If you want to experience Dubai from 20 years ago when it was just a small fishing village, heading to the Old Town is the perfect choice! Here you'll find the famous Gold Souk, Spice Souk, Dubai Museum, and Coffee Museum… and so much more~ You can also take an Arabian-style boat to experience the river scenery of Old Dubai!

There is one very important thing to remember when visiting the Old Town: remember to bring cash! (Sounds like nonsense, XD) But the two of us "city bumpkins" are so used to swiping our cards that we actually only had 150 Dirhams on us that day—we almost couldn't afford our ride home 🤣🤣🤣

★ Recommended Attractions in Old Dubai

1. Dubai Gold Souk
2. Dubai Spice Souk Market
3. Water Bus (Deira Old Souk Abra Station - Bur Dubai Abra Station)
4. Bur Dubai Souk
5. Dubai Museum
6. Coffee Museum
7. Old Dubai Starbucks (Starbucks Al Seef)

This post lists seven recommended attractions in the Old Town area of Dubai, arranged in a convenient route~ Let's take a look together!

1. Dubai Gold Souk

Just looking at these necklaces makes my neck ache······· They are way too massive!!!!

The Gold Souk even has the legendary golden armor! And a Guinness World Record-breaking ring weighing a massive 63.859 kg. It's ridiculously huge!!!😆

2. Dubai Spice Souk Market

After opening our eyes at the Gold Souk (and realizing we couldn't afford anything～😆), we snapped some photos and left~ Then we walked over to the adjacent Spice Souk～

The signs even have Chinese text—their target demographic is super obvious!

When you go to the Old Town, there's one extremely important rule: you MUST bargain when buying things!!!!

While strolling through the Spice Souk, I set my sights on the souvenirs in the picture below~

1 Cashmere Scarf        AED 120
1 Set of Golden Dubai Playing Cards  AED  25
1 Magnet                AED  10
Total Price             AED 155

We forgot to exchange money before leaving the hotel, so we simply didn't have enough cash on us… The shop owner then pulled us aside and said we were his very first customers on the morning of the New Year (January 1st)~ The haggling began! He eventually dropped the total down to AED 80~ I counted the money I had, set aside enough for a taxi and the Arabian boat ride, and told him my final offer was AED 70 for everything~ In the end, we closed the deal at AED 70—less than half the original price!!!

So～～～ please remember to bargain if you plan to buy anything! Of course, things in the Old Town are naturally cheaper anyway! Later, we saw the exact same Cashmere scarf at the Dubai Mall selling for a whopping AED 160…

You can also find these must-buy Dubai sand art bottles at the Spice Souk~ We didn't haggle too much for the sand bottle—we bought a small one, which included getting a name written inside, for AED 25! However, we had a really delightful chat with the vendor, a big brother from Egypt! He told us that you could get the exact same sand bottle in Egypt for only AED 5!

Dubai's rent is high, and both food and accommodation are expensive. He couldn't afford to rent an independent room to bring his wife over, so he had to leave his home and his wife behind to work hard alone in Dubai… Honestly, behind Dubai's rapid development, there are so many of these tough, untold stories! If you're interested in these local trinkets, coming to the Old Town for a shopping spree is a fantastic choice!

3. Dubai Traditional Boat (Deira Old Souk Abra Station - Bur Dubai Abra Station)

Right next to the Spice Souk is where you can catch a traditional Dubai boat (Abra) to head over to Bur Dubai~

Dubai Abra Trip

★ Opening Hours: 6am - 12am
★ Boat Fare: AED 1 / person
★ Payment Method: Pay cash on the boat
★ River Route: Bur Dubai - Deira Old Souq

That day, we took the boat from the Gold Souk back to Bur Dubai Abra Station, boarding from Platform 2 (where a bunch of people were lining up). Remember to have one Dirham in cash ready per person; the staff will collect the money after you board!

Riding a vintage small boat in Old Dubai, surrounded by the antique, old-style architecture on both sides of the river～ it is a very touristy river cruise itinerary (even though it only lasts a few minutes), yet it only costs 1 Dirham per person! The value for money is incredibly high, and it's definitely worth the trip～

Here's a route map we snapped after arriving at Bur Dubai Station and getting off the boat. There are two lines, A1 and A2, for taking the water bus across the river, and both cost exactly 1 Dirham~ We took the A1 line, which is right next to the Spice and Gold Souks—it's super convenient!

