Dubai’s souks and the lagoons of the Maldives

Dubai’s Creek, the gold and spice souks of Deira and the Burj Khalifa, then the Maldives: Malé in a morning, the inhabited island of Maafushi and days at a resort with the reef a few steps from the veranda.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Dubai → Malé (Maldives) · 7–9 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

United Arab EmiratesDubai
Days
2–3
When
Jan–Mar · Nov–Dec
Per person/day
Average 600–900 AEDMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
MaldivesMalé (Maldives)
Days
5–6
When
Jan–Apr
Per person/day
Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For anyone who wants to pair the city of Dubai with days by the sea in the Maldives, including an island where Maldivians live.

Not for anyone after a cheap trip: in the Maldives the resort weighs on the budget, and the speedboat or seaplane transfer is booked through it and paid separately.

The strategy

Dubai comes first, with two days between the Creek and Downtown, or three for the Jumeirah coast and the desert. Emirates and flydubai fly direct from Dubai to Velana airport (MLE), next to Malé, in a little over four hours; check the duration on the airline’s timetable. Seaplanes fly only in daylight, so the order in the Maldives is Malé first, where you spend the arrival night, then Maafushi, about 30 minutes by speedboat, and the resort last, ideally in Malé Atoll, where resorts collect guests by speedboat. Book the resort and its transfer ahead, and ask your guesthouse to confirm the Maafushi speedboat, since the public ferry does not run on Fridays. On Maafushi, shoulders are covered away from the bikini beach, and alcohol stays on the boat anchored offshore. You fly home from the same Velana airport. Dubai’s season is November to March and the Maldives dry season runs January to April, so January to March suits both.

What you will see

Burj Khalifa, Dubai. A 828 m tower with 163 habitable floors, inaugurated on January 4, 2010, designed by Adrian Smith at SOM with a Y-shaped structure inspired by the Hymenocallis flower.
Maafushi, Malé (Maldives). An inhabited island in South Malé Atoll, with 4,471 residents, about 30 minutes by speedboat from Malé.