Since last June, the Italian government has lifted the travel advisory for Dubai. The Emirati city is therefore fully reachable, with its hotels, its attractions, its restaurants and all its shops.
Even if it may seem that Dubai is all futuristic skyscrapers, ultra-luxury malls, expensive attractions and star-rated restaurants, we will make you change your mind. A stone’s throw from the famous Dubai Creek – or Khor Dubai – that strand of Persian Gulf water that extends for several kilometres inland, from the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper, from the “Sail,” the Burj al-Arab, the most iconic building in the Middle East (which is currently getting a facelift), there is a zone that is less touristy, less glossy and, above all, less expensive, but much more authentic, known only to locals and expats.
The Multicultural District of Deira
It is the Deira district, the historic and lively shopping area located on the eastern side of Dubai. The main street is Al Rigga Road and it is accessible by metro (a ticket to travel more than two zones costs at most €2.15). Along this main artery and the side streets there are shops, low-cost outlets (prices are fixed, not negotiable as in the souk), restaurants and ethnic street food of every nationality: it’s a bit like taking a world tour and you breathe the true multicultural atmosphere for which the Emirate is so famous.
The best way to discover this part of the city is with a food tour (organized or self-guided: from falafel freshly cooked at the Palestinian Falafel Sultan Dubai to Damascus-style kebab at Al Farooj Al Shami, to kunafa, a Middle Eastern pastry made with phyllo dough and cheese, from Qwaider Al Nabulsi Restaurant. But there are Syrian, Indian, Oriental street foods and for all tastes, vegetarians, vegans and everything else. You can eat for just a few euros, in short.
Proprio i , i tour gastronomico-culturali nella Vecchia Dubai sono stati inseriti nella guida “Best in Travel 2026” di Lonely Planet tra le migliori esperienze al mondo da fare nel 2026.
In Deira, there are also Emirati traditional places worth a visit. Among these, Al Ahmadiya School & Heritage House, the first school established in Dubai (founded in 1912) which attracted the region’s best scientists and scholars. Today it has been turned into a museum. The nearby Heritage House allows you to discover how life was lived in a typical house, complete with furniture, domestic utensils, clothing, jewelry and traditional toys, before the oil-driven economic boom.
If, instead of staying in a hotel, you decide to book a more comfortable apartment and therefore to eat at home, the address not to miss is Waterfront Market, where some of the city’s best restaurants are also served. Reachable by bus or in about half an hour on foot, it is a wonderful ultra-modern market and, above all, very clean, where you can buy freshly caught fish, from Red Snapper to Hammour (a local grouper), oysters, meat (beef, Wagyu, camel…), lots of tropical fruit, dates from all origins (they say the best are Medjool) and, of course, spices.
You can also go shopping for culinary souvenirs that always please, and at some stalls you can even eat. In any case, there are several restaurants along a panoramic boardwalk overlooking the port.
Strolling along the Creek, where the Dhow—the historic wooden cargo ships—dock, and the Abra, the boats that shuttle back and forth across the Creek, you enjoy a beautiful view of Dubai’s skyline and, boarding one of the boats (the fare costs 25 cents), you cross the canal and arrive on the other side, in the historic district of Bur Dubai, where the famous gold, spice and perfume souks are located.
How to Get to Dubai
With the national airline Emirates resuming almost all flights since the start of the conflict in the Middle East (two direct daily flights from Milan Malpensa and two from Rome Fiumicino, one from Venice, three weekly flights from Milan Bergamo, from Catania and from Olbia, four weekly from Naples and five from Bologna) and the low-cost carriers returning to fly to Dubai (Flydubai operates from Bergamo, Olbia, Pisa, Catania and Naples), now is the perfect moment to plan a trip to the most incredible Emirate there is.
