Best Places to Visit in Dubai – 2021

On September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Asia, Dubai, Travel Tips1 Comment

Today we are featuring a guest post from fellow travel blogger, Neha Singh (DubaiWikia.com). Based out of Dubai, Neha has wonderful insights on the places to visit during a trip to Dubai.

Dubai is ever-changing. If there is one destination in the world that persistently tries to outdo its previous feats, it is Dubai. Dubai’s grit for innovative creation makes it one of the most sought-after destinations for travellers. Even if you revisit Dubai after a couple of years, you will find new additions to its city skyline. The emirate has a dramatic ambience and loves to surprise visitors with ground-breaking attractions. Nevertheless, amid this constant creation of new attractions, other landmarks and points of interest do leave a lasting impression and cannot be forgotten. In 2021, a variety of new experiences are lined up to welcome visitors. Here is a mix and match of what you should include in your Dubai holiday tour.

Burj Khalifa
No matter how much Dubai conjures up new architectural marvels, Burj Khalifa still remains an undisputed champion in modern architecture. The tallest standing structure in the world is indeed a marvel which every Dubai visitor should witness. Located in Downtown Dubai, Burj Khalifa looks jaw-droppingly stunning from ground-level, but there is more in store for you inside this colossal tower. You can find yourself among the clouds when you visit ‘At the Top – Burj Khalifa’, an observatory deck perched on the 124^th and 125^th levels of this magnificent skyscraper. From here you get breathtakingly beautiful views of Dubai Fountain, the emirate’s skyline, and the serene Arabian desert sprawling beyond the city. A visit to Burj Khalifa will never become a passé for a Dubai visitor.

Palm Jumeirah
The first of its kind in the world, Palm Dubai Islands were a visionary idea often considered impossible which Dubai managed to turn into a triumph with the unveiling of Palm Jumeirah. Today, Palm Jumeirah is an icon of luxury lifestyle and leisure recreation. Perched on the outermost arch of Palm Jumeirah is one of the most opulent hotels in the world – Atlantis The Palm. The island is home to the biggest waterpark in Dubai – Aquaventure waterpark, a fantastic aquarium – Lost World Chambers, and the largest water fountain in the world – Palm Fountain. It is one of the most popular places to visit in Dubai for family holidaymakers, couples, and friends looking to have fun times together.

Bluewaters Island
Unveiled recently, Bluewaters Island is a brand-new man-made leisure island set near Dubai Marina. Boasted as Dubai’s new hot and happening destination, Bluewaters Island is home to the world’s biggest Ferris Wheel – Ain Dubai which is also an observatory dock offering uninterrupted views of the modern Dubai skyline. The island is an excellent spot to explore chic shopping and dining experiences and offers luxury stay options which include the world-renowned Caesar’s Palace Dubai.

Global Village
See the world in a couple in a day at Global Village Dubai. This mega-cultural carnival takes place annually from October till April and puts together a kaleidoscope of cultural and flavoursome experiences of 90 countries making it one of the grandest and biggest cultural events in the world. Divided into distinct Pavillions, each representing a destination, you can easily go country-hopping and get a gist of the ethnicity and fabulous food and entertainment from around the world. It is a great way to go globetrotting and even getting a glimpse of destinations before you can add them to your travel bucket list.

Al Seef
The surroundings along the Dubai Creek is a rustic slice of Dubai that captures the old-world charm of the emirate perfectly. There is a treasure trove of experiences in store for you at Dubai Creek to explore the bygone humble past of the emirate. However, the newly opened Al Seef district has charmed visitors to explore this region in a convenient and leisurely way. This waterfront promenade lets you enjoy the vibes of Old Dubai with modern conveniences. Stretching 1.8 km along the Dubai Creek shoreline, Al Seef is a wonderful place to soak in Emirati history, view the charismatic Old Dubai setting while sampling cuisine from a fascinating range of restaurants, and indulging in retail therapy while wandering around.

