Guided Old Dubai Walking Tour

Dubai before the towers: a four-hour guided walk through the quarter where the city actually began. You start at Al Seef, the restored stretch of the Creek where coral-and-gypsum merchant houses and wind towers have been rebuilt in the pre-oil style, then move into Al Fahidi - Bastakiya - the oldest surviving neighbourhood in the city, laid out in the late nineteenth century by Persian traders with lanes deliberately narrow enough to hold shade. Along the way you stop at the Coin Museum and see the Diwan Mosque, then walk the Textile Souk and cross the Creek on an abra, the wooden ferry that has carried passengers between Bur Dubai and Deira for generations. On the far bank the walk finishes in the Spice Souk, heavy with saffron, frankincense and dried lemon, and the Gold Souk, where several hundred jewellers trade in a single covered lane. A guide is with you throughout, and a snack and a drink are included. Wear closed, comfortable shoes and dress modestly - shoulders and knees covered - for the mosque and souk areas.