We went to the Global Village on the Christmas, so you can draw a mental picture of how crowded it must have been plus its HUGE !! The entry fee is AED 15 for adults and AED 10 for children. If you’re above 65 years then the entry is free of charge. There is so much to see, so many countries to visit and a huge variety of things to buy. Yes I would agree that some of the products on offer are repetitive and some are expensive. However I also found some products and designs of products here that I did not find in the other shopping places in Dubai. To cover the whole area it would take a long time so its best to have on good walking shoes and lots of energy! Don’t go if you’re pressed for time.
There are loads of places to eat and have a drink so take your time going around. But I found most of the food stalls to be ridiculously expensive as compared to their outlets in the city. There’s a whole variety of fresh seasonal fruits especially Thai fruit. The dry fruits from the Iran pavilion shouldn’t be missed. The Turkish Burgers from the Turkish food cart are very Authentic, just as you would find at the Taksim Square. Yahya Tom Yam Kung is a must try as it is one of the most authentic Tom Yam one can find in Dubai.
We ate dinner at a Pakistani restaurant called Bundu Khan which was delicious and surprisingly the most reasonable as well. Total value for money!
The fireworks display is a nice touch and the best thing is that you can see it from anywhere you are in the village.
Although I was quite excited to go there, but I left disappointed. The place is large and the fronts of various buildings representing different countries (many from the region) are pretty, but the disappointment lurks inside – lack of authenticity. All vendors were selling basically the same stuff of poor quality, often times the merchandise has nothing to do with the country it is supposed to represent… Its like you would find products that are made in China in almost all the pavillions. The best deal I found on Iranian Saffron was from an Afghani vendor at the Afghanistan Pavilion.
The amusement park is great but it is sad that you have to pay a ridiculous amount of money to go on each ride. I didn’t have much time to go on the rides but if that’s your thing, some of them looked like a good thrill.
In conclusion, I would say that its a good outdoor place to hang out on a cold winter evening (just coz you would finally get a chance wear your branded winter jackets and designer boots) but its not an ideal place for shopping because you would find the same things in the city at half the price. If you really want to get the best bargain then go during the last two weeks when the vendors might be in the mood to reduce the price just because they don’t want to transport their stocks back home. I wouldn’t recommend you to go on a weekend because it’s extremely crowded especially the washroom queues get out of control and the toilets get very dirty. I still haven’t recovered from my nightmarish toilet ordeal!
For those living in Dubai, Global Village provides an escape for a night out in the lovely weather filled with activities, food, performances, and shopping. It is literally like being ’round the world in 4 hours’!
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