Bur Dubai

Bur Dubai is the south bank of Dubai Creek and the oldest continuously lived-in part of the city. Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood — the wind-tower quarter — sits at its heart, with Al Fahidi Fort and the Dubai Museum beside it, courtyard cafes inside the lanes, and the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding running its cultural meals here. Down at the water, the abra stations run wooden boats across to Deira for a fare that has stayed among the cheapest crossings in any major city. Behind the waterfront are the textile souk and Meena Bazaar, the tailoring district, and Al Seef, a newer built-heritage promenade of restaurants along the creek. Three Metro stations serve it — Al Ghubaiba, Al Fahidi and BurJuman — and the whole quarter is genuinely walkable, which almost nowhere else in Dubai is.