Tour 7

Dubai and Abu Dhabi Short Break

3 nights, 4 days

Length: 3 nights, 4 days
Shape: Late arrival, a full Abu Dhabi day, a full Dubai day, pre-dawn departure.
Overnights: Dubai 3, one hotel throughout

How the Relaxed version differs

Same hotel for three nights. Abu Dhabi keeps the mosque, the palace lunch and Qasr Al Watan and drops the rest. The Dubai day drops the Frame and the ferry.

Every itinerary runs at two paces. Full: three or four stops a day, most meals booked, early starts. Relaxed keeps the same length, the same hotels and the same arrival and departure, and books less into each day: one anchor per half day, later starts, lunch mostly at leisure, and a free afternoon or evening every second day. Either pace can run from the same booking, because the rooms do not change. What changes is tickets, meals and guide hours.

The program at a glance

Day 1ArrivalDubai city hotel
Day 2Abu Dhabi, three thingsDubai city hotel
Day 3Height, the creek, the fountainDubai city hotel
Day 4Departure

Where the nights are spent

Dubai and Abu Dhabi Short Break, relaxed pace

Nights of days 1–3
Dubai city hotel
Hotel
See the hotels we book
Dubai
1. Day 1Dubai
  Arrival
  An evening flight lands and we transfer straight to the hotel. The first night is kept free.
  - All meals at leisure
    Meal
    Where we book it
    Zuma
    Japanese · DIFC
    The default DIFC group dinner. Robata and sushi.
    At.mosphere
    European · Downtown
    Burj Khalifa, 122nd floor.
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - Airport transfer with guide
    Transfer
    Every group program runs on a full-day or half-day coach with a licensed guide. Airport transfers begin with a meet-and-greet at the gate, with a lounge available on request, and a duty officer is on call for the entire program window.
  - All meals at leisure
    Meal
    Where we book it
    Trèsind Studio
    Indian · Palm Jumeirah
    Twenty-four seats, surprise tasting menu. The only three-star Indian restaurant in the world.
    FZN by Björn Frantzén
    European · Palm Jumeirah · Atlantis The Palm
    Nine courses, Scandinavian technique with Japanese precision. Atlantis The Palm.
    Il Ristorante — Niko Romito
    Italian · Jumeirah Bay Island · Bulgari Resort Dubai
    Contemporary Italian at Bulgari.
    Row on 45
    French-Japanese · Dubai Marina
    Seventeen courses, twenty-two seats. Grosvenor House.
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - All meals at leisure
    Meal
    Where we book it
    STAY by Yannick Alléno
    French · Palm Jumeirah
    Modern French at One&Only The Palm.
    11 Woodfire
    European · Jumeirah
    Wood-fired cooking around an open hearth.
    Al Muntaha
    French · Umm Suqeim · Burj Al Arab
    Top floor of Burj Al Arab.
    Avatāra
    Indian · Sheikh Zayed Road
    Vegetarian Indian tasting menu.
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - Dubai city hotel
    Hotel
    See the hotels we book
2. Day 2Abu Dhabi – Dubai
  Abu Dhabi, three things
  A late breakfast and the road south. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque late morning, lunch inside the Emirates Palace, and Qasr Al Watan in the afternoon. Back to Dubai and dinner at leisure.
  - Breakfast: hotel
    Meal
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
    Client-supplied. SharePoint: BeneficialTravelFiles/02 BTI Sales/Brand Assets/Website/Excursion Images/Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque/gallery-img-new-12_20240723125845282.jpg
    Sight · Abu Dhabi
    The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the largest mosque in the Arab world and one of the most beautiful anywhere. Its clean white exterior is built from marble imported from Italy. In the main prayer hall you can see the world's largest carpet, designed by Iranian artists, and chandeliers imported from Germany. It is a remarkable sight.
  - Lunch: Emirates Palace
    Meal
    Where we book it
    Hakkasan Abu Dhabi
    Chinese · Abu Dhabi · Emirates Palace
    Emirates Palace.
    Talea by Antonio Guida
    Italian · Abu Dhabi · Emirates Palace
    Retained its star in the 2026 Abu Dhabi guide.
    Lebanese Terrace
    Lebanese · Abu Dhabi · Emirates Palace
    Lebanese mezze and grill at Emirates Palace.
    Vendôme
    International · Abu Dhabi · Emirates Palace
    Emirates Palace's breakfast room: Middle Eastern dishes alongside international favorites.
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - Qasr Al Watan
    Sight · Abu Dhabi
    Qasr Al Watan, the Presidential Palace, has become one of the must-see stops in Abu Dhabi. It is where the UAE officially receives foreign dignitaries today and where state visits by heads of state take place. It uses the pointed arches and great domes of sixteenth to eighteenth century Mughal Islamic architecture, blended cleverly with the ornate building traditions of India, for a visual impact and a grandeur you will not have seen before. That includes the main halls and the rooms holding the treasures presented to the UAE president by countries around the world, where the interiors use white, yellow and blue to stand for the landscape of the region. The west wing explains how the country was formed and how it is governed, while the east wing displays a large collection of artifacts and precious manuscripts and explains what the Arab world has contributed to science, art, the humanities and literature. There is also a library holding more than fifty thousand books and resources.
