Dubai is best known for its spectacular buildings and skyscrapers. The country is home to many famous luxurious hotels such as the Atlantis Palm, which has its own indoor theme park called Aquaventure Waterpark where guests can enjoy various water activities, relax in beach etc. Dubai is not only famous for sightseeing where you can visit various places or enjoy activities like Desert Safari, Dhow Cruise, Bhurj Khalifa, Mosque etc but Dubai has become synonymous with shopping centers, it is proving to be a paradise for shopping lovers. The word tax-free has made it an instant magnet for both local and foreign shoppers.

Starting from gold to electronics, designer labels and luxury items, Dubai is packed with huge shopping malls located side-by-side with older souks, where small shop owners sell everything from spices to clothing to carpets and rugs and to gold items. Goods in Dubai are available from all over the world including Turkey, Iran, India and China. No tourist can leave this place without shopping.

Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF)

Dubai is also famous for its shopping festival which is called as Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), which is worth to mention here. This festival not only attracts local people but it is also quite famous among people of different countries. This festival attracts thousands of shoppers from across the world. Dubai Shopping Festival which starts every year in January and goes on for a month. In addition to the shopping, people can also enjoy various activities like concerts, events; fashion shows outdoor sports and may taste international cuisines in this internationally acclaimed festival.  Here you will come across a vast variety of goods with most of them being tax-free. Discounts on the big brands like Gucci, Prada, Armani and more will tempt you to engage in this festival.

Apart from this festival, local people, tourists can also enjoy shopping year round in its famous malls, shopping centers, souks etc. Here is the list of few renowned shopping malls, souks which people can visit anytime in a year.

The Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall is one of the biggest malls in the world, which is one of the favorite malls among shopping lovers. It is located near Burj Khalifa, in Financial Centre Road. This affluent mall is endowed with over 1200 luxury and premium brand stores, cafes and restaurants, cinema screens, an Underwater Zoo, Dubai Aquarium, Ice rink, Theme park, Dubai fountains. Major attractions for chocolate and candy lovers are the Hershey’s Chocolate World and the Candylicious store that sell all Hershey’s products and various types of candies. This place is flooded with people all around the year.

Mall of the Emirates

Mall of the Emirates located on the Sheikh Zayed Road, it offers a mesmerizing experience with many premium stores of fashion, lifestyle, sports, electronics, home décor, kid’s play zone and multiplex cinema. The other big draw is Ski Dubai the world-renowned indoor ski slope it is like a snow experience in the desert city. This quaint snowy wonderland features an 85-meter-high mountain with 5 runs, a Snow Park for kids (even big kids) and the Snow Bullet zipline. There’s even a resident troupe of penguins who live in their own icy enclosure, emerging for special Penguin Encounters with the public. If you have never ever seen or touched snow in your life then you should definitely visit this.

Apart from the mentioned shopping malls, here are so many malls in Dubai which are quite famous in their selves like WAFI Mall which is famous for its pyramid shaped façade structure, collection of artwork and Egyptian theme throughout the area, Ibn Battuta Mall located on Sheikh Zayed Road and has been designed in honour of the Arabian explorer Ibn Battuta The mall has over 270 stores and keeps its visitors hooked with its vibrant ambiance.

If you love to shop on streets then you can visit Meena Bazar in Dubai is a local market place in Bur Dubai, adjacent to Al Bastakiya area. The market area is famous for jewelry and wedding jewelry, watches, textiles, furniture and accessories and spices from India.

Souks in Dubai

The souks (a name given to the traditional markets of the city) of Dubai are one of the most renowned markets of the city. The most famous of the souks are the gold souk, spice souk, textile souk and the perfume souk. Needless to say, they are flooded with choices and allow you the biggest advantage of bargaining.

Gold Souk

Gold Souk is the most popular souk of Dubai and worth a visit even if you have no plans to buy. It is Located in Deira, adjacent to Dubai creek. Dubai Gold Souk is lined with hundreds of shops selling gold; everything from gold jewelry to gold bars all showcasing shiny golden wares in their windows, with unset stones and weighing scales inside ready to deal with customers. Some of the best bargains in the world can be found here. There is an old souk scattered with gold shops and a new souk in a more modern 2-storey building very close to each other. You should have a day free when visiting these souks as you will need to hop from shop to shop to see the variety available and to get the cheapest rates.

Spice Souk

Near to Gold Souk, you will find another area lined with plenty of small shops selling wide range of spices and herbs like saffron, turmeric, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander and sumac. The narrow streets are surrounded by the tempting aroma of the spices as well as basmati rice, dry fruits, nuts, hookah masala and flavored tobacco. If you love Dubai cuisine, you might as well want to take bag these spices and try cooking dishes yourself

The main attractions of Dubai are not only its scenic beaches, charming desert safaris, theme park and art, monuments; they include the various shopping options — from ultramodern mega malls and traditional souks in Dubai to local street outlets. So before you plan your trip, glance through the list of best shopping places in Dubai.