During this five-hour experience, your local guide will regale you with tales, anecdotes and historical information about the 30+ attractions along the route, which winds from the old town to downtown and the world-beating skyscrapers of the financial district.

Don't fret: you're not expected to walk the whole way! Dubai’s efficient, air-conditioned metro system is your friend and will speed you from attraction to attraction in no time.

You'll sample authentic local snacks and coffee in the historic old town, a charming district where sand-colored buildings with traditional wind towers rub shoulders with grand palaces, and wooden abra boats ply their trade in Dubai Creek. You'll enjoy a short trip across the creek aboard an abra and the opportunity to immerse yourself in the intoxicating scents and sounds of the souks where expert hagglers can bag the best deals on handmade scarves, artisan gold jewelry and fistfuls of aromatic saffron, cinnamon and sumac spices.

Experience downtown and the financial district, where, in stark contrast to the atmospheric old town, gleaming glass-and-steel skyscrapers dominate. Get up close to Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, and be mesmerized by the choreographed dancing geysers of the Dubai Fountain at its base.

You’ll also catch a glimpse of the monolithic Dubai Frame and space-age Museum of the Future as well as stepping inside cavernous Dubai Mall, an entertainment mecca containing hundreds of luxury shops and restaurants, plus a shark aquarium, Olympic-sized ice rink and stacks of cinemas.

Dubai guided tour: 30+ top attractions

We’re kind of popular, but don’t just take our word for it.