Old Dubai: Al Fahidi, the Abra Crossing and the Souks of Deira

Search “old Dubai” and most results describe the same three stops: Al Fahidi’s wind-tower lanes, a boat ride across the creek, and a souk on the other side. What almost none of them say is that the building at the centre of Al Fahidi, the fort that gives the district its history, has been closed for five years, or exactly what the boat costs, or how far the walk actually is once you are on the ground. This page covers all three, checked against the RTA and Dubai’s own Culture and Arts Authority, not repeated from a 2024 blog post.

Al Fahidi Fort has been closed since 2021, and most articles do not say so

Al Fahidi Fort is Dubai’s oldest standing building and, since 1971, the home of Dubai Museum. It has also been closed to visitors since 2021 for an extensive restoration. Speaking to Euronews Travel at Arabian Travel Market on 18 September 2026, Ayisha Khansaheb, Director of Al Fahidi Fort and Specialised Museums at the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, said the reopened museum would welcome visitors back “in the coming weeks or months.” That means the fort may or may not be open on the day you actually visit, and it is worth checking immediately before you go rather than assuming either way.

None of the three blogs ranking for “old dubai” that we checked mention the closure. Dubai’s own tourism site describes the fort as something you “can’t miss,” without noting it has been shut for five years. The Al Fahidi neighbourhood around the fort, the cafes, the galleries and the lanes, stays open regardless of the fort’s status.

The fort's own construction date, and a mistake even the tourism board makes

Al Fahidi Fort is reported as having been built in 1787, originally as a defensive watchtower before being expanded into a full fort and later serving as a residence, a seat of government and a prison. Gulf News, reporting on the fort’s history and its restoration, states 1787. Dubai’s own official tourism article about Old Dubai, however, gives the date as 1781, six years off from the figure used elsewhere, including by the fort’s own restoration coverage. Either way, it remains the oldest standing building in the city, at more than 230 years old.

The walk, measured: Al Fahidi to the souks of Deira

Old Dubai splits across Dubai Creek: Al Fahidi and Al Seef sit in Bur Dubai, and the Gold Souk and Spice Souk sit in Deira, on the opposite bank. Getting from one to the other is not a single walk, it is a walk, a boat, then another walk, and the docks matter: the station nearest Al Fahidi itself runs a different route than the one that actually reaches the Deira souks.

One correction worth making explicitly: the abra dock closest to Al Fahidi itself, the Al Fahidi Marine Transport Station, does not run to the Deira souks at all, it connects to Al Sabkha further north. The crossing that actually lands you at the Spice Souk leaves from Bur Dubai Station, a further ten-minute walk past the Textile Souk. Getting this wrong means a longer walk on the wrong side of the creek before doubling back.

The abra crossing: one dirham, cash, run by the RTA

The abra is not a tourist novelty boat, it is a public transport line operated by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, with a fixed fare and a published route.

Fare is AED 1 per person, one way, cash only, paid to the boatman once aboard. Air-conditioned or petrol abras cost more, and a private charter runs AED 60 for 30 minutes or AED 120 for an hour, also cash only. The RTA does not publish how long the crossing itself takes; it is short, a few minutes, but we are not printing a number the operator does not state.

The souks close for lunch, and visitdubai.com actually says so

Once across, the Spice Souk and Gold Souk are the reason most people make the crossing at all. Dubai’s own tourism site is specific about timing here in a way most third-party blogs are not: the souks tend to close for a long lunch break, so early evening or late afternoon is when stalls are actually open and the streets are busiest, not the middle of the day.

The souks themselves have some covered walkways, but Al Fahidi’s lanes and the creek-side walk to the abra station are largely open to the sky. A 12-minute walk at a feels-like 22.9°C in January is a pleasant stroll; the same walk at 44.5°C in August is a reason to time the whole loop for after 4pm.

If you would rather not navigate the docks yourself

Both options below cover the same ground, Al Fahidi, the abra crossing and the souks, with a guide who knows which dock actually goes where. Since the fort itself is closed, the second option is worth noting for one reason: it stops at Al Khayma Heritage House instead, a working substitute for the museum visit that Al Fahidi Fort cannot currently offer.

Most reviewed

Dubai Aladdin Tour: Souks, Creek, Old Dubai and Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.87 · 4,546 reviews

By far the most-booked version of this walk, with a private abra ride and street food included. The trade-off for the volume of reviews is a bigger, more scripted stop-by-stop format rather than a quiet wander.

From $17.60

~3 hours · private abra ride · tastings and heritage site entry included

Check availability→

Highest rated

Dubai: Old Town, Souks, Street Food, Guided Tour & Abra Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.94 · 2,957 reviews

Rates a shade higher on fewer reviews, and stops at Al Khayma Heritage House, a real house-museum visit that stands in for the closed Al Fahidi Fort museum. Meeting point is Al Khayma itself, not a hotel pickup.

From $18

~3 to 4 hours · abra ride and heritage house entry included

Check availability→

Diego Fresno

Spent a trip through the Gulf from 7 to 17 December 2023: Bahrain on the 11th, Dubai and Abu Dhabi over the 13th, 15th and 16th, Doha on the 17th. One trip through the Gulf, not four separate ones, which is the whole reason this site exists instead of a single-city blog. One trip three years ago does not make anyone an expert on a region, which is why every price, floor number and opening time here is checked against the operator's own site before it goes on a page, not remembered from the trip.

Verified: The five-year closure of Al Fahidi Fort and the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority's own timeline for reopening, from Euronews Travel's interview with Ayisha Khansaheb published 18 September 2026. The fort's 1787 construction date, from Gulf News, cross-checked against visitdubai.com's own article, which states 1781. The abra routes, stations and AED 1 fare, from rta.ae's own abra page, checked 21 September 2026. All four walking distances, measured with OpenRouteService on OpenStreetMap paths, same date. The souks' long-lunch closing pattern, from visitdubai.com. Both guided tours' prices, ratings and review counts, from Viator's live bookable inventory, same date. Dubai temperature and feels-like averages, from Open-Meteo's ERA5 reanalysis for 2021 to 2025.

Not verified: Whether Al Fahidi Fort has actually reopened by the date you are reading this: the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority's own words were “coming weeks or months” as of 18 September 2026, not a fixed date. The exact abra crossing time in minutes, since the RTA publishes the fare and hours but not the duration. Current opening hours for XVA Gallery, SMCCU and the Coffee Museum, which were not checked live this pass and change independently of the fort.

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