  - Dinner: at leisure
    Meal
    Where we book it
    Erth
    Emirati · Abu Dhabi
    Emirati cooking beside Qasr Al Hosn.
    3Fils Abu Dhabi
    Japanese · Al Bateen
    Opening of the Year, Abu Dhabi 2026.
    Bua Thai Café
    Thai · Abu Dhabi
    New to the Abu Dhabi 2026 selection.
    Al Dhafra
    Emirati · Abu Dhabi
    Emirati set menus by the dhow harbor. A fixture on our Abu Dhabi cultural days.
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - Dubai city hotel
    Hotel
    See the hotels we book
  The full day
  Included this day
  Full-day coach and guide
  Mosque and Qasr Al Watan admission included
3. Day 3Dubai
  Height, the creek, the fountain
  A late start. The Burj Khalifa at level 124 and The Dubai Mall, lunch at leisure. In the afternoon one abra across the creek and the Gold Souk. Dinner at leisure, the fountain after dark, then the airport.
  - Breakfast: hotel
    Meal
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - The Dubai Fountain
    Client-supplied. SharePoint: BeneficialTravelFiles/02 BTI Sales/Brand Assets/Website/Excursion Images/Dubai Fountain/Fountain-2.png
    Sight · Dubai
    In Downtown Dubai you see the tallest performing fountain in the world. The Dubai Fountain gives you a rare chance to lose yourself in a captivating show of water, music and light. Then we have arranged for you to go up
  - Burj Khalifa
    Sight · Dubai
    the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. At 828 meters it is the first structure in human history to pass 800 meters, and from the top the magnificent view over Dubai is all yours.
  - The Dubai Mall
    Client-supplied. SharePoint: BeneficialTravelFiles/02 BTI Sales/Brand Assets/Website/Excursion Images/The Dubai Mall/Dubai-Mall_GettyImages-167896655.webp
    Sight · Dubai
    The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in the world by floor area. It holds more than 1,200 retail stores, more than 150 places to eat and leisure facilities beyond counting. Inside is the world's largest indoor aquarium, so you can shop and look at the undersea world at the same time. There is also an indoor theme park, an ice rink, a cinema and the world's largest indoor gold market. It is the biggest and the most distinctive modern mall in the Middle East.
  - Lunch and dinner: at leisure
    Meal
    Where we book it
    Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
    British · Palm Jumeirah · Atlantis The Royal
    Atlantis The Royal.
    Hakkasan
    Chinese · Palm Jumeirah · Atlantis The Palm
    Cantonese fine dining. Atlantis, The Palm.
    Hōseki
    Japanese · Jumeirah Bay Island · Bulgari Resort Dubai
    Counter omakase, twelve seats. Bulgari.
    Jamavar
    Indian · Downtown
    North Indian regional cooking near Dubai Opera.
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - An abra across Dubai Creek
    Client-supplied. SharePoint: BeneficialTravelFiles/02 BTI Sales/Brand Assets/Website/Excursion Images/Abra water taxi (Dubai Creek)/Abra water Taxi 1.jpeg
    Experience · Dubai
    The abra water taxi, the oldest and simplest form of transport local people use on Dubai Creek.
    More on the Experiences page
  - The Gold Souk
    Client-supplied. SharePoint: BeneficialTravelFiles/02 BTI Sales/Brand Assets/Website/Excursion Images/Gold Souk and Spice Souk/6996107459_b3832ffbdb_b.jpg
    Sight · Dubai
    The Gold Souk, where shop windows hang full of dazzling gold work: necklaces, rings, bangles, earrings and brooches, all of it astonishing to look at. And nearby,
  - Lunch and dinner: at leisure
    Meal
    Where we book it
    La Dame de Pic Dubai
    French · Za’abeel
    Anne-Sophie Pic. One&Only One Za’abeel.
    Manāo
    Thai · Area to confirm
    Eleven-course Thai tasting menu.
    Moonrise
    Fusion · Al Satwa
    Twelve seats. Nikkei and Middle Eastern crossover.
    Orfali Bros
    Middle Eastern · Jumeirah
    The most affordable starred tasting menu in the city.
    Venues and menus are matched to each program at quote stage. See the restaurants we book
  - Dubai city hotel
    Hotel
    See the hotels we book
  The full day
  Included this day
  Full-day coach and guide
  Burj Khalifa admission included
1. Day 4Dubai
  Departure
  A pre-dawn flight. The coach and guide see the group through check-in.
  - Airport transfer with guide
    Transfer
    Every group program runs on a full-day or half-day coach with a licensed guide. Airport transfers begin with a meet-and-greet at the gate, with a lounge available on request, and a duty officer is on call for the entire program window.