Dubai is a superb destination for shopping. You’ll find a wide variety of traditional Middle Eastern bazaars and cutting edge Dubai shopping malls like nothing you’ve ever seen. However, make sure your shopping dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare by taking out travel insurance.
As you plan your trip, check out these options for the best bargains in Dubai.
Dubai Shopping Festival
This occurs during the high season in January and February each year. The mellow winter weather makes this a great time to travel to Dubai. Throughout the city, you will find huge discounts and sales. When you tire of shopping, you can enjoy live performances, ethnic food, music and other traditional Dubai entertainment.
Dubai Summer Surprises
Similar to the Shopping Festival, the Summer Surprises is another city-wide event. During the hot summer, fewer people are traveling to Dubai and you can find cheap hotels. You’ll find sales all throughout the city in malls and souks. The Summer Surprises is a family oriented event with lots of entertainment for children on summer holiday. The heat scares a lot of people away so if you want great bargains with fewer crowds, this is for you.
Dubai’s Souks
These Middle Eastern-style bazaars are scattered throughout the city and have anything you could imagine wanting to buy in Dubai. Visit the souks just to see the beautiful wares. You’ll find scarves, jewellery, cookware, electronics and more.
Remember that you can haggle in the souks, so the first price quoted does not have to be the final price
There are too many souks to list them all, but two souks with great deals are:
Deira Gold Souk
Find hundreds of shops all selling gold, anything from jewellery to bars of gold. Give yourself time to pick from the wide variety of shops and styles. Remember, you can haggle with the vendors for the best price possible.
Bur Dubai Souk
Though not a tourist attraction in itself (it doesn’t have the beauty and grandeur of the larger malls), this is the best option for fabrics and textiles. You can even buy materials and have them tailored.
Karama Shopping Center
The Karama Shopping Center is not as grand as the bigger malls but you’ll find gifts and souvenirs much cheaper. You can find knock-offs and imitations. This is a great destination if you want to bring souvenirs back to friends and family at home.
Mall of the Emirates
Speaking of malls, the Mall of the Emirates is a must-see during your trip to Dubai. You’ll escape from the heat and find high-end shops with great deals. The Mall of the Emirates manages to have almost everything from inexpensive stores to fancy boutiques. Don’t forget to check out the indoor ski slope while you’re there.
A word of caution: Many people forget to take out travel insurance to Dubai and may regret it if their purchases are stolen or damaged while travelling. With so many options, you won’t be bored on a trip to Dubai. Ensure peace of mind by taking out travel insurance and then enjoy an exciting adventure to a beautiful city.
Featured images:
- License: Royalty Free or iStock source: https://pixabay.com/en/suk-market-dubai-178786/
Roxanne Seabourne is the Marketing Executive at Avanti Travelcare, who specialise in travel insurance for those with pre-existing medical conditions, and are one of very few that have no upper age limit on their policies.