If you are interested in this kind of old-town river cruise experience, you can also check out our extended reading: Jumeirah Madinat River Cruise & Burj Al Arab Views

4. Bur Dubai Souk

Compared to the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk, I actually hadn't heard of this Bur Dubai Souk before～ However, out of all three markets, it is the prettiest and the most packed with tourists～

It was absolutely packed with people!!! And there's every kind of souvenir you can imagine~

Although there are plenty of souvenirs and it's fun to browse, I still have to warn you: along the way, so many vendors kept "attacking" Kevin! 😱😱😱 I don't know if our poker faces just weren't fierce enough, or if we were just too petite compared to other tourists? Every few steps, someone would literally lay hands on Kevin! Pulling his arm, grabbing his shoulder, or trying to wrap a scarf around his neck~~ One of them even rubbed Kevin's neck (it reached a level that bordered on harassment 😆)

We put on our sternest faces and said NO ～～～ but it was like they didn't even hear us… Our shopping mood was completely ruined, and we ended up "fleeing" the market like rats crossing the street 😆😆😆 If you're heading to the Old Town～ please be aware of this!

5. Dubai Museum

The Dubai Museum, which frequently appears on top three "must-visit in Dubai" lists, is also located in the Old Town! Inside, the museum exhibits the history of Old Dubai back when it was a small fishing village, including the tools used, clothing, interior layouts of houses, and more～ If you love history, you can't miss this!

Dubai Museum

★ Currently closed temporarily (Updated Dec 2025)
★ Opening Hours: Mon - Thu 8:30am - 8:30pm | Fri 2:30pm - 8:30pm
★ Ticket Price: AED 3 / person

Since Dubai used to be a fishing village, the museum displays many different types of boats.

During the 1960s, oil was discovered, leading Dubai to experience massive political and economic growth! Before the discovery of oil, looking at the house setups on display～ it's easy to see that the residents of Old Dubai lived very simple and humble lives～

Tickets to the Dubai Museum are extremely cheap, and it's a museum rich in cultural and historical character～ It's essentially a mandatory stop for all major tour groups. Unfortunately, when we went, we were packed in like sardines… Outside the Dubai Museum, there's also a large wooden boat for tourists to take photos with (like the picture below)～

If you aren't super interested in Dubai's history, I actually think just snapping a few photos at the entrance and the exterior is perfectly fine～ you don't necessarily have to squeeze through the crowds inside! The Dubai Frame also features an exhibition on Dubai's history (though not as detailed as the Dubai Museum). So if you're planning to visit the Dubai Frame and are short on time, you might optionally skip this spot! (Extended reading: Dubai Frame)

6. Coffee Museum

★ Opening Hours: Sat - Thu 9am - 5pm | Closed on Fridays
★ Address & Map: Historical Neighborhood, Bastakiya, Villa 44 - Al Hisn St - Al Fahidi | Map
★ Official Website: https://www.coffeemuseum.ae

The Coffee Museum was our biggest regret during this trip to Old Dubai… We had some internet issues that day, and without a connection, we couldn't figure out the direction to the Coffee Museum at all…

But, we were even less willing to go back into the souks and ask for directions from those vendors who kept harassing Kevin… (Kevin's absolute nightmare 😆) If you're a coffee lover, we heard this Coffee Museum has many specialty coffees~ We'll leave it to you all to slowly savor and explore for yourselves!

7. Old Dubai Starbucks (Starbucks Al Seef)

★ Opening Hours: Sat - Tue 8am - 12am | Thu - Fri 8am - 1am
★ Address & Map: Marsa Al Seef, Dubai | Map

This Starbucks is undeniably an emerging Instagram-worthy hotspot in the Old Town. It has a fantastic location right in Al Seef—Dubai’s incredibly charming, Arabian-style old district. An American Starbucks built inside an antique Arabian-style building creates an intense contrast. The atmosphere inside is wonderful, and it can arguably be called one of the most uniquely styled Starbucks in the world. Even though the coffee still tastes like regular Starbucks, it’s absolutely worth visiting just to snap some memorable photos! Highly recommended!

★ Attractions Around Old Dubai

Attractions around Old Dubai that can be added to your itinerary include

Dubai Free Itinerary Info

★ 【Transport】Dubai Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus
★ 【Passes】Klook Pass Dubai
★ 【SIM Cards】UAE 5G eSIM
★ 【Observation Decks】Burj Khalifa｜Dubai Frame｜The View At The Palm｜Sky Views Observatory
★ 【Theme Parks】Legoland Dubai｜Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark
★ 【Desert Tours】Morning Desert Safari｜Evening Desert Safari｜Camel Trekking｜Hot Air Balloon
★ 【Abu Dhabi】Day Tour｜Free Itinerary Guide
★ 【Dubai Guides】Free Itinerary Guide｜Accommodation Guide｜Top 10 Attractions

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