Famous Areas to Visit and Shop in Dubai
Just 5 hours away from Europe, and 3 hours away from almost anywhere in the middle east, Pakistan and India, Dubai has become one of the most dominant players in the middle east. They are growing to become the regional hub for all things finance, retail, tourism, travel and trade. If you are coming to Dubai as a tourist or you are an expat or UAE national, then you are going to want to get accustomed to the several different districts in Dubai.
Dubai is a melting pot with so many varieties of culture, nationalities and people from every walk of life. Here is a complete breakdown on the districts and the types of cultures you can find there including what each area is famous for and a short history of the area and its costs of living.
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Satwa: This culture filled district is sometimes called Little India and Little Manila because the vast majority of its population are Indians and Filipinos. True to the name, you can find every kind of Indian and Filipino restaurant, shop, supermarket and grocery store. It is a place well known for its gold and textiles markets and many people come there for the gold souk, which is not as congested as other gold souks and you can haggle for cheaper prices on many beautiful pieces of jewelry, enjoy some authentic cuisine and pick some great souvenirs for very cheap prices.
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Karama: Karama is also well known as another little India and little manila area. It is a mixed commercial and residential district with great places that are relatively inexpensive to sample some great food and purchase cheap items for gifting. It also has the karama fish market which is supplied daily with fresh fish and meat from many different vendors and the prices are much cheaper than your average grocery stores in Dubai.
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Bur Dubai: This is the area that surrounds Jumeira to the creek and separates Dubai from Deira. It is a historical district that is one of the oldest areas in Dubai and a major tourist destination. Many tourists flock to this place and it has the best gold souks in the city. Be sure to also check out the floating restaurants that surround the famous creek or take a quick dhow cruise on one of the many traditional boats to get a great tour of the creek and surrounding areas.
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Deira: Prior to creating the DIFC (Dubai international financial centre) the district of deira used to be the financial centre of Dubai. Today deira is a beautiful mixed commercial and residential district with some old souk's, many restaurants and beautiful shops. Be sure to check out the spice souk which carries almost every spice imaginable from every culture.
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Jumeirah: This melting pot is a very diversified district in terms of ethnicities and many residents are from Europe, Pakistan and Philippines. Its natively known as the little Europe, little Karachi and little manila district. Jumeirah is a top destination for Europeans because of the many beaches, the beautiful walk and lots of sunshine. You can find some amazing villa's here along with some of the best world class hotels that are found in Dubai. Some great spots to see here are the jumeirah beach, jumeirah beach residence's walk, the tiny road side stalls with all kinds of items, ice cream parlors, and cafe's and the jumeirah mosque.
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Downtown Dubai: The bur Dubai and deira districts used to be considered at one point the downtown of Dubai. Until the government and Emaar properties spent 20 billion US dollars on building the downtown core which is called the new downtown Dubai area. This area is by far one of the greatest tourist destinations in Dubai and houses some of the greatest attractions in the world. It also includes the Burj Khalifa the tallest building in the world, the Armani hotel, the Dubai fountain, the Dubai aquarium, cinemas, a gold souk and the Dubai mall which received over 13 million tourists last quarter and many skyscrapers, hotels, restaurants and entertainment areas.
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Dubai Marina: This is a massive development that borders the jebel ali port which is the world’s largest man made port and one of the biggest shipping and trade locations in the middle east. This area is covered from almost every viewable direction with hundreds of skyscrapers and hosts the jumeirah beach walk with dozens of great restaurants, hotels, open air markets, and frequent attraction, events and shows.
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Arabian Ranches/ Emirates Hills: These are two separate places but fully connected. The residential rents here are very expensive compared to other districts in Dubai due to the value of the land area. It has some of the most impressive villas and golf courses in Dubai.
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Mirdiff/Mirdif: This area is a commercial and residential district which has some old components and some new buildings. It also lies directly under the flight path to the Dubai international airport, which is by far one of the busiest airports in the middle east and gulf region. Mirdif city centre is one of the biggest attractions of this area and the rents for residential apartments, condos and villas are quite high.
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International City: The Chinatown of Dubai or little Chinatown due to the large number of Chinese and oriental residents, shops, and restaurants. A well known residential area in the middle of the Dubai desert that boasts some of the most amazing architectural designs and buildings. The residential rents here are nowhere near as expensive as other districts in Dubai and many Chinese businessmen and women live and work in this beautiful area of Dubai.
