Tourists flock to Dubai for its shopping scene, massive skyscrapers, and luxury hotels. But they often miss out on more authentic experiences that Dubai has to offer.

Dubai is a remarkable story of the late 20th and early 21st century. 50 years ago it was little more than desert, and now it boasts a population of over 3.5 million, some of the most remarkable architecture in the world, and a massive influx of tourists to show for it. In 2024, Dubai was the 7th most visited city in the entire world.

But for me, there are some unquestionable downsides to a city that has grown so much in such a short period of time.

When people speak of Dubai, they generally refer to either Downtown Dubai or Dubai Marina. And both are super cool, don’t get me wrong. Especially at night, when all the lights come on and you can see all the skyscrapers in their full glory. The Burj Khalifa with its bi-hourly fountain shows, in specific, is a sight to behold.

But something about these modern areas just feels fake. I don’t know how else to put it. There’s no doubt that it’s cool in an over-the-top sort of way- but it’s lacking in the authenticity that the best cities acquire from a long history filled with success and struggle.

It’s a city that feels like it was built as a monument, a testament to the achievements of the Arab world in the modern day. Which is fine- but it comes at the great cost of lacking a feel of culture and history.

Where should you go for a more authentic experience in Dubai?

Now, though they do draw in the vast majority of tourists, Downtown and Marina are not the only parts of Dubai.

If you want to have a real, authentic experience in Dubai, you’re gonna have to head to the parts that have been there for longer than 20 years.

The older parts of Dubai have in fact been around for hundreds of years- and when you head there, you’ll feel what life was and is really like in Dubai, away from the newer areas that are essentially built as a playground for the rich.

Think narrow streets, classic Arabian architecture, traditional food, rides across a canal on a classic Arabian abra.

I’m going to map out two areas that you can go check out. They are right next to one another and can be visited on the same day. In fact, they can be visited in as little as a few hours. But in these few hours, you’ll get a more authentic experience in Dubai than most get in a week.

Start at the Gold Souk

You can get to the Gold Souk by taking the Green Metro line to Al Ras or Gold Souq station. Rather counterintuitively, the Al Ras station is actually closer to the center of the Gold Souk than the Gold Souq station. Go figure.

In the map above, the Al Ras stop is the bottom-most marker, and the Gold Souq stop the top. The market is in between.

So what is the Gold Souk? Souk is Arabic for market and gold is English for gold. So yes- a massive market filled with endless shops selling all sorts of jewelry and other gilded products.

I don’t know much about gold shopping myself, but I’d recommend you ask a lot of questions and bargain if you’re planning on purchasing anything. They’ll see you’re a tourist, and the first price they give will almost certainly be far from their best price.

Explore the other markets

Now, attached to the Gold Souk are various other markets you can explore. These sell anything from spices, to chocolate, to rugs, to head coverings and a whole lot more.

A fair warning if you’ve never been to an Arabic market- they can sniff out a tourist from a mile away. And you can count on every vendor calling out to you, asking where you’re from, pulling you by the arm and offering you a myriad of products at a special price just for you.

In my case it every other vendor would look at me and ask, “Italiano?”. It happened so often that either I look a lot more Italian than I think or that’s their line for everyone. I’d bet on the latter.

Bemused, I would laugh it off and say no. But eventually I realized it was an excellent tool at my disposal- to pretend I had no knowledge of the English language and evade them.

So I became Italian for the day.

But while these market experiences can be overwhelming, I urge you to try and make it fun. Don’t get too bothered by the vendors. Don’t stop at every one of them- but stop a few times, talk to them, try your hand at bartering. Remember, however much they pressure you, you can always just say no and leave.

Take an abra across the Dubai Creek

You won’t get a more authentic Dubai experience than in an abra boat across the Dubai Creek.

Walk outside of the markets and you’ll be steps away from the dock. Go inside the ticket office and you can purchase a ticket across the creek to Al Fahidi for AED 2 ($0.65).

The ride is short but cool. And if you want, you can head back to the dock after exploring the next area and take another, longer ride.

End at the Al Fahidi Historical District

Al Fahidi was really the perfect place to go after the insanely hectic markets.

Here, you have a collection of quiet, narrow weaving roads through absolutely stunning Arabian architecture.

I suggest you wander through the streets, poke into some shops, and sit down and get something traditional to eat. Some good flatbread, hummus, labneh, falafel. The works.

A must-try is the classic Arabian lemon-mint drink- incredibly refreshing on a hot day.

You can get this from practically any restaurant or café here. I went to the Arabian Tea House- a good ambience with decent prices. My only complaint is that it seemed a bit touristy which I generally like to avoid.

A friend of mine also recommended the café at the XVA Art Hotel, so you can check that out as well. I wasn’t able to go since it was undergoing renovations during my visit.

Not a surprise- she’s never been the most reliable.

When you’ve finished eating and perusing the streets, you can wrap up for the day. Or you can head back to the boats and explore other nearby neighborhoods if you’re eager for more.

Either way, hopefully I’ve given you the tools to have an authentic experience in Dubai!