8 Best Sights in Bur Dubai and the South Bank, Dubai

A series of stores runs from the Old Souk abra station, through to the Al Fahidi district. It's loosely termed the Textile Souk, though it's also full of tacky souvenirs, touts, and eateries. Meandering from the wooden arch at the old souk end will take you past pashminas, table linen, and cushion covers. Farther out, past the wooden roofing framework, the stores sprawl into neighboring lanes and are filled with the raw materials. Most of the fabric comes from India and China, and includes quality cottons for the Emirati dishdasha, exotic silks, and sheer bejeweled fabrics and saris. You can order a full skein of cloth to take home, or have one of the tailors in the area construct something from your chosen fabric within a couple of days. Even if you're not buying, it's a worthwhile place to wander, a thriving marketplace full of photogenic aging architecture and colorful characters.

A spit of land that protects the south side of the creek entrance holds a restored historic center that contains three key sites: the Diving Village, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, and the Heritage Village. The Diving Village explores Dubai's pearl diving industry, along with other traditional maritime activities—you'll be able to see boat building, net making, and other handcrafts in action. Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House was built in 1896 and was the residence of Al Maktoum ruling family till 1958 and is now a museum displaying a rare photographic collection of the sheikhs and the changing times of Dubai. Most of the house can be explored, and its cool neutral interior is a reminder of life in the city before air-conditioning and designer labels. Heritage Village is a life-size diorama that takes visitors through the various buildings and traditions that have been historically common in the region. Walk through agricultural yards, stone buildings, barasti huts and tents, and observe traditional medicine, jewelry making, and blacksmithing. There are other monuments and buildings in the area to explore, and the creekfront is lined with Arabic restaurants.

In the historic Al Fahidi district, this alfresco only café is a perfect pit-stop while trawling the souks and Dubai Museum. Service is slow, but you might enjoy a bit of time-wasting while sitting in the traditional shaded courtyard on plump wicker chairs or browsing the local art and crafts they display for sale. Food is pan-Arabic, with the best dishes offered up until 12:30 for breakfast. Enjoy with a wide range of tea, juice, and smoothies. No alcohol served.

This 221-acre green space is the largest in the downtown area and offers a 1.6-mile walk along Bur Dubai's creek side, by a botanical garden, manicured flower beds, and stretches of shady lawns where families gather on weekends for fresh air and a picnic. The park also contains a cable car, with a 20-minute one-way journey that gives you a bird's-eye view of the park and surrounding areas. Bicycles for hire, a minitrain, go-karts, and minigolf can also entertain the little ones. Accessible from only inside the park you will also find the Dubai Dolphinarium (with daily aquatic shows), and Children's City, a science-themed children's museum.

It might be the age of container ships, but, as can be seen toward the mouth of the Dubai creek, old wooden dhows are still very much a part of Dubai's thriving import/export industry. It's still possible to view the manual building of these vessels along the banks of Dubai Creek. Each dhow builder eyes the length and width of wooden planks needed to create the curving shape of the bow, then produces it with no plans and few modern tools. Be sure to watch your step if you visit the yards. They aren't common tourist attractions and construction materials and equipment are often left lying around. Those who wish to play it safe can view from the other side of the creek. At sunset, the terrace bar of the Intercontinental Festival City provides a contrasting silhouette of the dhow skeletons set before the spiky skyscrapers of the DIFC. While culturally significant, this area tends to be dangerous.

The tiny Al Fahidi fort was built in 1787 to protect the port from marauding landward tribes and seafaring pirates. During the 20th century the fort fell into disrepair, but the coral stone and stucco walls were restored, and today it hosts Dubai's national museum. Upon entering the museum, you step back in time to before the discovery of oil and the arrival of container ships. A series of cleverly designed subterranean spaces take you through the daily life of Dubai's past. For instance, you can stroll through a life-size re-creation of the creekside wharfs and souks, where lifelike figures include fishermen, pearl traders, spice merchants, and metal workers. The sights and sounds of different trades come to life in original sound tracks that play in the background, and with the help of projected images, life-size figures appear as though they're performing tasks. Here, you can feel the excitement and energy of what was once one of the Arab world's most exciting port towns. The final series of galleries, before the gift shop and museum exit, holds cases of artifacts found on archaeological digs around the emirate. The earliest ones date from the 3rd millennium BC, and include human remains from ritual burials and such grave goods as spearheads.

As the only remaining expanse of natural creek-side landscape in the emirate, Ras al Khor (meaning "head of the creek") is an important desert wetland habitat. The sanctuary covers only 2.4 square miles, and its tidal wetlands, mudflats, mangroves, reed beds, and stretches of sabkha (salt-encrusted flats common to the coastline) are the last refuge for many native plants and animals. The area is an important overwintering ground for more than 250 bird species, with overall bird numbers reaching 30,000 between December and March. Most famous in the area is the small year-round population of flamingos, often shown on publicity images touting Dubai's eco-credentials. Three hides, or camouflaged shelters, have been erected at points around the park, and allow closer views of the wildlife. Entry to the rest or the park is not allowed without a permit.