Dubai On A Budget: A Guide To Explore This Sensational City Like A Pro

Dubai is one of the most popular holiday destinations for the travel enthusiasts from all over the world. It is known for its luxurious hotels, world’s best shopping malls and gourmet dining places. This emirate is a perfect example of how modernization can live side by side with its tradition and heritage intact. You will be happy to spend all your savings here. However, one can also visit Dubai on a budget. If you are trying to visit Dubai within a budget and don’t want to miss anything that’s in your budget so you are at the right place. Here are some of the best ways to save your money and have all the fun.

Plane Tickets To Dubai

To get the best cost friendly air ticket you should book your ticket to Dubai advanced when special sales go on any airline website. As Dubai is a really popular destination, many airlines from fly there. Full service airlines like Emirates, Etihad airways along with budget airlines like FlyDubai, Indigo, Spicejet fly from the major metro cities in India to Dubai.You can buy a ticket from Emirates or Etihad as they constantly runs discounted fare list on their website.But to save some money on your air travel, you can book your ticket with low cost carriers like FlyDubai, indigo or spicejet. But choosing one of the airlines of the UAE’s local, you can get special tourist discounts at malls, dining spots, spas and many more places, saving more money. For an example if you visit Dubai before the end of August, you can get upto 40% discount at some dining places and spas by showing your Emirates boarding pass. But if you don’t want that local discounts then you should definitely book your ticket with budget airlines as its price is much cheaper.

Hotel Booking

Dubai is known for its luxurious 5-star establishments. Dubai’s most famous and luxurious hotel is Burj Al Arab. This hotel may be the world’s only and only one 7-star awarded hotel claimed by many famous people. However you can find much cheaper accommodation according to your budget. Here is some of the hotels that you can check in –

1. Crystal Plaza Hotel

Image Source

It is a 3-star high rise hotel with Arabian Architectural accents offering bakery, restaurant, and gym. It is 4 km from Sharjah Cricket Stadium and 8 km from Adventureland. It cost around INR2500.

Address: 10 Al Estiqlal St- Sharjah – United Arab Emirates

Must Read: 23 Best Places To Visit In Dubai With Family For A Holiday Like None Other!

Dubai Holiday Packages On TravelTriangle

2. Aldar Hotel

Image Source

A 3-star hotel with casual quarters in a laid back property offering a cafe and an exercise room. It is located near to shops and restaurants, 2 km from King Faisal Mosque, 4 km from Sharjah Beach and 15 km from Sharjah International Airport .It cost around INR 2500-4500.

Address: Arabian Gulf St – Sharjah – United Arab Emirates

Suggested Read: Dubai New Year: A Guide For The Celebration

3. Zain East Hotel

Image Source

This hotel is located near Deira Lively area with Dubai Creek dhows, Heritage Houses and Lebanese fast-food outlets.It cost around rs. 2000.

Address: 10 20th St – Dubai – United Arab Emirates

Suggested Read: Visit These 10 Top Art Galleries In Dubai To Feed You Mind And Soul With Ethereal Art

4. Fortune Karama Hotel

Image Source

It is a 3-star relaxed hotel offering multiple dining options, a nightclub, an outdoor pool and a gym.In the neighbourhood you will find shopping spots, buzzing Karama Fish Market and vibrant street art.

Dubai has a great real estate market and contained with plenty numbers of gorgeous apartments.If you don’t want to spend much on hotels then you can look to rent an apartment on Airbnb.Airbnb gives an opportunity to the owners of the apartments to rent their place to the tourists at a cheaper price per night fee than the hotel price.

Suggested Read: Bungee Jumping In Dubai: 7 Tips Every Beginner Should Be Aware Of

Best Time To Visit Dubai On A Budget

Image Source

Even the time of your travel also plays a crucial part when you are traveling on a budget.You should must avoid the time when Dubai experiences the maximum tourist traffic because during this time, companies related with travel raise their price for maximum profit.Then the best time to travel to Dubai on a budget is the hot summer months and Holy month of Ramadan. As this time has less tourists, hotels, airline companies, dining places give special discounts to visitors at this time.

The Best Way To Travel

Image Source

Generally, taxis are cheaper in Dubai compared to the other parts of the world prices. But certainly, it is not the cheapest way to travel around the city. A taxi ride may cost you 12 AED no matter how short the distance is.
The public transportation system in Dubai is really well maintained. So, as a budget traveller one should must consider this way of travel as it is easily available there.If you intend to travel around Dubai with public transport then you should must get an RTA NOL card.The best two options for tourists are to get a red card or a silver card.The red card will cost you 6 AED and the Silver card will be 25 AED.Amongst the two silver card is a better option for long run as one can use it on any public transportation service running within Dubai, from RTA buses to metros,trams and even water taxis.

Food Places In Dubai

As Dubai is one of the most popular cities in the world, one can find any kind of food in this place.From European, American food to Japanese cuisine everything is available.But this food items tends to be on high scale on prices.

