Is a Dubai sightseeing tour worth it? At $24, yes — with a caveat about the buses

The two listings at the bottom of the price list are also near the top of the ratings. The top pick at $24 goes through the alleys of Al Fahidi with local guides, into the souks, on to street food and across Dubai Creek on an abra; 4.8 across 11,339 reviews. The second walk, at the same price, adds an Emirati Heritage House to the souks, the street food and the abra, over three to four hours; 4.9 across 7,614 reviews.

The buses are the caveat. The $42 ticket is valid for one or two days and names the Burj Khalifa, the Old Souk, Atlantis The Palm and Dubai Marina Mall among its landmarks, with a sunset and night tour in its title; 4.3 across 6,506 reviews. The $41 open-top bus sells a one-day, two-day or five-day ticket with panoramic city views and multilingual audio commentary; 4.4 across 3,382 reviews. Both are rated below each of the other thirteen city tours.

Then there is the tower. Entry to Burj Khalifa Levels 124 and 125 has 92,696 reviews, more than eight times the top pick’s 11,339, and is rated 4.3, the same figure as the lower of the two buses. It is a ticket, not a guided tour, and it costs $51.

Under $50 you have five of the 15: the two Old Town walks at $24, the guided day with Dubai Frame entry at $27, and the buses at $41 and $42. Ratings run from 4.3 to 4.9. For a first visit, one of the three guided ones is the sensible spend.

Between $98 and $132 the day gets longer or more private: a car and driver for five to ten hours at $98, the eight-hour tour with a Burj Khalifa experience at $128, the private half-day at $130 and the night tour at $132.

From $212 the remaining six are private: full days, the stopover tour, the cabriolet, an evening by car, and the Mercedes Sprinter at $790. The price page sets out all six bands, and the home page cards filter the 68 tours by price.