Located 30 minutes from all major areas of Dubai and exceptionally close to the Dubai International Airport, Dubai Festival City is a fantastic place to spend time while visiting the city. Here, you can find the best mall in Dubai, as well as hotels, restaurants, and other fun activities for the entire group.
To help you create your dream itinerary, read on to learn everything you need to know to plan a fun day for all at Dubai Festival City Mall.
1. Get ready to shop until you drop.
While there is a range of activities on offer at Dubai Festival City Mall, the main thing you want to do while you are here is to shop until you drop. With so many different shopping options, you will find that the hardest decision is to ask yourself where you will go first. From accessories to Arabic fashion, health and beauty to home furnishing, and shoes to stationery, you can find anything your heart desires at Dubai Festival City Mall.
What’s more, the mall is also home to a range of local and international brands, guaranteeing that everyone in your group will find exactly what they want. This is only made even better by the fact that the mall has a range of shopping offers, dining vouchers and other promotions and freebies in store for everyone.
The general mall timings are weekdays (Sun-Wed) from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM and weekends (Thu-Sat) from 10:00 AM to 12 midnight.
2. Take advantage of the signature services.
Throughout the complex, Dubai Festival City Mall stops at nothing to ensure that you have the most comfortable visit possible. This is seen in the range of signature services that are on offer. They include a car charging station for those who drive a chargeable car and EZ taxis that whizz you around the mall to help you save time while shopping.
Additionally, the mall offers valet parking, a trolly valet service, and an NOL charging station where visitors can recharge their public transport and RTA parking cards. If you need to be connected while you are there, the Dubai Festival City Mall offers free Wi-Fi, and you can purchase a Festival City Mall Gift Card for your loved ones.
Finally, the Dubai Festival City Mall has six dedicated prayer rooms for men and women to ensure that visitors have the opportunity to pray in peace at any time of the day.
3. Prepare to dine.
To ensure that you are able to keep up with all the fun shopping and activities you will be doing, you need to make sure that you are taking time out to eat and drink. Luckily, Dubai Festival City Mall has plenty of options to ensure that your whole group is fed and hydrated.
First, the mall has a number of cafés and bakeries that you can enjoy at all times of the day. These include Be.k Dessert Cafe, Cafe Bateel, Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, and Magnolia Bakery. Other speciality food options include Amorino, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’ Donuts, Godiva, and Haagen-Dazs.
For restaurants, you can select from a wide array of cuisines ranging from American to Italian, Chinese to Indian. Some favourite options include Origami, Al Fanar, California Pizza Kitchen, Hard Rock Cafe Dubai, PF Chang’s, and The Cheesecake Factory, amongst many others. And, if all those options weren’t enough, the mall also has a Food Court with quick dining options such as Bombay Chowpatty, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s.
In other words, you can be assured that everyone in your group will be able to find something delicious to eat. The dining options are open on weekdays (Sun-Wed) from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM and on weekends (Thu-Sat) from 10:00 AM to midnight.
4. Book yourself into one of the hotels.
Whether you are visiting Dubai for business or pleasure, you are sure to find the perfect place to stay in Dubai Festival City’s collection of luxury to mid-range hotels. Opting to stay in one of these hotels puts you in the ideal location for quick access to Dubai International Airport and Downtown Dubai while also offering stunning skyline and waterfront views.
Each of the hotels in the collection offers visitors a variety of well-appointed rooms and suites, as well as fantastic dining venues (including two from Michelin Star Chef Pierre Gagnaire) and spas and recreation facilities.
For the modern business traveller, the Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City offers the ideal balance of relaxation and productivity. Located at Dubai Creek, guests can enjoy innovative meeting and conference spaces, a state-of-the-art gym, a lap pool and leisure deck, and fantastic dining options.
Another option is the Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City, located in the heart of the Dubai Festival City Mall. Ideal for a variety of visitors – including those travelling for leisure and those visiting the city for business – the Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City is modernly designed with nature-inspired décor. This hotel has a 4th-floor leisure deck, a fully equipped gym, a pool, and numerous dining options.
If you are looking for a longer-term option, the InterContinental Residence Suites offers guests high-style living on the Dubai Creek. Each of the suites is elegantly designed to ensure that long-stay guests feel comfortable in their home away from home. With its ultra-modern contemporary design, this hotel has 24-hour room service, housekeeping, concierge, and a 24-hour business centre, not to mention it also boasts breathtaking views of the Dubai skyline and creek.
Finally, the InterContinental Dubai Festival City is a luxury option with elegantly designed rooms, an incredible collection of restaurants and lounges, conference rooms and ballrooms, and several leisure facilities.
The hardest part is deciding where you are going to stay!
Final Thoughts
No trip to Dubai is complete without time spent at the Dubai Festival City Mall; therefore, it is essential that you dedicate several hours (if not multiple days) to exploring everything the mall has to offer. From shops to dining options, activities to hotels, the Dubai Festival City Mall is the place to be.
Have you ever been to the Dubai Festival City Mall? If so, what advice do you have for those planning a trip there? If you haven’t, is it now on your list? Let us know your thoughts and any additional insights or questions you may have in the comments below!
This post has been written in collaboration with Dubai Festival City Mall.