Visit the Gold and Spice Souks in Deira and the Textile Souk in Bur Dubai on one afternoon, and cross the Creek between them on an abra for AED 1-2. All three are free to enter, the loop takes 3-4 hours and it works best after 4 PM. Souk Madinat Jumeirah and Souk Al Bahar are the polished, fixed-price alternatives. This guide says what each souk sells, where haggling works, the order to walk them in and how our Old Dubai walking tour, from $35, covers the core.
By SB Excursions · Published 29 October 2026 · Updated 29 October 2026
Tour on this route: Old Dubai Walking Tour — From $35 per person, 3-4 hours.
Which souks should I visit in Dubai?
The Gold Souk and Spice Souk in Deira and the Textile Souk in Bur Dubai, in one loop of 3-4 hours, joined by an abra across the Creek for AED 1-2. All three are free to enter. Add Souk Madinat Jumeirah or Souk Al Bahar for a polished, fixed-price evening.
This guide also answers:
- What is the best time to visit the Dubai souks?
- How do I get to the Dubai souks by Metro?
- Are the Dubai souks free to enter?
Six souks, from old to polished
#1
The Gold Souk, Deira
A covered timber arcade of jewellers, with gold priced by weight at the day's rate plus a making charge. The rate is not negotiable and the making charge is, so compare two or three windows before you buy. You can enjoy it for free: the windows are the show. Ask for a receipt that shows the weight and purity, and read our Gold Souk guide before you buy.
#2
The Spice Souk, Deira
Open sacks of spices, dried limes, herbs and frankincense, sold by weight in narrow, strongly scented lanes. It is small and quick, 30-60 minutes, and cheap unless you buy saffron. Buy saffron only in sealed packs with a receipt, and keep your haggling gentle, since spices are priced by weight and a small discount for a mixed bag is the realistic result.
#3
The Textile Souk, Bur Dubai
A covered arcade of pointed timber arches and lanterns, with scarves and bolts of cloth hanging outside the shops. This is the souk where bargaining is expected and where first prices are highest. Be sceptical about anything labelled pashmina at a very low price, compare two shops, and use it as the practice round before the Gold Souk.
#4
Souk Madinat Jumeirah
A modern, covered take on a souk, with a waterfront of canals, wooden footbridges and wind-tower buildings, and the Burj Al Arab behind. Shops here are mostly boutiques with price tags, so expect little haggling. It is a pleasant evening for a meal and a stroll, but a poor substitute for the real markets if you want an authentic bargain.
#5
Souk Al Bahar, Downtown
An Arabesque-style souk with restaurants and cafes that face Burj Lake, reached from The Dubai Mall across an arched footbridge. It is more about the view than the shopping, and prices are fixed. Combine it with a Burj Khalifa visit and the Fountain, which plays on the lake in front every 30 minutes from about 6 PM.
#6
The Blue Souk (Central Souq), Sharjah
Two long buildings with wind towers, arched facades and blue tilework, selling jewellery, carpets, antiques and gifts. Sharjah is a separate emirate with stricter dress norms and no alcohol on sale. Plan it as part of a Sharjah day rather than an extra hour on a Dubai trip, and negotiate as you would in the Textile Souk.
The Dubai souks in one minute
For most visitors, the Dubai souks are three markets on the two banks of Dubai Creek: the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk in Deira, and the Textile Souk in Bur Dubai. They are free to enter, a few minutes apart on foot, and joined by the abra, a wooden water taxi that crosses the Creek for AED 1-2. The loop takes 3-4 hours, and it is at its best from about 4 PM, when the heat drops and the lights come on.
The older souks are working markets, so haggling is part of the visit. The newer ones, Souk Madinat Jumeirah and Souk Al Bahar, are shopping and dining complexes dressed as souks, with fixed prices. Pick the first kind for a bargain and the atmosphere, the second for a comfortable evening, and do not expect each to be the other.
The sections below give a table of what each souk sells, a route in the right order, the hours and heat, and the common traps. For deeper guides, see the Gold Souk guide, the Spice Souk guide and our advice on haggling in Dubai's souks.
