A–Z
Dubai & Istanbul Travel Encyclopedia
Plain-language explanations of the places, transport, food, customs and paperwork you will meet in Dubai and Istanbul — written by our teams on the ground and kept current.
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43 entries
A
- Transport · DubaiAbraThe wooden water taxi that has crossed Dubai Creek for a century — five minutes from Bur Dubai to Deira for AED 1–2, and still the cheapest, most atmospheric ride in the city.
- Neighbourhoods · DubaiAl Fahidi & Dubai CreekOld Dubai: the wind-tower lanes of Al Fahidi, the Creek that founded the city, the abra crossing, and the Gold and Spice Souks of Deira on the far bank.
B
- Landmarks · IstanbulBasilica CisternJustinian's underground reservoir of 532 beneath Sultanahmet — 336 marble columns in a dim forest of water and light, with the two upside-down Medusa heads — reopened in 2022 after restoration.
- Landmarks · IstanbulBlue MosqueThe six-minaret imperial mosque of 1617 facing Hagia Sophia, named for its 20,000 İznik tiles — free to enter, closed to visitors during the five daily prayers, fully restored in 2023.
- Nature & day trips · IstanbulBosphorusThe 31-kilometre strait between Europe and Asia that runs through the middle of Istanbul — lined with palaces, fortresses and wooden yalı mansions, crossed by three bridges and two tunnels, and best seen from a boat.
- Landmarks · DubaiBurj Al ArabThe sail-shaped hotel on its own island off Jumeirah Beach — 321 metres tall, opened in 1999, and the building that made Dubai's skyline famous.
- Landmarks · DubaiBurj KhalifaThe tallest building in the world at 828 metres, with public observation decks on levels 124–125 and 148 in the heart of Downtown Dubai.
C
D
- Landmarks · IstanbulDolmabahçe PalaceThe 285-room European-style palace on the Bosphorus shore that replaced Topkapı in 1856 — crystal staircases, the world's largest chandelier, and the room where Atatürk died at 9:05 on 10 November 1938, its clocks still stopped.
- Neighbourhoods · DubaiDowntown DubaiThe two-square-kilometre district built around Burj Khalifa — Dubai Mall, the Fountain, Dubai Opera and Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard — and the city's tourist centre of gravity.
- Nature & day trips · DubaiDubai Desert & Desert SafariThe dunes that start 30 minutes from the towers — Lahbab's red sand, the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve and Al Marmoom — and the evening safari that is Dubai's most-booked experience.
- Culture & customs · DubaiDubai Dress CodeWhat to wear in Dubai, honestly: relaxed on beaches and in hotels, shoulders and knees covered in malls and old town, full cover in mosques — and stricter during Ramadan.
- Landmarks · DubaiDubai FountainA 275-metre choreographed fountain on Burj Khalifa Lake that fires water 150 metres into the air to music — free to watch, every half hour in the evening.
- Landmarks · DubaiDubai FrameA 150-metre golden picture frame in Zabeel Park whose sky deck looks at old Dubai on one side and the new skyline on the other — one of the city's best-value viewpoints.
- Landmarks · DubaiDubai MallOne of the largest shopping centres on earth by total area — 1,200-plus shops, an aquarium, an ice rink and the entrance to Burj Khalifa, all beside the Dubai Fountain.
- Neighbourhoods · DubaiDubai MarinaA three-kilometre man-made canal ringed by 200 towers, yachts and a seven-kilometre promenade — Dubai's most walkable waterfront and its sunset-cruise departure point.
- Transport · DubaiDubai MetroThe driverless metro that runs 90 km through Dubai on two lines — the Red Line from the airport past Downtown to the Marina and Expo City, and the Green Line around the Creek — clean, cheap and air-conditioned.
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G
- Landmarks · IstanbulGalata TowerThe 63-metre Genoese stone tower of 1348 above Karaköy, whose 360-degree balcony gives the classic view of the Old City, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus — and the longest queue in Beyoğlu at sunset.
- Landmarks · IstanbulGrand BazaarOne of the oldest and largest covered markets on earth: 61 streets, some 4,000 shops and 22 gates under Ottoman vaults since 1461 — closed on Sundays, open for bargaining the rest of the week.
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I
- Transport · IstanbulIstanbul Airport (IST) & Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)Istanbul's two airports on opposite sides of the city: IST, the vast 2019 hub 40 km north-west on the European side, and SAW, the low-cost airport 45 km south-east in Asia — which one you land at decides your transfer.
- Transport · IstanbulIstanbulkartThe one card for everything that moves in Istanbul — metro, tram, bus, Marmaray, funiculars and the ferries — bought from a yellow machine, shared by a family, and cheaper than any single ticket.
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K
- Neighbourhoods · IstanbulKadıköyThe Asian side's liveliest district, 20 minutes by ferry from Eminönü — a food market, bar streets, the Moda seafront and Bağdat Avenue's shops — where Istanbul residents actually spend their weekends.
- Food & drink · DubaiKarak ChaiDubai's everyday drink: strong black tea boiled with evaporated milk, sugar and cardamom, sold for a dirham or two from roadside cafeterias — often through the car window.
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P
- Landmarks · DubaiPalm JumeirahThe palm-shaped artificial island off Dubai's coast — home to Atlantis, Aquaventure, The View at The Palm and a crescent of luxury resorts, reached by monorail or road.
