What to buy in Dubai?

Dubai is the kind of place where the sky is the limit for shopping. You can buy almost anything you want. Shopping in Dubai can be a refreshing activity in the cool atmosphere of the malls when outdoor temperature exceeds 40°C.

While traveling to Dubai, you certainly wonder where you could find good souvenirs to bring back home. So after having explored the list of top things to do in Dubai, let’s check out now the list of top things to bring back from Dubai.

At first, the obvious answer is : a small replica of the Burj Khalifa! But well, you might want to get out of the regular tourist gift that end up filling more space in your home without really bringing a lot of added value to your decoration.

Burj Khalifa Dubai

So, what items could we bring back from Dubai? Well, it all depends on what you are looking for! First, if you are looking to buy regular brand clothes, forget about it, prices in Dubai aren’t better than anywhere else for those. You will find in Dubai all the top luxury brands such as Lanvin, Dior, Chanel and Gucci but the prices are usually exactly the same as the ones you’ll find in Western Europe or USA. So don’t expect to make a magic deal there. If you really want to shop expensive fashion items, head to Dubai in January during the Dubai Shopping Festival where you can find discounted prices.

Dubai is a central marketplace for fabrics and gold. So those are the two things that you need to explore if you want to bring a souvenir from Dubai back home. To buy gold jewels, head up to the Deira Gold Souk. You’ll find there more gold than anywhere else in the world. The price of the gold is the one of the market but you’ll be able to save a lot on the manufacturing of the jewels. You will have there also the opportunity to buy cheap replicas of luxury watches and bags but I strongly suggest to walk away from those as one they are of really poor quality and two this is completely illegal so your chances to get a fine at the customs while coming back home are pretty high. Another place to buy gold, jewelry and gems in Dubai is the Gold and Diamond Park next to the mall of Emirates. There, a lot of luxurious shops are exhibiting hundreds of jewels for the pleasure of eyes and more if you have the money for it…

Another tourist tips in Dubai, for the clothes, get to the Meena Bazaar. There, you’ll find a lot of fabric wholesalers but some are ready to sell to private individuals. We spent some time walking into the small streets of the Meena Bazaar area and we have been amazed by the fabrics quality and diversity. You can find there almost anything you want. From what we have been told, some well-known fashion brands are coming here to source the fabrics used in their fashion collection. This gives you an idea on the level of quality of the products there.

You’ll find in the Dubai malls and souks some carpets. It isn’t really the easiest souvenir to bring back but the prices could be interesting so if you see one you’d like to see in your living room, don’t forget to negotiate the price. 50% discount isn’t unusual in Dubai.

If you like spices, Dubai is a good place to buy spices. You’ll find what you need at the Deira Spice Souk. Saffron, cumin, rosewater, orange blossom water are some of the numerous spices you’ll be able to source in Dubai. All those are coming from Iran, Pakistan and India. The Spice Souk is close to the Gold Souk.

Spices

Beside spices, if you want to bring back some food gifts, then our suggestion would be to buy fresh dates, Arabic sweets and Yemeni honey. You will find fresh dates and Arabic sweets in every mall. Wafi Gourmet and Bateel are good outlets to buy those at the Dubai Mall. For the Yemeni honey, the best is Balqees at the Dubai Mall, make sure to try it, Yemeni honey is the best in the world (please note that some countries have some restrictions on the importation of Yemeni honey).

Balqees Yemeni Honey

Beyond big malls and souks, you can also find shops in most Dubai luxury hotels. Products there are authentic between handicraft and luxury products but the prices are usually quite expensive.

Last good deal, if you want to buy cigarettes in Dubai, the best is to buy them at the airport in the Duty Free area, while coming back. The prices are really cheap. You can get there a box of 200 cigarettes (10 packs of 20) for around 20-25 €. Pay attention to your country legal limit as you might need to pay the taxes and a fine at the customs if you cross the limit while returning home.

So now, I hope you’ll find in Dubai nice gifts and souvenirs to bring back home!

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