For foods, in your budget travel, you should must watch two things – what food you are eating and from what place you are going to eat.In different areas of the city there are different price ranges.For low cost food items one should must go to Bur Dubai and Deira surrounding areas and one can get Arabic and Indian cuisine foods at a very low price.For ypur budget tour, here is some reasonably priced restaurants –

1. Delhi Darbar

Image Source

There are several branches of this restaurant around Dubai and around the world. This restaurant usually serves Mughlai cuisine – a food cuisine that was developed in India at the time of Mughal empire.The must try of this place is its famous Biryani and Chicken Tikka Masala.

Suggested Read: 10 Most Fabulous Places To Enjoy Desert Camping In Dubai

2. Arz Lebanon

Image Source

This Food place also has several branches around the city of Dubai.As from the name we get to know this place serves Lebanese food.The falafel here is really good, with a crispy exterior and flavourful inside.

Suggested Read: Dubai In March: An Ultimate Guide To Have An Experience Like ‘Sheikhs’!

3. Al-Ustad Special Kebab

Image Source

This is a very old food place in the Historical district of Dubai where everyone like do the Old Dubai Walking Tours .This place serves great Iranian food and one of the best quality kebabs in there.

Sightseeing In Dubai

Some great sightseeing places in Dubai like The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Miracle Garden are the must see places there but it requires a high entrance fee but there are plenty of places where you don’t have to pay any entry fee.Here is some fun impact and low cost places that you must check out.

1. Dubai Mall

Image Source

Dubai Mall is the world’s biggest shopping mall.The entry fee is nil to the mall.So, you must visit the establishment.There you should cover the huge dinosaur skeleton,the marine life from the outside of Dubai Aquarium and the beautiful light and water show at Dubai Mall.

Suggested Read: Everything You Need To Know About The Transcendental Dubai Opera

2. Souqs

Image Source

We must need to do shopping no matter if we are on a budget tour to the most expensive city or not.If you love to shop and you are good at bargaining then a visit to the souqs is a must. There is every kind of souqs here – gold souks, spice souks, perfume souks, textile souks etc.The gold, spice, perfume souks are at Deira side.To get access to this place you can have an abra ride across the Dubai Creek.This will cost you only 1AED.This is a very convenient way to shop and a great way to explore the area.

Suggested Read: Dubai’s New Visa Policy Is The Perfect Reason To Celebrate For Indian Passport Holders

3. Beaches

Image Source

Dubai contained a lot of beautiful beaches with clean sand and clear water.Two of them are – Kite beach and Jumeirah beach.This two beaches offer fun options to tourists.

Suggested Read: 6 Best Places To Visit In 5 Days In Dubai To Unravel The Magic Of UAE

4. Bastakiya

Image Source

It is known as the heritage hub of Dubai.Here you can visit the Dubai Museum and various ancestral structures.The entry fee of Dubai Museum is 3 AED.You can also explore the area and feel the cultural vibe enjoying street art.

Suggested Read: Dubai Then And Now: See The History Of Dubai By Flipping These Pictures

5. Camel Museum

Image Source

At Al Shindagha Area, a must see place is Camel Museum.It charge no entry fee.This museum reflects the history of camels in the United Arab Emirates, the relation between camel and Arabian Man, camel racing and camel anatomy.The visiting timing of the museum is Sunday to Thursday between 8 am to 2 pm.

Suggested Read: Deepak’s Trip To Dubai With Kids Was All About Fun, Laughter, And Joy!

6. Burj Khalifa

Image Source

This is the most famous place to visit in Dubai for free.This 160 storeys tall World’s tallest building is the ultimate attraction of the City of Dubai.You must take a selfie with this great structure.

Suggested Read: 11 Exquisite Coffee Shops In Dubai To Get Your Soul Caffeinated!

7. Dubai Museum

Image Source

A 5 min walk from Coffee Museum,the Dubai Museum is one of the oldest structures.Previously it was a fort for stored weapons but later it transformed as a museum.It is a great place to learn about the history of UAE.

Suggested Read: Dubai Wildlife: Top 6 Places To Befriend The Exotic Wild In This Emirate!

8. Grand Mosque

Image Source

At the opposite to the Dubai Museum you should must visit the Grand Mosque.It reflects the great cultural and religious heritage of Dubai.Quranic inscription on the entrance facade is the tallest minaret in the city.Its Islamic structure and interior will give you the best and first hand experience of Islamic tradition and culture.

Further Read: Dubai Parks And Resorts: An Itinerary For The Most Happening Oasis On The Planet!

This comprehensive list gives you an opportunity to explore Dubai on a budget. From the best hotels to the best places to visit, you will also find food options to visit Dubai on a budget. So, what are you thinking about? You won’t get a better deal than this. Plan a holiday in Dubai right now and enjoy without making a hole in your pocket!

Disclaimer: TravelTriangle claims no credit for images featured on our blog site unless otherwise noted. All visual content is copyrighted to its respectful owners. We try to link back to original sources whenever possible. If you own the rights to any of the images, and do not wish them to appear on TravelTriangle, please contact us and they will be promptly removed. We believe in providing proper attribution to the original author, artist or photographer.

Please Note: Any information published by TravelTriangle in any form of content is not intended to be a substitute for any kind of medical advice, and one must not take any action before consulting a professional medical expert of their own choice.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dubai On A Budget

Abhijeet Roy