Dubai Gold Souk

Dubai Gold Souk

Take a stroll through Dubai's Gold Souk and you'll understand why Dubai has earned the title of the "City of Gold". More than 300 jewelers line the alleyways of the Gold souk where hundreds of people of different nationalities visit Dubai's Gold souk each year to take advantage of the wide variety of jewelry here as well as some of the lowest Gold prices in the world.

The Jewelry
Selling everything from ingots to intricately worked jewelry, as well as precious stones and pearls at bargain prices the Gold souk has whatever jewelry you can think of. Shops and shops of jewelry line the alleyways, most of them Iranian and Indian. The typical gold here is brought from India and is 18 carats.

The Prices
The Gold prices here are some of the lowest in the world. The Gold here is priced according to weight rather than design and whether it's machine-made or made by a craftsman. The Gold rates are set daily by the UAE government and is sometimes displayed in the main shops. The gold prices of individual pieces though are not usually displayed at the window shops so you have to go inside and ask about the piece you're interested in.

When to go?
During the year the best time to go to the Gold souk would be during the Dubai Shopping Festival where the Gold souk is promoted vigorously. The timings of most of the Gold shops in the souk are 10am to 1pm and then from 4 or 5pm to 10pm. So going between 6:30 - 7pm would be an ideal time. Go during the daytime if you want to avoid large crowds. Going at night you'll encounter large crowds especially during Thursday and Friday nights. Most of the alleyways in the souks are outdoor although there are indoor shops as well.

Getting there
If you're staying at a beach hotel, there are usually free shuttle buses that will take you to the Gold souk. Taxicabs are very cheap here in Dubai, and even if the drivers don't know how to speak English very well, they understand "Gold souk" or "souk al thahab" - the arabic word for gold is "thahab." However the most enjoyable way of getting there, is by "abra" or "water taxi." It's a small boat that carries around 20 people across the creek to where the Gold souk is. And it'll only cost you 50 fils - the equivalent of 13 American cents or 7 British pennies. The trip by arba will take about 5-10 minutes and is quite enjoyable. It's not advisable to go to the Gold souk by car because of the stressful traffic and because find parking there is extremely difficult.

Purchasing

The name of the game here is "bargaining." Don't accept the first price and always look around and compare prices from different shops. Ask for the "best price" and "price after discount" and don't be shy, it's a custom here to bargain. You can pay by credit card but it's better to bring cash, because you're more likely to get a lower price. Even if you don't plan on buying anything the Gold souk is still worth visiting to let your eyes soak in the Gold glitter.

- For information about Dubai Hotels please visit: http://www.hoteltravel.com/uae/dubai/hotels.htm