Two-Hour Old Dubai Walk

Overview

This two-hour walk through Old Dubai is run by a guide named junaid and listed on freetour.com. It starts at the Arabian Tea House restaurant in Al Fahidi and, following the route the listing describes, takes in Al Seef, a traditional abra ride across Dubai Creek, the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk, with Bastakiya and a textile wholesale market in Bur Dubai among the highlights.

The route is built around the older, low-rise side of the city. You pass through Al Seef's traditional architecture, ride the abra across the creek, and end among the herbs, spices and gold-trading shops that made these souks famous. The crossing is the one point where everyone pays their own way: the RTA boat fare is AED 2 per guest.

The walk is free to book, with guests paying the guide what they felt the walk was worth at the end. It runs in English, welcomes families and pets, and is suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Itinerary

1. Meet at Arabian Tea HouseThe group gathers at the Arabian Tea House restaurant in the Al Fahidi neighbourhood.
2. Al SeefThe walk explores the traditional architecture of Al Seef.
3. Old Dubai souks and sightsAlong the way the route takes in the Bastakiya quarter and the textile wholesale market in Bur Dubai, both listed as highlights of the walk.
4. Abra crossing of Dubai CreekEveryone rides a traditional abra across the creek. This is the one extra payment: the RTA fare is AED 2 per guest, paid by each traveller on the boat.
5. Spice SoukAfter the crossing, the walk reaches the Spice Souk, with its aromas, herbs and spices.
6. Gold Souk finishThe tour ends at the Gold Souk, where the guide covers Dubai's historic gold-trading culture and the surrounding traditional markets.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points are worth knowing before you show up at the Arabian Tea House.

• Getting there. There is no pickup. Everyone makes their own way to the Arabian Tea House restaurant in Al Fahidi, so allow time to find it.
• The AED 2 fare. The abra crossing is not covered by the guide. Each guest pays the RTA fare of AED 2 on the boat, so carry a little cash for that.
• Pace and terrain. The walk covers several souks and districts in two hours. The listing describes it as suitable for people with reduced mobility.
• Families and pets. The tour conditions on the freetour.com page state it is suitable for families with children and is pet-friendly, so neither needs to rule it out.
• Language. The walk runs in English only. Travellers who need another language should check the guide's freetour.com page before booking.
• Paying the guide. Booking is free and the model is pay what you want: guests tip the guide what they think the walk was worth at the end.

Common issues. There is no minimum number of attendees, so the walk goes ahead even for small groups. The only extra cost is the RTA abra fare of AED 2, paid individually on the boat. No reviews of this exact walk were available to this site, so the practical limits above come from the freetour.com listing itself rather than from recent traveller reports.

Frequently Asked Questions