Planning your Dubai itinerary? Want to take a scenic boat ride to admire stunning, vintage Arabian architecture along the water? Madinat Jumeirah is a spectacular resort surrounded by winding canals with incredible Arabian flair! It's located right next to the iconic Burj Al Arab. The best part? You don't even need to be a hotel guest to take a traditional Madinat Jumeirah Abra Tour. Anyone can hop on these charming wooden boats to take in the ancient-style city and get picture-perfect views of the Burj Al Arab!

We took a taxi there. Just tell the driver you want to go to the Souk Madinat Jumeirah, and they'll know exactly where to take you~

After hopping out of the taxi, simply walk right through this main entrance below ↓

Once inside~ You'll be greeted by an incredibly gorgeous traditional Arabian souk (market).

There's a very clear map right by the entrance.

The star on the map shows where you are when you first walk in. We circled the ticket counter and boarding dock in red~ You can just buy your tickets right there on the spot (they accept credit cards!). Also, in the bottom right corner of the map, they thoughtfully marked the "Best spot to photograph the Burj Al Arab". It's not far from the boat dock, so definitely check it out if you have time!

Once we figured out where to board the boat, we could shop with peace of mind~~~ YES! This is Cherry's personal favorite part of any itinerary 😂 The souk sells so many amazing souvenirs!

They have those classic camel sand art bottles tailored for tourists. As long as you have the money $_$, they can write your name in English, Chinese, Korean, or whatever language you want~~~😆

There's such a dazzling array of items, it's almost overwhelming to look at @_@

As expected from a market inside a luxury resort! The prices here are definitely quite a bit higher than the traditional souks in the Old Town~~ However~~! The shopping experience is way more comfortable! You won't have vendors constantly stopping you trying to wrap a scarf around your head along the way 😆 (If you're interested in exploring the actual Old Town, check out our guide here: Old Dubai)

After that~ we completely ignored the map~ just wandered around and~~~ found our way right to the pier!!! In the bottom right corner of the picture below, where people are lining up, that's the ticket booth. The small dock right next to it is where you board the boat!

Madinat Jumeirah Abra Tour (Updated Dec 2024)

★ 【Ticket Info】Adults AED 100 | Children AED 50 | Family Pass (2 Adults + 3 Children) AED 299 | For the latest prices, please check the Official Website ★ 【Tour Duration】About 20 minutes
★ 【Location】Madinat Jumeirah Resort | Google Maps Link

After buying our tickets, we waited for less than 5 minutes before we were boarding our boat~

And we're off~~~!

Along the way, we constantly passed under these lovely little bridges, cruising through the Arabian-style waterways.

We honestly think this resort is just breathtakingly beautiful~~ The view from the balcony of every single room must be absolutely unbeatable!

This resort is also super clever~ Opening up the canal tour to "non-guests" is basically a trap~ After taking this boat ride, literally everyone is going to want to book a night here!!! 😆

With stunning views all along the route, we were so busy snapping photos~ Time flew by! It felt like we had just gotten on the boat, and suddenly the Burj Al Arab was about to make its appearance!

Once we passed the little bridge in the bottom right of the photo above, the full panoramic view of the Burj Al Arab was finally revealed~~~!

Ta-da~~~ The! Burj! Al! Arab!

The captain actually stops the boat right here and lets every passenger take turns going to the front for photos~ The boat won't start moving again until everyone has gotten their perfect shot!

After that, they navigate straight back to where we boarded, and the lovely boat tour comes to an end.

Since Christmas was just a few days ago, we spotted a Christmas tree right after getting off the boat~~ We couldn't resist snapping a photo of it with the Burj Al Arab 😂 We stubbornly like to think~ the Christmas tree wanted a picture with the Burj Al Arab just as much as we did!!!!! Haha

We originally thought we wouldn't see any Christmas trees in an Islamic country like Dubai~ But as it turns out, to cater to the 90% expat population and tourists, there are honestly Christmas trees everywhere!!!

During our few days in Dubai, we truly looked at and photographed the Burj Al Arab from the front, back, left, and right. Looking back at this Madinat Jumeirah Abra tour, we still highly recommend it! Even if you don't want to pay for the boat ride, it's worth coming just to wander through the traditional souk and explore the resort! The "old town" scenery here is much cleaner and prettier than the actual Old Dubai, and with the added bonus of the Burj Al Arab backdrop, yep~ highly recommended!

Lastly, we want to sneakily share a secret spot for all our budget-conscious travelers out there! If you don't want to spend money on the boat ride, you can actually head to the bridge right outside the main entrance of Souk Madinat Jumeirah. Without spending a single dime, you can see and photograph the ancient canal perfectly framed with the Burj Al Arab! Even though it's not the full, unobstructed view of the hotel, it's still pretty spectacular, right!?

The free view is also absolutely gorgeous! It's right on the bridge in front of this Gate ↓. You don't even need to walk through the main doors to see it!

The final verdict: We highly recommend everyone to come take a stroll around the Madinat Jumeirah Resort!

As for whether or not to take the abra tour? We hope our photos help you decide what's best for your own itinerary!

Dubai Travel Info

★ 【Transport】Dubai Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus
★ 【Passes】Klook Dubai Attractions Pass
★ 【SIM Cards】UAE 5G eSIM
★ 【Observatories】Burj Khalifa | Dubai Frame | The View At The Palm | Sky Views Observatory
★ 【Theme Parks】Legoland Dubai | Atlantis Aquaventure Waterpark
★ 【Desert Tours】Morning Desert Safari | Evening Desert Safari | Camel Trekking | Hot Air Balloon
★ 【Abu Dhabi】Day Tour | Travel Guide
★ 【Dubai Guides】Travel Guide | Where to Stay | Top 10 Attractions

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