Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai

This is a very quaintly designed mall. The shops are upmarket but the architecture and the whole ambience is very charming and it is fascinating to walk around. This is also a clever way to view the only 7 star hotel in the world, The Burj Al Arab. With many cafés and shops this is a must visit if you like to indulge in a relaxed day.

This luxurious complex tries to compose the traditional look in studied harmony. Each door, each window, open to a perfect sight, where not a single detail was neglected.

Beach, hotels, shopping mall, pools, bars, lakes, everything is accessible and available to make you feel in a 1001 nights place. For a price... of course.

Madinat Jumeirah is the largest resort complex in Dubai and includes 2 luxe hotels and 29 palatial private villas and lots of bars and restaurants and a 5.4 kilometer man made waterway with private Abra Boats to shuttle people to and from other areas of the resort (that costs AED 35). It sits Side by side with the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, The Wild Wadi Waterpark and the Burj Al Arab at Jumeirah Beach Roasd. It also has a mall that is designed into a traditional but air conditioned souk, called the Souk Madinat Jumeirah. It is better to visit Madinat Jumeirah at night as it has a lively nightlife and it has many restaurants and bars at that include the Italian favourite Segretto, the Moroccan Shoo Fee Ma Fee, The Wharf, Barzar, Koubba Bar, The Agency, A'Rukn, Bahri Bar, Centimetro, Toscana, Trader Vicks and Jam Base

The traditional emirati wind towers top the low-rise buildings of Madinat Jumeirah, lighting up at night to cast a romantic glow over the whole area, complete with winding canals and outside eateries and is the home to about 75 boutique shops and over 20 enormously popular cafés, bars and restaurants.

most bars and restaurants have alcoholic beverage licence

Open daily 10am-12:00 midnight

Madinat Jumeirah is the largest resort complex in Dubai and includes 2 luxe hotels and 29 palatial private villas and lots of bars and restaurants and a 5.4 kilometer man made waterway with private Abra Boats to shuttle people to and from other areas of the resort (that costs AED 35). It sits Side by side with the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, The Wild Wadi Waterpark and the Burj Al Arab at Jumeirah Beach Roasd. It also has a mall that is designed into a traditional but air conditioned souk, called the Souk Madinat Jumeirah. It is better to visit Madinat Jumeirah at night as it has a lively nightlife and it has many restaurants and bars at that include the Italian favourite Segretto, the Moroccan Shoo Fee Ma Fee, The Wharf, Barzar, Koubba Bar, The Agency, A'Rukn, Bahri Bar, Centimetro, Toscana, Trader Vicks and Jam Base

The traditional emirati wind towers top the low-rise buildings of Madinat Jumeirah, lighting up at night to cast a romantic glow over the whole area, complete with winding canals and outside eateries and is the home to about 75 boutique shops and over 20 enormously popular cafés, bars and restaurants.

most bars and restaurants have alcoholic beverage licence

Open daily 10am-12:00 midnight

The Souk Madinat Jumeirah inside the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, for an example, boats its own waterway to transfer people from its shops, bars and restaurants to the neighboring clutch of hotels. Located near Jumeirah Beach area, the Souk Madinat Jumeriah is an entertainment complex that includes a traditional Arabian souk (market) with plenty of shops, restaurants and bars. Take a magical and relaxing Abra tour and meander waterways and wide open seascapes.

Madinat Jumeirah is another example of the wonders of Dubai: yet one more fake Arab souq that is staffed almost exclusively by South Asians. As with Souq Bahar, Madinat Jumeirah has many different products that might be thought of as traditionally Khaliji, but that are now produced in South or East Asia. The Madinah is, however, quite spectacular as a mock-up of an old Arabian fort or souq, and is worth a visit just to see what Dubai is capable of. Don't waste your money on anything here, though, since most of it is produced abroad and only tangentially connected to the region.

The Jumeirah Madinat Souq is a beautiful shopping mall that makes up part of a luxurious resort consisting of the souq, two luxury hotels and a beach. The theme of the resort is traditional Arabic architecture built on the banks of several man-made canals. As well as admiring the beautiful architecture, there are lots of shops and restaurants here. It is also possible to go on a boat trip around the canals for 60AED.

There are excellent views of the Burj Al Arab Hotel from here.

To get here you can take the number 8 bus from Ibn Battuta Mall, Gold Souq bus station, or Al Ghubiba Bus Station. The Jumeirah Madinat Souq is next to the Wild Wadi Water Park.

Visit the Souq Madinat to have a nice meal in one of the many restaurants and watch the old water taxis or abras cruise by or browse through the maze of shops to find that perfect souvenir. Get a nice view of the Burj Al Arab, especially at night. There are:
* 75 boutique shops
* 23 waterfront cafes, bars and restaurants
* Open plazas
* Air conditioned walkways
* 442 seat Madinat Theatre

The resort of Madinat Jumeirah has two boutique hotels (Al Qasr and Mina A'Salam) and a courtyard of summer houses called Dar Al Masyaf.
The building of Al Qasr, which literally translates to ‘the Palace’, reminds a windcatcher. It is a traditional Persian and Arabic architectural device used for many centuries to create natural ventilation in buildings. It is not known who first invented the windcatcher. Windcatchers come in various designs, such as the uni-directional, bi-directional, and multi-directional.

