Long layover
 

We have a 19 hour layover in Dubai. We arrive on Thur at 7:30pm and depart on Fri at 2:30pm. We would like to see Burj Khalifa. Where is a good place to stay? Mid-range hotel. Is it possible to see the Gold Souk or instead see a mall? Appreciate your suggestions and options. Thanks.

If you would like to see the Burj Khalifa would suggest you pre-book your slot online before hand. The weekends would be quite in demand and gets full quite fast. plus when you pre-book its much much cheaper.

http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/Observa...formation.aspx

there are tons of decent mid-range hotels in bur dubai. savoy, winchester, london crown, country club etc etc.

friday morning possible the gold souq would be closed so a mall might be a better option. you can choose between dubai mall (access to burj khalifa is through here), mall of the emirates (indoor ski slope) and festival city.

considering your timings would suggest after you land and check in, you just relax and see a bit of the city grabbing in some local food. and then friday morning you could do dubai mall + burj khalifa before taking your flight out.

I assume you're flying on Emirates. Since your layover is over 8 hours long, they have a service called "Dubai Connect" that you would most likely qualify for: http://www.emirates.com/us/english/p...i-connect.aspx Emirates will provide you with accommodations, meals, ground transportation and a visa. It has to be booked in advance. You might have the opportunity to make the visit from whatever hotel they would set up for you.

I was just in Dubai and was underwhelmed by the Gold Souk—and by the Spice Souk and the Bur Dubai (Old Dubai) souks as well, for that matter. That might be because I expected them to be more like the night markets in countries such as Thailand and China than they seemed to be to me, though.

The most interesting parts of my visit (which was at night) were the abra (water taxi) ride across the creek and the fireworks display that erupted right next to me at 9:00 (part of the Dubai Shopping Festival, which runs until February 2). For Friday morning you might want to consider a stroll around the Bastakia Quarter (Bur Dubai side of the creek; museums will be closed Friday AM, though) and a ride on the creek in either an abra or a water bus.

I thought even the AED 120 (US$34) advance admission charge to the Burj Khalifa was a bit steep, so I passed on it. I did go to Dubai Mall and made sure to be at the lake for one of the dancing waters shows from the fountains (every half hour—well done, but I wish it had lasted longer). The mall itself is huge, but apart from its size I was not overly impressed by it, either. The mall is open until 2 AM if you want to visit on Thursday evening.

If you elect to do Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall on Friday morning, you can book a "sunrise ticket" for the tower. That way you can see it, and maybe even have breakfast, before you head over to the mall (opens at 10 AM). You won't have much time to shop/browse before you have to leave for the airport, though.

why don't you check with any travel agency in Dubai, I think they'll help u make the best of it
check this one for instance
https://www.facebook.com/AlRaisHolidays