Dubai was announced as the host of Expo 2020 on 27 November 2013. I had been in Dubai for the weeks prior to this announcement, and it was clear that the population wanted this so badly! Pop-up Expo 2020 stores were everywhere. Vehicles were getting vinyl Expo 2020 wraps and the souks were overrun with Expo 2020 souvenirs.

I had planned to visit Dubai in 2020, and was planning to visit Expo 2020. The pandemic certainly put a stop to those plans, but I was lucky to visit Dubai in 2021 and of course visit Expo.

I had an idea of what I wanted to see before visiting, but I thought I’d initially just experience Expo 2020 and walk around fairly aimlessly. I arguably missed out on a few pavilions with this attitude, and I planned my second day more thoroughly.

Expo (sometimes “World Expo” or “World’s Fair”) has technically been around since the 1700s, starting with one in Prague in 1791, with the first “Expo” being “L’Exposition des produits de l'industrie française” held in Paris in 1798.

The modern era of Expo has been a mixture of themes as well as a platform to showcase different countries and cultures.

I have a close personal connection to Expo ‘86 and Expo ‘88, but had not been to an Expo since 1988 in Brisbane.

Much like the Olympics (usually with less of a price tag), Expo brings a boom in construction for a city. A lot of the Expo infrastructure is still in place around the world. My first ever concert that I attended was held in an Expo ‘88 structure.

I purchased an Etisalat SIM card in the arrivals area of the Dubai airport and chose a “Visitor Line Premium Plus” for the data that I might need, but as an added bonus it included a free Expo 2020 Multiday pass (30 consecutive days from first visit).

SIM Plans can be found here:

Etisalat Visitor Line plans

This Multiday pass regularly costs AED195:

Expo 2020 Dubai ticket prices

Depending on what you want to see and your availability, I would suggest that two long days mid-week would be enough to see “enough”. I spent over 20 hours there over two days and went to 27 pavilions, multiple restaurants/cafes and watched moving exhibitions through the grounds. That is about 15% of Expo.

There are 200 pavilions at Expo 2020. 192 of those are countries, the other 8 are specialty pavilions. They take between a few minutes and up to an hour to experience in full.

I visited the following pavilions in order, over two days:

Terra - The Sustainability Pavilion, New Zealand, Turkey, Canada, Korea, Alif – Mobility Pavilion, Australia, Oman, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Russia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Iraq, Norway, Pakistan, Lebanon, Indonesia, Dubai Cares, Saudi Arabia, Palestine

Kuwait, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Mexico, Algeria

Pavilions that I missed out on, but were on my list:

UAE, Egypt, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Yemen, Afghanistan

Which Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions to visit:

From my experience, I would suggest Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as pavilions that everyone should visit. I thought Australia, Oman, Mexico, Dubai Cares, Russia, Indonesia, Jordan and the Alif Mobility pavilions were worthwhile as well. The Terra Sustainability pavilion was educational for anyone not versed with the issues facing the planet currently.

My reviews of Expo 2020 Pavilions

What to bring to Expo 2020 Dubai

• Bring an empty reusable water bottle. I had read differing accounts beforehand, and chose not to on my first day (ease of security etc). I purchased a reusable bottle at the Australia pavilion (AED79), realising my mistake. You can purchase disposable water bottles at Expo, but the cost is high compared to outside, so it’s almost better value to simply buy a reusable one there (if you forget one from home). There are free water stations throughout Expo, just watch out for bees.

• Bring your Covid-19 vaccination certificate and/or PCR test results, printed out. While apps are also used (Al Hosn app for instance), I found paper copies worked best in Dubai. Expo has specific rules about vaccinated vs unvaccinated visitors and you are even eligible for free PCR tests there in some cases.

• Wear comfortable shoes! Expo 2020 Dubai is over 400Ha (1000 acres) of space. If you’re wearing a smartwatch, you’ll hit your steps target!

• Wear a comfortable mask.

• Keep a paper map from previous visits.

• Bring a backpack. You may wish to buy souvenirs, carry your water bottle and sunscreen etc. External food is prohibited.

• Install the Expo 2020 Dubai app. While I actually found using a paper map was faster, the app had times for shows etc. And that’s how you access your Smart Queue and eticket. I found the app slow and battery intensive, so I added my eticket to my Google Pay app.

• Power bank battery pack for your phone. You can pay to recharge your phone at Expo 2020, but you might as well bring your own. You will need it if you are using the Expo 2020 app a lot, and there is so much to photograph and video, it would be sad to miss out. Especially with the amount of time needed to see everything.

• Check the Expo 2020 Dubai FAQ page for any updates.

By far the easiest way to visit Expo 2020 Dubai is by the metro. The Expo 2020 metro station is at the end of the newer leg of the red line, and delivers passengers to the front entrance of Expo. The journey is somewhere between 30-60 minutes, depending on where you are coming from.

There are buses and numerous car parks for driving, but I heard horror stories of delays and traffic jams.

The car parks are also at different gates to the main entrance.

