Dubai Itinerary: The Best of Dubai in 3 Days

Dubai is the place where no matter how many days you plan to spend, you will not have time to get bored!

It is the city that never sleeps, with countless of activities and things to do and places to visit.

If you plan to be in Dubai for only 3 days and want to do and see as much of Dubai as possible, below is a list with the must-see attractions and must-do activities in Dubai.

To help you plan your stay, we’ve made the perfect 3 days itinerary.

Skip The Line Tickets

Dubai had become one of the most popular tourist destination in the world in the last years.

This saying, the most popular attractions will have long queues.

The solution to save a lot of time is to buy skip-the-line tickets in advance for the attraction and activities you want to do.

You will find links throughout the article from where you can buy the skip-the-line tickets for the activities you need.

Day 1 – Downtown Dubai

10:00 AM – La Mer Beach

You can start your trip with a visit to one of the most beautiful beaches in Dubai.

Either you want to relax by the beach, take a walk along the promenade or stop by a restaurant or café and enjoy a stunning view, La Mer Beach is an amazing place to start your trip.

A few hours at this beautiful beach will help you to recharge for the next adventures of the day.

This beach is a free public beach and it’s open from 10:00 AM till midnight.

La Mer Beach is 7 km from Downtown, if that is not too convenient, if your accommodation is close to Downtown area and has a pool with gorgeous view, you can choose to spend your morning there.

1:00 PM – Museum Of The Future

Museum Of The Future has launched at the beginning of the year and it is now one of Dubai’s famous landmarks.

The museum explores how society could evolve in the coming decades using science and technology.

It incorporates elements of traditional exhibition, immersive theatre and themed attractions.

The Museum Of The Future has been recognized by National Geographic as one of 14 most beautiful museums in the world.

Ticket Price: AED 145

Book your ticket here

3:00 PM – Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall is one of the world’s largest shopping malls in UAE.

It is situated at the heart of it all in Downtown Dubai, is the most visited retail and lifestyle destination in the world – welcoming over 100 million visitors every year.

A mall like no other, The Dubai Mall has more than 1,200 retail outlets, along with over 200 international restaurants and a wide range of entertainment and leisure attractions.

Make sure you don’t skip the Dubai Aquarium which is located in the mall, as you can see part of it for free from the outside.

Dubai Mall Opening Hours:

Sunday-Thursday: 8AM-12AM

Friday and Saturday: 8AM-1AM

5:00 PM – Visit At The Top Burj Khalifa

One of the most iconic thing to do while in Dubai is to visit At the Top, Burj Khalifa. At The Top is an outdoor observation deck of the World’s Tallest Building. At 452 m, it was the highest outdoor observation deck in the world at the time of opening.

Standing at over 828 meters high, the Burj Khalifa offers spectacular views of Dubai.

How to get there?

The entrance to the Burj Khalifa can be found on the bottom floor of the Dubai Mall.

Ticket Price starts from 169 AED

You can book your tickets here

7:00 PM – Have Dinner with Fountain and Burj Khalifa View

Here is a list with top restaurants with Fountain and Burj Khalifa View:

Five Guys – Dubai Mall
Nando’s – Dubai Mall
Logma – Fashion Avenue, Dubai Mall
Social House – Dubai Mall
Wafi Gourmet – Dubai Mall
Din Tai Fung – Fashion Avenue, Dubai Mall
Gia – Fashion Avenue, Dubai Mall
Karma Kafe – Souk Al Bahar
Serafina – Souk Al Bahar
Hashi – Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa
Black Tap – Dubai Mall
Urla – Address Downtown Hotel

Waiting time to be seated at various restaurants can be long sometimes (depending when you are visiting ) so we recommend pre-booking to avoid any disappointment.

The Dubai Fountain Show takes place every 30 minutes between 6pm and 11pm.

If you would like to admire the Fountain Show from up close you can take a Traditional Abra Boat on the lake. Book here

Day 2 – Desert Safari

You can’t come to Dubai without doing a Desert Safari Trip. It is one of the most wonderful experience you can have in Dubai.

Desert Tours usually start around 3 PM so you’ll have plenty of free time in the morning. You can choose to relax or you can choose one of the activities below:

Old Dubai – Stroll Around the most traditional part of Dubai – Deira district and visit it’s souks. If you are interested to know more about old Dubai and the local lifestyle, you can opt for a guided tour. Find tours here
Dubai Miracle Garden – Explore the world’s largest floral garden, which has more than 150 million flowers. Click here to book
Dubai Frame – Climb to the top of this 150-meter high structure in the shape of a giant photo frame and enjoy a panoramic view of the Old Dubai on one side and New Dubai on the other. Click here to book

3:00 PM – Desert Safari

A Desert Tour takes up to 7 hours and includes:

Pick-up and drop-off transfer
Dune Bashing
Camel Ride
Arabic coffee and tea
International buffet dinner with barbeque
Entertainment ( belly dance and fire show )
Traditional camp activities

After your pickup in Dubai, ride off into the desert in a 4×4 vehicle, Experience dune bashing in a Land Cruiser ( you can stop to try out sandboarding on the red dunes as well. )

Take photos of the brilliant desert sunset as you arrive at a Bedouin camp, and hop on a camel for a fun ride.

Sit back at the Bedouin camp and marvel at the entertainment of a traditional show, belly dancing and fire show.

Enjoy a delicious BBQ dinner with Arabic coffee, fresh dates etc.

At the end you will be dropped-off at your hotel.

Find all the details and book the best tour for you here

Day 3 – Dubai Marina

10:00 AM – Madinat Jumeirah

A Dubai trip will be incomplete if you don’t visit Madinat Jumeirah. This complex is surrounded by beautiful hotels by Jumeirah and a modern souk with lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, and entertainment.

Enjoy a breakfast at one of the restaurants there while admiring the iconic Burj al Arab hotel in the distance.

Opening Times:

Shops: 10:00 – 23:00

Restaurants: 08:00 – 02:00

12:00 PM – Jumeirah Beach Residence

The Beach, JBR is the most popular public beach in Dubai.

The waterfront promenade features many chic boutiques and restaurants.

You can choose to rent a Sunbed for AED 110 (1 Complementary Towel) or bring your own towel and sit on the sand.

You can also enjoy watersports at The Beach. Find all the watersports activities and prices here

6:00 PM – Dubai Marina Boat Cruise/Global Village

For the last evening you can choose between two options: Dubai Marina Boat Cruise or Global Village, depends of your preferences.

A – Dubai Marina Boat Tour

There is no better way to admire the sights of Dubai Marina than going on an evening boat cruise.

You can choose to take a Boat Cruise with or without dinner included.

If you would like to book one without dinner. we recommend you these two:

If you would like to book one with dinner included, you can find many options here.

B – Global Village

If a Boat Cruise is not what you’re looking for on your last evening in Dubai, then Global Village is absolutely worth a visit, with so much to see and do there.

This seasonal attraction of Dubai is a very popular place.

Global Village is an amazing multi-cultural theme park. It offers 27 pavilions that brings you the charms from across the globe. It is packed with entertainment, experiences, shopping, food and leisure.

The 27th season of Global Village is open from 25th of October 2022 to 29th of April 2023.

Opening Hours:

Thursday-Saturday: 4:00PM-1:00AM

Sunday-Wednesday: 4:00PM-12:00AM

Entry Ticket: AED 22.5

Buy your ticket here

DubaI Activities

Things To Do

Dubai Itinerary: The Best of Dubai in 3 Days

Skip The Line Tickets