if interested.

The Lost Chamber Aquarium at Atlantis the Palm

Day 6 - Atlantis the Palm, The Lost Chamber Aquarium and sunset at the AURA Sky Pool

Day at Palm Jumeirah, exploring the Atlantis and ending with a beautiful sunset at AURA Sky Pool! Make your way to Palm Gateway station by tram, located right at the beginning of the Palm itself. The Palm is connected to Dubai mainland through the Monorail, a transport system that operates on one rail only. The Monorail begins at Palm Gateway and finishes at the famous Atlantis The Palm, right at the end of the palm. A round trip from Palm Gateway station to the Atlantis costs about AED 30 (about 7£), or if you will be booking the AURA Sky Pool as I did, you can buy the monorail all-day ticket which costs AED 35 for the day with unlimited rides.

At the Atlantis, do not miss the ‘The Lost Chamber Aquarium’ inside the Atlantis with one of the biggest fish tanks in the world. If your budget does not allow you to visit both the Dubai Aquarium and the Lost Chamber at the Atlantis, then I would suggest giving the Lost Chamber priority. Link to the website here. Inside the Atlantis shopping area, there are a few restaurants where you could have lunch or dinner, however, do expect higher prices as you are after all at the Atlantis the Palm!

When the time comes to allow yourself a bit of luxury, hop back on the monorail and make your way to Nakheel Mall for your 4 hours at the AURA Sky Pool (there are time limits on the tickets). The AURA is the world's largest infinity pool with 360º views of Dubai. It’s located on the 50th floor in Nakheel Mall, right at the beginning of Palm Jumeirah, and it’s the first stop of the Palm’s Monorail. To book click here.

Day 7 - Atlantis Aquaventure and the Point on the Palm

Spend a Day at the Atlantis Aquaventure. No matter if you are solo as I was, you will have lots of fun! The slides are amazing and being solo, I got to skip the line lots of times as they were always calling me forward for a single extra tiny space on the pool doughnut for me. I ended up spending about half a day on the beach, entry included in the ticket, and the other half in the Aquapark trying all the crazy slides and making some new friends along the way 😊

In the evening, before returning to your hotel, stop at the point on the palm so see the second most famous fountain show in Dubai with views of the Atlantis the Palm in the Background (another monorail station is in construction for this location so make sure to check before you travel as it might be open by the time you visit).

Day 8 - Abu Dhabi

Book one of the many available tours to visit Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE. Abu Dhabi has a completely different vibe than Dubai. Once you enter the Emirate of Abu Dhabi you will feel the difference yourself. It’s much quieter and with a lot fewer tourists and expats. I personally chose a tour that included Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Presidential Palace which I highly recommend. Pictures don’t do it justice considering the beauty and magnificence of that place but have a look at my photo gallery below to get an idea. As I was travelling by myself and some Covid restrictions were still being implemented for people visiting Abu Dhabi, I did not have many available options at the time, so I chose to go on a guided day tour even though I’m not a big fan of them. Therefore, if you have a few more extra days, I suggest you stay in Abu Dhabi for one or two nights to properly explore everything the city has to offer at your own pace and without having to run around following your guide. However, I must also say that I learned a lot of fun facts about the UAE while travelling to Abu Dhabi and the history of the UAE. By the way, Camel Beauty competitions are a very big thing!