Visiting Dubai on a budget? Is that possible?
After the better part of a week here in Dubai we don’t feel like we have cracked the codes of this city, we found it a place where you can live the most extreme luxury as well as experiencing the local lifestyle that has nothing to do with what you usually see on social media.
This city in some ways still remains a total mystery, while others were revealed to us by the many people we have spoken with during our time here!
As you might have gathered we are budget travellers, we will go out of our way to find more affordable solution for each thing that we will like to do, Dubai was definitely a challenge and in some ways it was a complete contradiction!
This city is not a cheap one to visit, or at least that’s what we first thought!
Here’s what a week exploring this 200-ish year old Metropoli thought us!
“Free things in Dubai?”
- Your stay will be the thing that will eat away most of your money, cheap stays are not really a thing here, you are looking at no less than 30€ per night for something mediocre to bad up to 100 for something comfortable. Let’s not forget that you can easily spend even up to 700€ a night, finding this options is actually easier than finding something on a budget!
We found a really affordable stay a little outside the city, in the International City. A place that is divided in massive “council” buildings, all separated between themselves in areas with countries names. Here you can find the Italian Cluster, The Chinese one, Moroccan, French and many more. This is no fancy spot, it’s pretty local but has all the essentials near by, the room was specious and clean and the bus station was only 10 min away with a direct connection with the Burj Khalifa.
Google Maps is nicely updated in regards of bus and metros journeys, so you can use it with no issues.
Stay Price • 26€ per night
Link • https://abnb.me/DkjNpLzlCvb
- You can eat with as little as 3/4€ in selected parts of the city, most local Indian places offer delicious food for incredibly cheap prices! This areas can be found around the souks for example or near Al Fahidi. Outside this kind of area you are looking to spend around 8 to 15€ minimum per person.
- There are quite a few things to do for free in Dubai, let me list them for you here!
• Al Fahidi Historical
• Dubai Souk
• Dubai Mall (View of the aquarium, the fountains, Burj Khalifa, Burj Park and Burj Plaza)
• Sufouh Beach
• La Mer
• Half Desert Road
• Dubai Creek Harbour
- Let’s talk about parking! Do you remember when we said that Dubai is a city with many contradictions? This is one of the ones we meant. Believe it or not most parking here are totally free!! This came as a beautiful and well accepted shock! Let me link you here the right free parking for each location listed above!
• Al Fahidi Historical • Shindagha City Center Parking
• Dubai Souk • Shindagha City Center Parking
• Dubai Mall • Come by bus
• JBR Beach • Al Maya Supermarket
• La Mer • La Mer Parking
• Half Desert Road • Anywhere
• Dubai Creek Harbour • Marina Parking
Also many supermarkets have free parking, like Dragon Mart near the International City or our absolute favourite Silicon central Mall, the most incredible rotisserie selection you’ll ever find for incredibly cheap prices.
- Renting a car in Dubai is honestly the best way to full enjoy this city without spending the most part of your day jumping from one bus to the next! (Connections are horrible, sometimes walking will take you the same amount of time!!) The rent prices are actually incredibly affordable, you are looking at around 25/40€ per day for a 4×4, insurance included and unlimited mileage. All you need is an international or UK licence and around 300€ deposit that you’ll receive back in a month or more (I know, not the best!)
Here’s the link which we rented our car from : https://almizancarrental.com/car-rental/
Having a car will allow you to travel freely to the desert to witness the most incredible sunset or sunrise setting on the dunes, Half Desert Road is an apocalyptic interception of abandoned roads half covered by sand, truly an incredible sight!!
Dubai is one of the most safe cities on this planet so throughout your experiences here you can relax!
What we loved the most about Dubai?
The people we have met, ready to give us a hand, kind, selfless it was a true surprise in a city that is on one side focused on luxury and on another filled with people doing everything they can to survive and help their families back home, we cannot say that this is a place where we will ever see ourselves grow old in, as it’s too dispersed and most “centres” are really separated from each others but we enjoyed getting to know the real city that exists underneath what we are usually shown on tv programs and social media!
BTW
Take every difficulty in each place you visit in a light way, think that you are learning from it, don’t let it affect you, even if you are tired and your rented room doesn’t match your standards. Be positive and give the place you are experiencing a chance, always. After you have done all you can then draw your conclusions, a judgment that might still be the complete opposite from the one of another traveller.
Enjoy Dubai fellow Voyager!