Which souk is for what
The table lists the markets a visitor is likely to want, with where each is, what it sells and how much negotiation to expect.
| Souk | Where | What it sells | Haggling | Time to allow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Souk | Deira, near Al Ras station | Gold jewellery by weight | Negotiate the making charge, not the gold rate | 45 minutes |
| Spice Souk | Deira, near the Deira abra station | Spices, saffron, dried limes, frankincense, nuts | Gentle; small discounts on mixed purchases | 30-60 minutes |
| Perfume shops | Deira, around the gold lanes | Arabic perfume oils (attar), oud, bukhoor | Modest; ask for a better price on several bottles | 20-30 minutes |
| Textile Souk | Bur Dubai, by the Bur Dubai abra station | Scarves, silks, cottons, tailors, souvenirs | Expected; first prices are high | 30-45 minutes |
| Souk Madinat Jumeirah | Jumeirah, by the Burj Al Arab | Gifts, art, boutiques, restaurants | Mostly fixed prices | 1-2 hours |
| Souk Al Bahar | Downtown, beside The Dubai Mall | Restaurants, a few gift shops | Fixed prices | 1 hour |
| Blue Souk (Central Souq) | Sharjah, on Khalid Lagoon | Jewellery, carpets, antiques, souvenirs | Expected, as in the Textile Souk | 1-2 hours |
Times are for browsing and a few purchases.
If you have time for only one, choose by what you want to bring home. Gold is the Gold Souk, spices and gifts the Spice Souk, scarves the Textile Souk. If you simply want the atmosphere, the Spice Souk and the abra are the best 45 minutes in the city. Karama, in Bur Dubai, has a market area known for cheap souvenirs and bargaining, covered in our Karama guide.
The route: Textile Souk, abra, Spice and Gold
The loop runs against the heat and with the light, and it needs no booking. Start on the Bur Dubai side, cross by abra and finish in Deira, where the evening lights are best. In the hot months from May to September, run it after 5 PM or very early in the morning instead.
Sunset is about 5:30 PM in December and about 7:10 PM in June, so shift the middle steps to match. The Metro stops are Sharaf DG or Al Ghubaiba on the Bur Dubai side and Al Ras in Deira; our Metro guide explains the Green Line and Nol cards.
- 3:30 PM, Al Fahidi. Walk the shaded lanes of restored houses, and see the Al Fahidi district guide; 45-60 minutes.
- 4:30 PM, Textile Souk. The covered arcade by the Creek: look, compare, haggle if something catches your eye; 30-45 minutes.
- 5:15 PM, abra to Deira. AED 1-2, a few minutes on the water; the abra guide has the details.
- 5:30 PM, Spice Souk. Straight into the spice lanes from the Deira abra station; 30-45 minutes.
- 6:15 PM, Gold Souk and perfume shops. The arcade lights are on by now; 45-60 minutes.
- 7:15 PM, back to Bur Dubai. A second abra crossing after dark, then dinner at Al Seef or the Old Dubai food options.
Textile and Perfume: the two to treat with care
The Textile Souk is where visitors most often feel they overpaid. Shop staff greet you early and quote a first price well above what they expect, which is normal and part of the game. Your answer is to name a price about half of theirs, settle somewhere in between and be prepared to walk away. A scarf sold as pashmina for a very low price is almost never real pashmina; real cashmere-type pashmina costs far more, and a label does not prove it.
The perfume shops in Deira sell Arabic perfume oils (attar), oud and bukhoor. Oud is among the most expensive scents in the world, and cheap bottles sold as pure oud are usually blends or synthetic. Ask to try a scent on your skin and wait 15-30 minutes before you buy, because it changes. Ask for the price per millilitre or per bottle, compare two shops, and be aware that perfume oils can leak: have the bottle wrapped, and pack it in your hold luggage.
Fixed-price perfume brands in malls, such as Ajmal, Rasasi and Arabian Oud, are a safer route if you want a known scent with a printed price. Our what to buy in Dubai guide compares souk and mall purchases by budget.
The polished souks: Madinat Jumeirah and Souk Al Bahar
Souk Madinat Jumeirah and Souk Al Bahar are built to look like old markets, and they are good at what they are: comfortable, clean, with places to eat. Prices are on the tags, and the stock is gifts, art, clothes and restaurants rather than sacks and scales. Souk Madinat has a waterfront of canals and wooden footbridges with the Burj Al Arab behind; Souk Al Bahar faces Burj Lake and the Fountain.
