One thing a lot of online tour guides on Dubai will suggest is a visit to the gold and spice markets (souks). The Dubai Souks are all located within a central area in Deira. This area of Dubai is very different to the fancy hotels, expensive shopping malls, and skyscrapers you see on the other side of the creek. Deira has a much more local feel. You won’t find big buildings here. Rather, you’ll see a more historical side to Dubai. For this alone, I think it’s worth visiting the Dubai souks to get a different feel of the city.
What you should know about the Gold & Spice Market
If you just want to browse around the souks to see what they’re like, you really don’t need to do much besides getting yourself there. However, if you’re in the market to buy gold jewellery or spices, I highly recommend doing some research ahead of time so you know exactly what you’re looking for, price points, etc.
We first went to the gold souk and it was absolutely packed. There were tonnes of people, both local and tourists, walking around. We window shopped, but didn’t end up going in anywhere. Some of the jewellery on display was incredibly elaborate and I’m sure cost an absolute fortune. While I did see some tourists inside a few of the shops, it seemed like most people were there to walk around and tour the area instead of actually buying anything.
Afterwards, we made our way to the spice market a few minutes’ walk away. There were a few stalls with buckets of spices out on display, but otherwise it was rather underwhelming in my opinion. Again, if you’re actually looking to buy some spices, be sure to do your research ahead of time so you know the prices, can haggle with the staff, and won’t get ripped off.
How to get to the Dubai Souks
If you’re looking to save money on transportation, it’s easy to hop on the Metro to get to the Dubai Souks. The stop you want to get off at is Al Ras on the green line. We were close to Al Jafiliya station, which is on the red line, so we only had to make one transfer to get there. Travel time for us was only 30 minutes and cost AED5, so definitely the cheapest option. If you’re looking to avoid public transportation, you can always hop in a cab, which would get you there in half the time (although cost a fair bit more).
Overall thoughts on Dubai Souks
Although we didn’t buy anything and it was scorching hot, I would still recommend visiting the Dubai Souks. Not only are they part of the city’s (relatively short) history, but the area surrounding the souks is completely different to the more built-up and westernised area you’re likely staying in.
