Zabeel Palace, the Museum of the Future and the Dubai Frame
After hotel pickup the coach heads for the modern city. There are information and photo stops at Zabeel Palace, the residence of Dubai's ruling family; at the Museum of the Future, the silver calligraphy-wrapped torus on Sheikh Zayed Road; and at the Dubai Frame in Zabeel Park, a gilded rectangle positioned so that old Dubai fills one view and new Dubai the other.
Old Dubai: Bastakiya, the abra crossing and the souks
The tour crosses into the old town. In Al Fahidi - Bastakiya - you go inside one of the restored coral-and-gypsum courtyard houses and see the wind towers that cooled them before electricity. An abra, the wooden ferry that has crossed Dubai Creek for generations, takes the group over to Deira for the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk. The route also passes the Etihad Museum and stops at Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque.
The coast and Downtown: Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, Marina and Dubai Mall
The afternoon runs the coast. There is a photo stop facing the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, then a monorail ride along Palm Jumeirah to Atlantis, with a photo stop looking back at the JBR skyline. The route continues through Dubai Marina and the yacht club before finishing at Dubai Mall, where you see the waterfall, the Dubai Aquarium viewing window and the Dubai Fountain show. Drop-off is at your hotel or at the mall.
