Gold Souk

Gold is serious business in this part of the world; gold souk is a vibrant centre for gold-loving buyers and sellers. There are plenty of designs to choose from. The most popular are 24-carat, you can also get 18, 21 and 22 carat gold.

Food Souk

The fish market and the food and vegetable market are situated side-by-side in large hangar-like space by the creek.

The food souk bustles with over-enthusiastic salesmen who force their wares on you and buyers who haggle fiercely. The produce is delightfully fresh, and there’s no fish, fruit or vegetable too strange for this souk.

Spice Souk

The Iranian shops in the spice souk stock just about any spice you could think of. The thin alleyways of the souk are fragranced by the pungent spices the vendors have on display.

Big barrels of cumin, dried lemons and coriander seed surround you on all sides and vie for space alongside baskets of star of anise, stacks of cinnamon sticks and oodles of frankincense. This place is truly a heaven for food lovers.

Textile Souk

Materials are rife in the textile shops off Al Fahidi Street in Bur Dubai. The shops stock materials from the sub-continent and some of them are perfect for suits, shirts and skirts.

If you find yourself a little short of cash there are ATM machines and a Thomas Cook exchange bureau.