Dubai Frame
When it comes to viewing Dubai’s stellar skylines, there are a few Dubai attractions that pop up in the minds of a Dubai visitor. However, the view from Dubai Frame stands out as a unique experience as it offers the best of Dubai’s past and present scenic panoramas. Strategically located at Zabeel Park, the world’s biggest picture frame captures and showcases the splendours of Old Dubai and Modern Dubai from one spot. Dubai Frame is a landmark that one needs to visit to get a gist of Dubai’s charming past, the innovative present, and visionary future. This eye-catching architectural marvel glistens and gleams in the Arabian sunshine in the day and at dawn lights up in vivid illuminations – a sight to behold.

Dubai Canal
Most Dubai Tour packages would often feature a cruise trip on Dubai Creek or Dubai Marina. Now, you can add one more option to that cruise experience. Dubai Canal – an artificial water inlet that extends around 3.2 km from Dubai Creek is a new way to explore Dubai’s fabulous city panoramas from a cruise tour. The trendy Dubai Canal meanders along some of the iconic sights of modern Dubai and is decked up with a contemporary bridge and walkway which illuminates in vibrant colourful neon lights at sundown. It is a wonderful way to spend a day sightseeing in Dubai city.

Dubai Expo 2020
Dubai had excitedly geared up with some amazing modifications and new attractions for the Dubai Expo 2020. However, the coronavirus outbreak dampened the momentum and the mega event had to be postponed to 2021. Taking this as an advantage chance, the emirate made use of the time to perfect the venue and is all set with safety protocols in place to welcome guests from around the world to the most anticipated world event of the year. For those visiting Dubai in 2021, take this chance to explore a world of innovative pavilions, extraordinary works of modern architecture, and much more.

Conclusion

Dubai is the only city in the world that can tackle the odds. Even while the world was reeling from the effects of a widespread pandemic and shutting down borders as a safety measures to curb the Covid-19 spread, Dubai managed to ensure that the tourism doesn’t get completely halted in the emirate. For those yearning to escape the woes of pandemic daily life, Dubai welcomes you with open arms to experience some of the most awe-inspiring spectacles and architectural landmarks in the world. 2021 will also bring in some addition to Dubai’s long list of stunning attractions and also a refreshing look to Dubai’s dramatic landscape. So, if you are waiting for a holiday break in 2021, choose Dubai and gear up for a fascinating journey of a lifetime.

Mixed Feelings Regarding Our Visit to London During Our First Trip to Europe

On September 20, 2021September 20, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn England, Travel Tips6 Comments

Let us start by saying that we hope to visit London once again in the future as it is a wonderful city with an amazing history. During our first trip to Europe, many years ago now, we spent several days in London before going on to Stratford-upon-Avon and Manchester. We rented a flat on Kings Road and enjoyed getting around and visiting the major sites in London such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge. Although we did have a wonderful time, when we look back on it after many, many trips since that time, we aren’t sure that we made the most of our time in London.

One of the things that was very different about our time in London compared to other places that we have visited is that we took the tube (underground railway) to get from one location to another. It was quick and convenient and who can’t quote what is aired over the intercom as the doors start to close, “mind the gap”. In hindsight, we felt like gophers who popped up from one hole here to see something and then popped up in another hole there to see something. Walking the streets gives you a much better sense of a city than just seeing a small section at a time.

We do have wonderful memories of our time in London. We went to the famous West End to see the play Wicked and the tour of Tower of London was quite fascinating. We also watched the pomp and pageantry of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace and had some blue skies overhead as we walked around the Victoria Memorial in the roundabout just across from the palace. Certainly no visit to London would be complete without going to Westminster Abbey with all of the memorials to the historical figures of science, literature, and politics. Seeing the iconic clock tower at the Westminster Palace, commonly referred to as Big Ben is certainly a must as well.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-Upon-Avon

After spending a few days in our flat in London, we continued on to historic Stratford-upon-Avon where we had the opportunity to have mulled wine and see the locals celebrate the start of the holiday season as it was late November when we arrived. Being the birthplace of Shakespeare, there is certainly plenty of history and we also enjoyed seeing Warwick Castle nearby town of Warwick. After a couple of nights, we took a train north to the city of Manchester where we would enjoy a murder mystery at a local manor house and then go to watch a football (soccer) game, which was a highlight for us.

