Arrowing through the centre of Bur Dubai, busy Al Fahidi Street is usually the liveliest spot in the district, lined with a long sequence of shops stacked high with watches (not always genuine), phones, cameras and other assorted electronics – you’re unlikely to walk far before being offered a “cheap copy watch”, “nice pashmina” or similar by one of the...

This low-rent inner city suburb is one of the best places to come in Dubai if you want to get a feel for life in the metropolis away from the five-star hotels and luxury developments. The area is home to the sort of people who provide the city with much of its low-skilled labour, from Indian taxi drivers to Filipina...

For a completely different view of Dubai, head out to the low-rent inner-city suburb of Karama, home to some of the innumerable expat Indian and Filipina waiters, shop assistants and taxi drivers who provide the city with so much of its workforce. The suburb is best known for the (in)famous Karama Souk, the heart of Dubai’s roaring trade in designer...

The centrepiece of the bustling new Marina Walk development, this swanky modern mall is aimed squarely at monied local tower-dwellers and visiting tourists from the nearby beachside five-stars. It’s particularly good on fashion, with the impressive central atrium layered from head to toe in designer outlets, while there’s a decent spread of other shops as well – a nice place...