Karama is a low-rise grid where most residents are South Asian and Filipino, and where people from all over Dubai come for tailoring, laundry, dining and shopping. Start at ADCB metro (Red Line).
Best time: Weekend morning for breakfast at Calicut Paragon, or late evening (the bakery runs around the clock). In summer (May-September) only early morning or after dark.
The route, stop by stop
- 1ADCB metro station
Red Line station in the middle of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street; start here. 5 min.
- 2Karama Market
Karama's marketplace (OpenStreetMap). Browse and bargain. 40 min.
- 3Calicut Paragon (Karama)
Dubai branch since 2005 of the Kozhikode restaurant founded in 1939; South Indian biryani and weekend breakfasts long-time residents grew up on. 45 min.
- 4Al Rageef Al Lebnani Bakery (formerly Al Reef)
Karama bakery since 1986, baking manakish around the clock: order za'atar and cheese straight from the oven. 15 min.
More walks in Dubai
- Al Fahidi lanes to the Bur Dubai souk
- Bur Dubai creekside to Al Shindagha
- Deira souks and Al Ras
- Safa Park to the Jumeirah heritage sites
- Oud Metha, Karama, Zabeel Park and the Dubai Frame
- Downtown: Burj Khalifa to the Museum of the Future
- Satwa and Al Hudaiba: Union House to Ravi's
- Deira back streets: Naif Souq to Al Ras
- Kite Beach to the Burj Al Arab at dawn
- Al Quoz: warehouse coffee and the Alserkal galleries
- Hatta: waterfall dam, heritage village and the lake