Discovering the Dubai World Expo

Welcome at the airport by our representative. Transfer to the hotel. Settling in. Free dinner. Night at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to discover the wonderful history of Expo 2020. Expo 2020 is the “World’s Expo”, showcasing the best innovations that humanity has to offer. It will consist of a series of pavilions linked by common themes applicable to all of humanity. The Expo provides a platform for the world’s theme “Minds Connecting, Creating the Future. This link to three main ideas – “Opportunity”, “Mobility” and “Sustainability”, will drive the exhibition.

The main site of Expo Dubai 2020 will be a 438-hectare (1083-acre) area, located between the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Expo 2020 site has a lot of really cool activities. The square will be enveloped by a dome. At night, this dome will serve as a 360-degree screen, projecting a series of images both inside and outside. Inside the dome you will find the pavilions as well as features such as fountains, parks and waterfalls. The dome is partially open at the top.

More than 140 countries will participate, and each participating country will have its own pavilion at the exhibition, each with inventions and innovations from that country. Even the United Arab Emirates will have its own specialized pavilion, made in the outline of a falcon. There will also be specialized pavilions focusing on the sustainability of the three main themes, opportunity, mobility and sustainability.

Lunch is included and served at the Expo. Return to Dubai in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel. Since a one-day visit is not enough to cover the entire Expo 2020 site, we will visit the Expo again today.

We will leave the hotel in the late morning today and spend the evening at the Expo site, gaining a different perspective on the events and attractions that Expo has to offer. Upon arrival at Expo, the guide will escort you to the iconic pavilions that were not covered the day before.

Later, you will enjoy an all’Expo lunch (included in the package) at one of the many food outlets on the Expo site. After lunch, you’ll have free time to explore the Expo site on your own to visit your favourite pavilions, or attend street entertainment or one of the many events they have organized.

You’ll find groundbreaking architecture at every turn, from the world’s largest 360-degree projection surface on the steel dome of Al Wasl Plaza to the all-natural materials that make up the Opportunity Pavilion, including 2,500 tons of stone and 111 km of rope. The entire Expo site will look completely different at sunset and will be lit to perfection using sustainable resources. This is also a good time to see live performances on site.

Your guide will assign you a meeting point and an hour and a half later you will enjoy a delicious dinner (included in the package) at one of Expo’s many top restaurants before returning to your hotel. Overnight in Dubai.

After breakfast, meet the group with your guide and a short introduction to the week ahead. Then we depart for our first city tour of the morning. Originally a small fishing village nestled around the Dubai Creek, Dubai is now a glittering metropolis in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. The silhouette of its skyscrapers and the excessiveness of its shopping malls impress even the most jaded visitors.

Discover the old quarter of Bastakyia, to learn more about the history and geography of the peninsula by visiting the Dubai Museum, in the old Al-Fahidi fort. Board the “Abras”, the water taxis that cross the Creek to the Deira district, where the spice and jewellery souks are set up with the many traders selling often surprising souvenirs.

Continue to Jumeirah and take a photo stop in front of its Great Mosque, with its architecture inspired by the classical Fatimid era. Then stop in front of the iconic sail of the Burj Al Arab tower before heading to the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah where the incredible Atlantis Hotel is located. Buffet lunch at the end of the tour.

In the afternoon, embark on an all-terrain vehicle safari through the desert hinterland. Experienced drivers perform dune bashing up and down the colourful dunes to the delight of the passengers. At the end of the journey, we arrive at a camp in the heart of the desert to watch the magnificent sunset over the dunes. An unforgettable evening with a barbecue served under the stars to the sound of an orchestra, soon joined by a classical Arab dancer. Return to the hotel at the end of the evening.

Departure for Abu Dhabi after breakfast. The name of the capital of the federation in Arabic means “the father of the gazelle” and is built on a series of islands. The tour begins with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest in the world with a capacity of 30,000 worshippers. It is entirely made of marble carved according to Islamic patterns and surrounded by beautiful gardens. Continue to the heart of the old city and visit the Al Hosn Fort, one of the oldest permanent buildings in the city with its watchtower.

Then on to Heritage Village where there is a small museum showing the life of the Bedouin before the discovery of oil. Passing along the Corniche, dotted with shiny mosques and glass and steel skyscrapers with offices and high-end flats all the way down to the sea.

Arrival on Saadiyat Island, the emirate’s vast cultural project. Lunch at a local restaurant and a stroll through a craft centre before visiting the Louvre Abu Dhabi, an extension of the Parisian museum designed by Jean Nouvel that has quickly become the city’s main cultural attraction. Continue to Yas Island which hosts an annual Formula 1 Grand Prix and is home to the Ferrari theme park, identifiable by its huge red car sign. Check in at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Departure to Al Ain after breakfast. Arrival in the oasis of Al Ain at the foot of the Hajar Mountains. This city is one of the richest in Emirati traditions, as it has been a crossroads city for caravans criss-crossing Asia for thousands of years. Walk through the camel market before visiting the Al Ain Palace, a first-hand account of life in the early days of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s reign, and the birthplace of Sheihk Mahamad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the emirate’s crown prince. Visit Fort Jahili, a perfect example of local military architecture and have dinner in a restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit the historical fort Qasr Al Muwaiji and drive to the Hilli Gardens hill, an archaeological site dating back to the third millennium BC, with a superb view of the Jebel Haffet. Check-in at the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel before driving to Sharjah (2 hours) for a tour of the capital of the emirate known as the “Pearl of the Gulf”. Photo stops at the King Faisal Mosque and Sharjah Fort, the first residence of the emirs. Then visit the Sharjah Museum Heritage, rich in artefacts and souvenirs of the traditional life of the Bedouin of yesteryear, breeders and fishermen. Here you can take a trip back in time to when the people depended solely on fishing and harvesting wild pearl oysters. The museum traces the life of the tribes: education, economy, communication systems, crafts, costumes, medicine, music and folklore.

After the visit, walk through the souk at the old Al Arsa where the method of making Omani Halwa, a delicious sweet much appreciated throughout the peninsula, is still demonstrated. Then into the Blue Souk which is full of antique carpets, jewellery and art. Dinner at a local restaurant serving a real Bedouin menu, the Mandi, a festival of meat and fish seasoned with all the spices available in the region.

Return to Dubai via the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, the current symbol of the city’s architectural development amidst the incredible line of skyscrapers that combine retail, residential, office, hotel and leisure activities. Free time for shopping in the 1,200 shops of the Dubai Mall, featuring world-famous brands such as our Galeries Lafayette and most of the French designers and couturiers, among others.

Shopping here is a unique and revolutionary experience, from the shops, to the entertainment venues, and even the sporting activities, such as a romantic stroll on an ice rink, or the culture shock of a jewellery souk at the foot of a gigantic aquarium. Meanwhile, those who wish can climb the Burj Khalifa (optional).

Depending on your flight schedule. Transfer to the airport according to flight schedule.