As previously mentioned, we definitely have revisiting London on our list of places to go and will likely go back there in the relatively near future. We were actually fairly fortunate as far as the weather goes with our trip having been in November, but a visit during the summer months would definitely be a plus. Since we are more seasoned travelers now as compared to our original visit, we will likely do it quite differently and we would certainly take more photographs than we did back then.

Memorable Weekend Trips from Frankfurt in Germany

On September 15, 2021September 15, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany2 Comments

During our time in Frankfurt, we were able to jump on the train and enjoy many different weekend trips to various cities around Germany. We also took several trips outside of Germany, but Frankfurt was a great hub to explore Germany itself from as well. We would often sit at our favorite little restaurant on a Thursday night and pull up the Deutsche Bahn app and just look at what places we could get to within a few hour train ride and just pick one as our destination. Often times the time on the train was as interesting as the destination because we could sit in our compartment, have a glass of wine, and watch the scenery as we traveled through the German countryside. These are a few of the places that we were able to visit by taking a quick trip out of Frankfurt.

Würzburg – One of the weekend trips that we took when we were in Frankfurt was to Würzburg. Although we had only been living in Germany for a little over a month, this particularly getaway made us feel as though we were becoming locals. It is a short train ride from Frankfurt to Würzburg and we arrived right around lunchtime. We found a tiny little restaurant that obviously catered to several regulars who were chatting with one another, reading newspapers, and simply relaxing. The owner offered us a seasonal beer, which of course we had to try, and we had an appetizer platter with blood sausage, potatoes, and cheese.

Heidelberg – One of our first weekend getaway from Frankfurt was to visit Heidelberg. Heidelberg is the location of the oldest university in Germany and has a wonderful old town area. Because the Heidelberg University has been considered one of the finest universities in Europe since it was built in the 14th century, it has attracted scientists, philosophers, and literary figures throughout its history. Located on the Neckar River, the scenery is absolutely stunning, especially in October, which is when we visited.

Hochheim – Located just couple of hours outside of Frankfurt, we visited Hochheim for a quick day trip from the city. It is a small town surrounded by vineyards and still retains its medieval charm. It was early November and the town was holding its annual festival and market, so it was a lot busier than it normally would have been, but that also made it fun for us. It was a quick train ride from Frankfurt and since we had monthly passes for the train, we simply had to pay a little extra to get to the nearby town.

The German Corner Where the Rivers Meet in Koblenz

Walking Around Schloss Stolzenfels Outside of Koblenz

Koblenz – Taking a train from Frankfurt to Koblenz was one of the most memorable trips during our time in Germany. The city spans both sides of the Rhine River and is situated where the Rhine meets the Moselle River. There are many sights to see when visiting Koblenz, but the highlights are the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, the German Corner, and Schloss Stolzenfels. There is also an interesting statue that depicts the 2000 year history of the city, but even without all of these places, just walking along the Rhine would make visiting Koblenz worthwhile.

Nuremberg – We took the train from Frankfurt to Nuremberg during the first week of January during our time in Germany. It was more or less a spur of the moment trip, so we hadn’t researched anything about Nuremberg before deciding to go there. We loved living in Germany as we would pull up the train app on a Thursday and book a trip for Friday and away we would go. It was a quick trip and very cold at the time, but we had a wonderful time there. As with any trip, just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere of the city is the most important thing, but there are a few places that should not be missed when visiting.

Each of these trips were very memorable in their own ways. Germany has so many interesting locations to visit that these are just a few. We would love to go back soon and see even more of the places that we didn’t have time to get to. Between the architecture, culture, and food, it is certainly one of the places that we could go back and visit many times.