Road.Travel Road.Travel
    11 Activities

    Discovering the History of the Emirates

    Discovering the History of the Emirates
    Starts from

    Dubai

    Transportation

    By Car

    Guidance

    Self-Guided

    Activities

    11

    Duration

    12 hours

    Length

    20 mi

    Guide details

    Starts from

    Dubai

    Transportation

    By Car

    Guidance

    Self-Guided

    Duration

    12 hours

    Length

    20 mi

    History and CultureUnusual LocationsArts and Creativity
    Map preview
    Emily Zanier

    Emily Zanier

    Blogger

    • Learn about the history of the United Arab Emirates.
    • Visit various historical places and museums.
    • Enjoy beautiful views of Dubai with its most famous sites.
    During this trip across Dubai, from north to south, while visiting monuments and museums, you will experience a seamless transition from the Iron Age to the future. Essentially, you will traverse thousands of years, encapsulating the entire history of the UAE in just one day. Exploring and visiting these sites is the best way to learn and create lasting memories.
    Old Dubai will be your first stop, with its heritage buildings and history of pearl farming in the region. Then the unification of the United Arab Emirates as a country will be the main focus in the Etihad Museum. A trip to Dubai cannot be complete without amazing views of the sites with skyscrapers and Burj Khalifa with its fountains.

    Categories

    During this trip across Dubai, from north to south, while visiting monuments and museums, you will experience a seamless transition from the Iron Age to the future. Essentially, you will traverse thousands of years, encapsulating the entire history of the UAE in just one day. Exploring and visiting these sites is the best way to learn and create lasting memories.
    Old Dubai will be your first stop, with its heritage buildings and history of pearl farming in the region. Then the unification of the United Arab Emirates as a country will be the main focus in the Etihad Museum. A trip to Dubai cannot be complete without amazing views of the sites with skyscrapers and Burj Khalifa with its fountains.
    Emily Zanier

    Emily Zanier

    Blogger

    • Learn about the history of the United Arab Emirates.
    • Visit various historical places and museums.
    • Enjoy beautiful views of Dubai with its most famous sites.

    Day Itinerary

    11 Activities
    Map preview

    Day 1

    20 mi1 mi

    Exploring History and Museums from Old to New

    Dubai did not start with the oil and skyscrapers, but there were people on this land thousands of years ago. And that is exactly what you will discover this morning by visiting the archaeological museum and heritage buildings in the oldest neighbourhoods of Dubai.
    Then, in the afternoon, you will explore Dubai's transition from the old to the new, witnessing the latest skyscrapers and glimpsing into the future.
    09:005 min

    Car Park

    Parking
    Open Details
    Start your trip in the Al Fahidi heritage district, home to museums dedicated to the history of Dubai. Leave your car in the car park and walk to the museums.
    0.4 mi
    10 min
    Saruq Al-Hadid Archeology Museum
    09:1545 min

    Saruq Al-Hadid Archeology Museum

    History Museum
    Open Details
    The Saruq Al-Hadid Archaeology Museum will take you back in time as far as some three thousand years ago. You will explore the remains of the Saruq Al-Hadid, which means “the Way of Iron” and is located in the desert at a remote site. Objects from here are on display in the museum in a fascinating exhibition featuring new technology.
    So, you will learn about the skills and accomplishments of the people who worked with iron in this ancient factory. The museum is housed in a heritage building in the Al Shindagha district, which you will explore afterwards.
    0.1 mi
    5 min
    Al Shindagha Museum
    10:051 hr

    Al Shindagha Museum

    Museum
    Open Details
    Al Shindagha Museum is a complex of historical buildings which are part of what was called the heritage village. Several of them contain small thematic museums about the history and culture of the UAE, which include the exhibition of historical objects.
    In the main museum, where you can buy your entrance ticket for the whole complex, there is an interesting video about the history of Dubai from the times of the pearl fishing industry.
    3.3 mi
    15 min
    Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood
    11:2045 min

    Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood

    Landmark
    Open Details
    After visiting the heritage area of Al Shindagha you can head to the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood. If it is not too hot, and you like to walk, you can even go there on foot, it should take between 20 and 30 minutes, walking along the Creek.
    On the way you will find the Dubai Museum, which is temporarily closed, but observe it from the outside as it is housed in the Al Fahidi Fort, built around 1800 and considered the oldest remaining structure in Dubai.
    This heritage area is also very interesting to walk around. It has been splendidly renovated and the buildings with their sandy colour and wind towers house small museums, shops and cafés.
    0.1 mi
    5 min
    Arabian Tea House (Al Fahidi)
    12:301 hr

    Arabian Tea House (Al Fahidi)

    Restaurant
    Open Details
    Have lunch at the Arabian Tea House in the historical neighbourhood of Al Fahidi. It is a typical Emirati restaurant offering local dishes with rice, meat, seafood, etc. There are many options and a fabulous choice of teas and juices. The atmosphere is also very warm, with white and blue tables and chairs. You will be sitting in the courtyard of what was once a pearl merchant's house.
    3.3 mi
    20 min
    Dubai Frame
    14:001 hr

    Dubai Frame

    Outdoor Sculpture
    Open Details
    The Dubai Frame is the best transition you can find between old and new Dubai, as it is located right between them. You can go inside the Frame. On the way up, there is a small museum area depicting the historical district and culture of Dubai.
    You will then go to the top in a transparent glass elevator for two amazing views. On one side, you will view Old Dubai, which you have just visited, with Sharjah in the background. And on the other, you can contemplate the new part of Dubai, with the Burj Khalifa and all the skyscrapers.
    On the way down on the other side, you will see a futuristic exhibit, before leaving the Frame. You can also enjoy the Jabeel Park at the bottom, where you can walk around and enjoy great views of the Frame. The building itself is the highest in the shape of a frame in the world, and the design is the same as it was for the Expo 2020.
    3 mi
    15 min
    Etihad Museum
    15:151 hr

    Etihad Museum

    Museum
    Open Details
    Etihad means Union in Arabic. So the Etihad Museum is about the Union of the seven emirates to create the unified country of the United Arab Emirates.
    The building itself has a very interesting shape and architecture representing the manuscript signed as the basis of the Union, and the place where it took place is part of the museum complex.
    There are several areas to visit with a very contemporary, spacious and interactive museography. You can watch fascinating videos about the founding of the UAE, and there are historical objects and photographs belonging to all seven founding fathers of the UAE. There is also an art collection on display.
    5.9 mi
    15 min
    Museum of the Future
    16:301 hr

    Museum of the Future

    Museum
    Open Details
    Dubai is a city that always looks to the future and carries out incredible projects like no other place in the world. The Museum of the Future is housed in an incredible, futuristic oval-shaped building bearing Arabic calligraphy. It has been declared “the most beautiful building on Earth” by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
    You will experience a trip to the future, to bring back memories and knowledge to the present. This is the most recent attraction in Dubai, having been inaugurated in February 2022.
    As this is a very popular place, you should book your tickets to visit the museum several days in advance on the website.
    2.7 mi
    15 min
    17:455 min

    Car Park

    Parking
    Open Details
    Enjoy the dancing fountain next to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. Leave your car in the car park nearby.
    0.6 mi
    15 min
    Dubai Fountain
    18:151 hr

    Dubai Fountain

    Landmark
    Open Details
    For a perfect end to the day, look up at the Burj Khalifa, since this is the tallest building in the world and the most famous skyscraper in Dubai. It also represents a great deal of the history of Dubai, which has invested a lot in tourism recently. Tourists from all over the world come to Dubai to enjoy this incredible view.
    2.3 mi
    15 min
    Cé La Vi
    19:301 hr 30 min

    Cé La Vi

    Restaurant
    Open Details
    Cé La Vi Dubai is a very fancy restaurant with incredible views facing the Burj Khalifa. It offers international food which represents perfectly Dubai today.
    Map preview
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