Madinat Jumeirah, or "Jumeirah City" is designed like old Arabia spread across over 40 hectares of landscapes and gardens. It consists of an architecturally interesting shopping mall, two luxurious five-star hotels, and a few residential areas. It is advertised to be the "epitome of Arabian hospitality in Dubai".

Madinat Jumeirah is located along one kilometre of private beachfront adjacent to Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Burj Al Arab and Wild Wadi Water Park.
Visitors can wander through Madinat Juneirah to admire the Arabian-inspired architecture or venture to one of the many vantage points for a view of the water.

You can watch my 4 min 25 sec HD Video Dubai Madinat Jumeirah out of my Youtube channel with Mayssam Nahas - Lamoni.

Complete with artificial Venician canals & fake cobble stones, I must admit: even though it's pretentious beyond all belief - at least the Souk Madinat is a nice area to sit outside & enjoy the sunshine

This is basically the "up-market Version" of the original Dubai souks. It's like some foreign architect got his hands on the ancient bazaar-concept & forced it go undergo plastic surgery = it's pretty, but it's simply not the "real thing". The Madinat has become extremely popular with Dubai's "ladies that lunch" as well as party animals that enjoy the various bars & clubs.

To reach various restaurants along the artificial waterway, the hotel offers complimentary boat rides on "Abras" (traditional water taxi). I much prefer the "real thing" on Dubai Creek, click here if you're interested: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/14d9ee.

For the *least* amount of "Disneyland-feeling" I recommend visiting Souk Madinat after the sun has set: this is when the lights come on, the shadows & reflections distort from what is merely a copy of true Arabian heritage, and the whole architectural brilliance of the area is no longer merely bearable; its mystic beauty really shines under the camouflage of night.

Paths lead visitors through a bazaar-like atmosphere with 75 open fronted shops.
TOURIST TRAP WARNING: You'll see plenty of souvenirs, pashmina shawls, posters & drawings, etc. for sale here. DON'T BUY! You can buy the exact same things for about 40% of the price in the Gold & Spice Souk, Textile Souk or Karama Shopping Strip. The ONLY shop that I would recommend for purchases is "Gallery One", a store selling regional art and beautiful black&white photographs of Dubai.
This place is wonderful for taking memorable photographs & having a meal, but not for shopping.

Some of the restaurants are licensed (= serve alcoholic beverages) and some are not. For a full list of the various eateries & all the stores, click here.

I have also reviewed some of the resort's eateries in my "Restaurant Tips".

Opening Hours: 7 days a week, 10:00am - 11:00pm

Many might point out that Madinat Jumeirah is completely artificial, but most would agree that it is extremely beautiful and very well done. Madinat Jumeirah is a luxury resort complex of three hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, and conference halls, all of which were built in the traditional Emirati architectural style around a manmade lagoon by the beaches of the Gulf. The whole complex has a relaxing atmosphere with unobstructed views of Burj al-Arab. The shopping area is designed to look like a traditional Middle Eastern souk and contains shops that are focused on eastern arts and crafts. Madinat Jumeirah is well worth a visit especially at night when the lighting is fantastic. Go there to shop, to have dinner or a drink, or if you can afford the luxury stay at one of its three luxury hotels.

Madinat Jumeirah is a touristic town contains houses,stores and restoration of old arabic citadels in traditional architecture style and facade of mud-and-strow walls,which are composed of modern shoppings and famous brands on the inside and the exterior pleasant cafés&restaurants next to a calm river.the attractions are doubled with the line of the palms on the side of the river and Burj Al Arab which is visible through them.you can pass the river in a cabin cruiser with only 35 DH for an hour to sightseeing the town and looking at that beautiful sceneries.dont lose this arabic anthropology & architecture museum.

The Venice of Dubai - the Souq Madinat Jumeirah is a recreation of traditional Arabian souqs set in a Venice-like atmosphere. It is a bit pretentious but the atmosphere is great and the place is beautiful. Against the backdrop of the meandering canals and bazaars, you can have a nice view of Burj al-Arab - the 7-star hotel. This place is great for photo-snapping!

There are a number of food outlets for dining as well as shops selling all sorts of items like souvenirs, carpets, textiles, antiques etc. Nice ambience but expensive to shop.

I guess I'm in love with this place because it's so different for Dubai. The flavours and smells wafting through Madinat's complex corridors are literally like a breath of fresh air... warm, rustic, unforgettable.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Madinat's got probably the best bars and restaurants in town, alongwith Wafi. You could get your fix of jazz, satisfy your craving for vodka, sate those taste buds - all within about a square mile of each other.

Bar Zar, JamBase, The Agency, and for all you clubbers out there, Trilogy with its open-air terrace... more than enough reasons for you to come soak in the magic of Madinat.