A weekend in Dubai (without spending a fortune)

If you think Dubai is just the city of records, ready to dazzle the world with pharaonic projects and unbridled luxury, you are wrong. Dubai has a lot to offer to those who want to spend a weekend without spending a fortune: it is a cosy and safe place where there is no shortage of fine boutique hotels, delicious cuisine and, hear hear hear, places where you can breathe in the history of this place, light years away from the image of a city projected towards the future that we all know so well. If all this is not enough, bear in mind that you will be free to drink alcohol and that women are not obliged to wear headscarves. Between old quarters and desert tours, fine spas and art galleries, these are our recommendations for you.

Chasing the dunes at sunset, just outside Dubai. © Angelo Pittro/Lonely Planet Italy

Scent of Arabia: strolling through souqs and old quarters

Before you let yourself be enraptured by modern Dubai and its gigantic malls, we recommend a visit to the area overlooking the Creek, the canal that runs through the city for several kilometres. It is here that some vestiges of the old pearl fishing village overlooking the Persian Gulf, which, only fifty years ago, was 'the city' of Dubai, still survive.

A tour by abra, the traditional wooden boat, is the best way to reconnect with the authentic spirit of Dubai. © Angelo Pittro/Lonely

Climb aboard an abra, the traditional wooden boat, and for a few dirhams take yourself to the neighbourhoods that line both sides of the canal. The first thing to do is to get lost in the souqs. The most famous is in the Deira district and specialises in selling gold jewellery, but there are also spice markets, perfumed oils and oriental fragrances. Our favourite is on the opposite bank, in Bur Dubai, where you will find cheap fabrics and clothes. Continuing on foot, you'll reach the historic neighbourhoods of Al Fahidi (or Bastakia) and Shindagha, where old sandy-coloured houses with traditional wind towers overlook narrow, immaculate alleys to visit at sunset.

The Dubai Museum, located in Al Fahidi Fort, the city's oldest building. © Angelo Pittro/Lonely Planet Italy

Open doors, open minds: Dubai between history and art.

Immerse yourself in the traditions of the Arab Emirates by booking a visit to the Sheikh Mohammed centre for cultural understanding. You will be welcomed with dates and cardamom coffee on the patio of an old Persian-style house. Together with a guide, between a visit to the mosque, a tour of the neighbourhood and a rich traditional meal, you will be able to ask everything you always wanted to know and never dared to ask about the Arab world. If yesterday's Dubai fascinates you, don't miss a visit to the small but impressive Dubai Museum, located in Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest building in the city.

Art lovers or simply those in search of non-trivial souvenirs should stop by another gem in this district. The Al Serkal Foundation houses a café bar and roof top for events and was established with the aim of supporting emerging artists and designers in this corner of the Arab world. Go and browse through the five exhibition rooms and admire the handicrafts ranging from clothes and paintings to various objects and books. And ask for Annamaria Bersani: the dynamic director of the foundation will be happy to tell you the history of the foundation and describe the profile of its artists.

Dates and cardamom coffee: a cuddle you get used to quickly, Dubai. ©Angelo Pittro/Lonely Planet Italy

Subscribe to our newsletter! For you every week travel tips, special offers, stories from the world and 30% discount on your first order.

Let us pamper you

Well, you have chosen to visit the city where some of the most opulent, flashy, expensive and famous hotels in the world are located. At this point, if you happen to be unable to afford one of the Burj Al Arab's 202 super-equipped suites, don't let that put you off. You can choose to admire it from the outside, perhaps in an alternative way, with a fun Hero Boat tour, which will take you safely through the wonders of Dubai on the water. After the tour you'll want to rest, so you can consider doing so in one of the five Rove Hotels, a small chain that combines contemporary design and affordable prices. We chose the newly opened Dubai Marina, where even the Friday brunch (at a fixed price) proved to be excellent and plentiful. If you want, with the money you save on an overnight stay, you can treat yourself to one of the legendary spas that make this city unique. To treat yourself well, a good address is Talise Spa or the international chain Nikki Beach, which also has a branch in Dubai.

Dubai, continuously growing. ©Angelo Pittro/Lonely Planet Italy

The new that is advancing

Dubai never stops expanding, stealing space from the desert, and it is difficult to keep up with all that is new in the city. Just to give a few examples, a two-thousand-seat opera house (Dubai Opera), a gigantic frame (Dubai Frame) one hundred and forty metres high and the Green Planet Project have recently sprung up.

What is surprising, however, is the district dedicated to contemporary art. It is called Al Serkal Avenue and is located in the Al Quoz district, a dusty and chaotic industrial area where even taxis will struggle to find what you are looking for. But don't be discouraged, it's worth it. Thanks to the Al Serkal family (again: see above, Al Serkal Foundation), entrepreneurial patrons who in 2007 decided to invest in contemporary art, transforming anonymous warehouses and sheds into marvellous spaces where international artists and their works are the protagonists. Ateliers and art galleries, cafés and theatres, a radio station and even an artisanal chocolate workshop right where you would least expect it, in the middle of nowhere, amidst warehouses and machine shops, while in the background the glittering skyscrapers of Downtown complete the scenery. The latest enlargement saw the (fabulous) transformation of an old marble factory.

Watching a falconer's show in the desert is an experience not to be missed, Dubai. ©Angelo Pittro/Lonely Planet Italy

You only live once. Hiking in the desert at sunset

The sand in Dubai is like the grass in Milan: gone. Where there was once a desert, there is now a city, but you don't have to travel far to find, even today, dunes as far as the eye can see and total solitude. To experience the thrill of feeling like Lawrence of Arabia, one possibility is to reach the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the reserve desired by Sheikh Al Maktoum, which can only be accessed by using Platinum Heritage, the only authorised tour operator. Forget the noisy and environmentally unfriendly raids on the dunes in the company of a handful of wild Westerners. Here, you will board charming, fully-opened Land Rovers from the 1950s. While you enjoy the view, let the warm wind caress you as you wait for the sunset. After witnessing a spectacular falconer's show, you will dine in a cosy Bedouin camp, lit by fire, walk on camelback and smoke shisha. You will really feel like you are in another world and it will be a good feeling.

Those who decide to treat themselves like royalty can also sleep in the reserve: Al Maha ecoresort has 42 suites and is considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the entire United Arab Emirates. Definitely expensive, but extremely elegant. After all, you only live once.