I stopped off in Dubai for three nights on the way home from Australia a couple of weeks ago.
Lots of opportunities to shoot architecture. 30% of the world's large construction cranes are currently in Dubai. Construction on virtually every spare block of land.
Atmospheric haze ruined a lot of possible shots so I hope you get some clear air. The attached photo was taken about 15 minutes before sunset!
If you want to do a walkabout then a good starting place is the Dubai Museum. This is the oldest building in the City well placed to access the creek, markets and also a walk out along a creek towards the sea. On Google Maps find the House of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum. This is on that bank of the creek and worth a visit to see lots of photos of "old Dubai" around the 1940's and 50's when Dubai was a small village. Lots of old timber boats come and go along the creek all day as they go back and forward to Iran. The marina is worth a visit in the evening to see some of the extreme architecture (photo attached). The The Burj Khalifa (largest structure in the world) is also best seen in the evening when they have an excellent musical fountain show at about 8:00pm. Bill Gates owns the entire 100th floor of this incredible building.
Best way to cover a lot of locations in one day is to book a private tour. I did this for my last day as the haze was not as bad as previous days. The guide I had was excellent and he managed to cram a lot into a six-hour trip. Other options are to head out to the desert. If there is a horse race meeting at Meydan on during your stay, this would be worth a visit.
I hope you enjoy the trip to this over-the-top city!
There is virtually no crime in Dubai so you will be safe walking the streets after dark. Sheik Mohammed (the ruler) even drives his own car around town without security guards.