Use them as an evening, not a bargain hunt. Souk Al Bahar pairs with a Burj Khalifa ticket, from $55, because both are beside The Dubai Mall; a slot about an hour before sunset leaves you down in time for the Fountain and dinner by the lake. Souk Madinat sits on the Jumeirah coast; our Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab guide covers the photo spots and beaches nearby.
Sharjah's Blue Souk is a different trip altogether: allow a half day, dress modestly and see our Sharjah day trip guide for how to get there.
Hours, heat, dress and the usual traps
Shops set their own hours. Most souk shops open in the morning and stay open into the evening, some close for a break in the early afternoon, and many open late on Friday. In Ramadan the hours shift and the evenings are the busy time. The air is not cooled in the old souks, so go after 4 PM and, from May to September, make it an evening visit; the month-by-month guide shows how hot each month is.
Dress for the district, with shoulders and knees covered, and wear comfortable shoes. Carry small notes in AED 5 and AED 10, because change for a large note can be slow, and keep cards for shops that show a card sign. Ask before photographing traders or shoppers.
A few traps are worth knowing. Copies of famous brands are sold quietly in some markets; selling them is illegal and your home customs may seize them, so skip them. If a tout's invitation does not interest you, say no thank you and keep walking. And gold or saffron without a receipt is a purchase you cannot check later.
Doing the souks with a guide: our Old Dubai walk
If you would rather not navigate it, our Old Dubai walking tour covers the core. It is a shared group walk of 3-4 hours with an English-speaking local guide, from $35 per person, through Al Fahidi, Al Seef, the old Bur Dubai souk, an abra ride across the Creek, the Spice Souk and the Gold Souk. The $35 walk includes Arabic coffee or tea, dates, water and entry to a heritage house; the $55 option adds Emirati street-food tastings.
It meets in Al Fahidi near Sharaf DG metro, and the exact pin is sent after payment. Full prepayment confirms your place, and cancellation or a date change is free up to 24 hours before the start. It is mostly outdoors, May to September is very hot, and it is not for children under 2, wheelchair users or people with limited mobility; pushchairs and large bags are not allowed. Tell us about allergies when you book, since the tastings contain gluten and dairy and may contain sesame and nuts.
For the evening, the full-day desert safari, from $45, collects you from your hotel and includes a camel ride, a BBQ buffet and shows, and is paid on the day with no prepayment.
FAQ
Which souks should I visit in Dubai?
The Gold Souk and Spice Souk in Deira and the Textile Souk in Bur Dubai, in one loop of 3-4 hours, joined by an abra across the Creek for AED 1-2. All three are free to enter. Add Souk Madinat Jumeirah or Souk Al Bahar for a polished, fixed-price evening.
What is the best time to visit the Dubai souks?
After about 4 PM, when the heat drops and the lights come on. From May to September the old souks are very hot by day, so go in the evening. Many shops open late on Friday and hours shift in Ramadan.
Can you haggle in all Dubai souks?
No. Haggling is expected in the Textile Souk and mild in the Spice Souk, and in the Gold Souk you negotiate the making charge. Souk Madinat Jumeirah and Souk Al Bahar have mostly fixed prices, and malls always do.
How do I get to the Dubai souks by Metro?
Take the Green Line: Al Ras station for the Gold and Spice Souks, Al Ghubaiba or Sharaf DG for the Bur Dubai side. From the Red Line, change at Union or BurJuman. The abra between the banks costs AED 1-2.
Are the Dubai souks free to enter?
Yes. The Gold, Spice and Textile Souks cost nothing to walk and you pay only for what you buy. The abra costs AED 1-2 and our Old Dubai walking tour, which includes the abra, starts from $35 per person.
What should I wear in the Dubai souks?
Light clothes with shoulders and knees covered, and comfortable shoes. The old souks are not air-conditioned, so a hat and water help. Dress more modestly again if you add Sharjah.
How long do the souks take?
Allow 3-4 hours for the Textile, Spice and Gold Souks with an abra crossing. Each alone takes 30-60 minutes. Souk Madinat Jumeirah and Souk Al Bahar are better as an evening of one to two hours.
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Photos: The Gold Souk, Deira — Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 pl, The Spice Souk, Deira — Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, The Textile Souk, Bur Dubai — trolvag, CC BY-SA 3.0, Souk Al Bahar, Downtown — krebsmaus07, CC BY 2.0, The Blue Souk (Central Souq), Sharjah — Aleena Varghese, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).