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Dubai Travel Guide for First Time Visitors!

by Cindy Guerra 10+ Years Experienced Blogger

Dubai is spectacular for first-time visitors, it’s flashy and gaudy. And they believe in going overboard and doing things which are pretty ostentatious. Dubai is associated with lots of accolades and words like the biggest, most expensive, and tallest for a good reason.

Every country has its culture and protocols to follow while visiting. Dubai being an Islamic state follows stringent customs and laws. The lifestyle revolves around the Muslim religion and culture and sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming and daunting for the first time visitors.

Here what Dubai holds for the first time visitors and the Do’s and Don’ts to follow while visiting Dubai.

 

A foodie’s delight

 

Streets of Deira is the cities' oldest and cheapest neighborhood where you can find tasty treats at every corner thanks to a major influx of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Egyptians, Iranians who have poured into the city.

The Ravi restaurant is every foodie’s delight, and it’s like being in another Lahore. And the experience goes right to the top with celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsey, Sanjeev Kapoor, Marco Pierre all serving their charm for a price which may be steep for some but its worth every bit you pay.

Weekends start on a Friday and goes up to Saturday in the Islamic land. Friday brunches in hotels are popular, they serve every kind of food and these branches are sumptuous, to say the least.

Cosmopolitan charm

There are not many local Emiratis around; forming less than 10% of the population they keep their culture as a private affair.

 

A dry land after all?

Public inebriation may be a major issue here, and alcohol is extremely expensive, served in bars, clubs and hotels only. Although there is a lot of happy hours plans to avail, Champaign brunches and expat binge are common; non-Muslims can have alcohol at home if they possess an alcohol license.

Drinking and driving are a strict No-No as the Dubai Police has a zero-tolerance approach to it and so it’s not safe to even have one drink while driving.

Being drunk and disorderly in public is not acceptable which may attract imprisonment or fine for the least.

 

Muslim law

 

Possession of drugs(attracts standard 4 years of imprisonment and deportation), adultery, pornography and homosexuality are all forbidden and they all invite strict punishments. Also, desist from criticizing Islam and Sharia, the local authorities and politics.

Visitors must adopt a certain level of cultural and religious sensitivity. Swearing in public is forbidden and one may get in trouble even if they swear on Whatsapp.

 

Think before you leap

To unwind, only city malls are feasible for some comfortable leg stretching, apart from this Dubai is not a walkers delight, the city is not designed in that manner plus who would like to take a walk outside in the scorching heat.

Dubai is one of the countries with the highest road accident mortality.

 

Religion

Don’t visit Dubai during Ramadan days. Muslim fast for a complete month during Ramadan. It's not prudent to eat and drink in public.

For foreigners, Ramadan days can be extremely tough, one can’t eat or drink outside and it’s very difficult, for instance during a site seeing on a desert with not even a permission to drink water.

Most shops are closed during the day and life comes to normal only at the night time.

 

Avoid beaches in summer

With the temperature soaring 50° outside and the water at 38°, hitting for a beach is not an option. Hotels have temperature controlled swimming pools.

 

A shopper’s paradise

Dubai is definitely a shopper’s paradise at par with Singapore and Hong Kong. Shoppers can buy best quality gold ornaments, designer clothes, spices, best foodstuff and gifts. Shoppers can purchase an ounce of gold from the ´Gold to Go´ ATMs as well.

While shopping at the Gold Souk, keep these facts in mind. Gold rates are even at all shops and the gold rate is the same everywhere. There may be variance however in the making charges for design which can be negotiated, preferably a quarter of the value.

Don’t be reluctant to move on in case you want to explore because many shops will have the same design and sellers are more motivated to sell during the latter half of the day and before the close of the market at 10 PM.

Business class flights to Dubai are cheaper with airlines competing against each other to offer better deals to attract customers. Kuwait Airways offers connecting flight at cheapest rates. Emirates Airline is another leading Middle East carrier that connects to 130 destinations worldwide and offers business class seats with flat beds with rates close to Kuwait Airways. KLM, Turkish and Aeroflot can also be considered as cheaper options for a great business class deal to Dubai. 

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About Cindy Guerra Innovator   10+ Years Experienced Blogger

17 connections, 0 recommendations, 54 honor points.
Joined APSense since, May 4th, 2018, From Portland, OR, United States.

Created on May 24th 2018 08:37. Viewed 754 times.

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