- Nature & day trips · IstanbulPrinces' IslandsNine car-free islands in the Sea of Marmara an hour's ferry from the city — Büyükada's wooden mansions, pine hills and electric carts, Heybeliada's quiet — Istanbul's favourite summer day out.
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S
- Landmarks · DubaiSheikh Zayed Grand MosqueAbu Dhabi's white-marble mosque with 82 domes, the world's largest hand-knotted carpet and room for 40,000 worshippers — free to visit, 80 minutes from Dubai, and the usual reason for an Abu Dhabi day trip.
- Landmarks · IstanbulSpice BazaarThe L-shaped 1660s market beside the Eminönü ferries — spices, Turkish delight, dried fruit, cheeses and the city's oldest coffee roaster outside its gate — open seven days, and a better food stop than the Grand Bazaar.
- Neighbourhoods · IstanbulSultanahmetIstanbul's Old City on the historic peninsula — Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı, the Cistern and the Hippodrome within ten minutes' walk of each other, plus the Grand Bazaar a tram stop away.
T
- Neighbourhoods · IstanbulTaksim & İstiklal AvenueThe modern heart of European Istanbul: Taksim Square and the 1.4-km pedestrian İstiklal Avenue running down through Beyoğlu to Galata — shops, arcades, the red nostalgic tram, and the city's nightlife.
- Landmarks · IstanbulTopkapı PalaceThe Ottoman sultans' palace-city on the tip of the old peninsula, home of the empire for four centuries — four courtyards, the Harem, the Treasury's Spoonmaker's Diamond and the Sacred Relics, closed on Tuesdays.
- Food & drink · IstanbulTurkish Breakfast (Kahvaltı)Not a meal but a table: cheeses, olives, honey with clotted cream, tomatoes, eggs, sucuk, jams, warm bread and endless tea — the weekend ritual Istanbul takes more seriously than dinner.
- Culture & customs · IstanbulTurkish HammamThe Ottoman bathhouse ritual — a hot marble slab, a scrub with a coarse kese mitt, a mountain of soap foam and a glass of tea after — in 16th-century domed buildings that are still working baths.
- Practical · IstanbulTurkish Lira (TRY)Türkiye's currency, which has lost value fast in recent years — so prices in lira change often, foreigners are charged in euros at museums, and the smart move is card for most things and small lira notes for the rest.
- Food & drink · IstanbulTurkish Tea & Turkish CoffeeTea in a tulip glass is the drink of Türkiye — offered in every shop, drunk a dozen times a day — while Turkish coffee, thick and unfiltered, is the ceremony: ordered by sugar level, served with water, and read in the grounds.
- Practical · IstanbulTürkiye e-VisaWho enters Türkiye visa-free (most Europeans, Gulf citizens, Americans, Iranians), who buys a quick online e-Visa, and who needs a consulate appointment — with the residence-permit rules that matter for UAE residents.
U
- Practical · DubaiUAE Dirham (AED)The currency of Dubai and the UAE, pegged at 3.6725 to the US dollar since 1997 — so prices are stable, cards work everywhere, and you rarely need much cash.
- Practical · DubaiUAE Visa on ArrivalWho can walk into Dubai without a visa, who gets one stamped at the airport for free, and who must arrange a tourist visa beforehand — the three groups every traveller falls into.
Landmarks
LandmarksDubai
Burj Khalifa
The tallest building in the world at 828 metres, with public observation decks on levels 124–125 and 148 in the heart of Downtown Dubai.
LandmarksDubai
Dubai Fountain
A 275-metre choreographed fountain on Burj Khalifa Lake that fires water 150 metres into the air to music — free to watch, every half hour in the evening.
LandmarksDubai
Palm Jumeirah
The palm-shaped artificial island off Dubai's coast — home to Atlantis, Aquaventure, The View at The Palm and a crescent of luxury resorts, reached by monorail or road.
LandmarksDubai
Burj Al Arab
The sail-shaped hotel on its own island off Jumeirah Beach — 321 metres tall, opened in 1999, and the building that made Dubai's skyline famous.
LandmarksDubai
Dubai Frame
A 150-metre golden picture frame in Zabeel Park whose sky deck looks at old Dubai on one side and the new skyline on the other — one of the city's best-value viewpoints.
LandmarksDubai
Dubai Mall
One of the largest shopping centres on earth by total area — 1,200-plus shops, an aquarium, an ice rink and the entrance to Burj Khalifa, all beside the Dubai Fountain.
Latest guides
When to go· 3 min read
Best Time to Visit Istanbul: Month-by-Month Weather, Crowds and Prices
Istanbul has four real seasons — a novelty for Gulf travellers. Here is what each month feels like, when the Bosphorus is at its best, and when to go if you want cool weather without the crowds.
Visa & entry· 3 min read
UAE Visa for Turkish Citizens: Options, Documents, Cost and Processing Time
Turkish citizens have more than one route into the UAE, and the right one depends on your passport type, your airline and how far ahead you plan. Here is the practical version.
Getting around· 4 min read
Driving in Dubai as a Tourist: Which Licences Are Accepted, Rules, Fines, Tolls and Renting a Car
Dubai is one of the easiest big cities in the world to drive in — wide roads, cheap fuel, clear signs — if you know which licence counts and how the cameras work. Here is the practical version.