Purchasing an Expo 2020 Dubai Passport slipped my mind when I arrived. I only remembered half way through my day after visiting 10+ pavilions. So I ended up not bothering.

For AED20, the passport is a bit of fun where each pavilion will stamp it like a normal passport.

Although I missed this, they are available all over Expo. The official souvenir store at the metro entrance would be the perfect place to get yours!

I was lucky to visit Expo 2020 on weekdays, and not school holidays. For both the days I spent at Expo 2020, I arrived late morning. Expo opens at 9:00am most days, but many pavilions will enjoy a later opening time. If you’re ok with the midday heat (I am), then this is a great time to see more with fewer queues.

The exit to the metro station is literally right at the main entrance to Expo. I had my eticket, vaccination and PCR test results ready, so going through security literally took 10 minutes. Mostly slowed down by people getting to the front of the queue then trying to load their etickets. I did see one person get turned away for a PCR test that was out of the window of acceptable.

Security is much like any other event, no liquids in your bottles and put your items through an x-ray machine. It was very quick, but I’m sure it isn’t in peak times.

As a celebration of countries across the world, it is only fitting that there are international foods available everywhere.

According to the official Expo 2020 website, there are 148 food outlets (not including drinks). Some are definitely better than others, and the range in quality and price is drastic, as you would expect.

There are fast food kiosks and gourmet sit down restaurants, and everything in between.

It’s a good idea to plan ahead if you are looking for a specific food experience, especially at a popular spot. The official app and website are good resources to use.

Besides the free water fountains, there are plenty of coffee and chai spots.

What I ate at Expo 2020

I went in with no research done. I didn’t care if I didn’t eat anything, and was happy to play it by ear. I also knew I wasn’t just going for one day.

Al Baik Chicken

After witnessing the queue at Dubai Mall for Al Baik, I was glad to see that the outlet at Expo had a much faster queue!

Al Baik is a fried chicken franchise from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and has a special place in many people’s hearts apparently. It is also quite decent and cheap.

If the queue is short enough, it is worth a try. A Double Baik is AED9.5 for instance.

Mama’esh

I had lunch at a Mama’esh previously, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. So when I saw a kiosk outside of the Palestine pavilion with a proper oven, I simply had to get a za’atar mana’esh (AED10) and later some kunafa (AED20).

Melbourne Lane - Australian Pavilion

I wasn’t planning on eating at the Australian pavilion, but nostalgia took a hold of me.

Non-Australians probably wouldn’t look twice at a Vegemite and cheese jaffle (AED15), but that throwback to my childhood forced my hand. I purchased a lamington (AED10) and a coffee (AED12) as well. The jaffle was perfect, the lamington was OK and the coffee was outstanding.

Honestly, I wasn’t planning on picking up any souvenirs. I brought a backpack, mostly to carry my battery powerpack and later my water bottle. But I ended buying loads on my second visit.

Besides the numerous official Expo 2020 Souvenir Stores (including one at the metro entrance), there are numerous souvenir stores attached to pavilions.

Expo 2020 Passport

As covered above, grab an Expo 2020 Dubai Passport when you arrive from an official store. They are AED20 and I wish I had bought one.

Expo 2020 Official Souvenirs

While the overwhelming amount of Expo emblazoned toys and clothes had little interest to me, I did end up with a few purchases from the official store. Many of the items can be viewed on the official Expo 2020 Dubai Amazon page.

I wanted some Arabic calligraphy coffee cups, and I purchased a set of 4 gold calligraphy cups (AED99).

Besides a couple of fridge magnets and key rings, the most outstanding items in the store were the camel milk products. Some infused with frankincense, others with honey, the soaps and beauty products were worth a look. I purchased a camel milk lip balm for AED25.

If you spent over a certain amount, the store threw in a free jute tote bag. I ended up buying a couple, as I really liked them.

Australian Souvenirs

I needed a reusable water bottle, as I had read differing accounts of what you could and couldn’t bring in. I ended up purchasing a metal one from the Australian pavilion (AED79).

While I’m not a fan of paw paw ointment, unlike so many others, there was quite the display.

When I flew on Qantas as a child, I was given a koala-shaped kangaroo fur luggage tag. There were keyrings (AED15) at this pavilion which were almost identical, so I had to buy a couple.

Omani Souvenirs

The Oman pavilion souvenir store was quite packed when I visited. I had a quick look through the frankincense products and rose essential oils etc, but I decided to come back at a later time.

I returned and ended up purchasing some Luban frankincense lip balm (AED50). I would have liked to have browsed more, but it was always busy and the staff were serving others. The sheer range of products was worth looking at, ranging drastically in price.

Other Souvenirs

I missed the Yemen pavilion, sadly. I have read that you can have your name written in Himyaritic language.

The Afghanistan pavilion has saffron, the Saudi Arabian pavilion has rose products, the Pakistani pavilion has pink salt, and the Sudan pavilion even has slingshots (apparently). There are many food and toiletries available all over.

My experiences of the following pavilions may not be the same as others. Both days were mid-week, and I arrived around midday on both occasions. As such, the queues were significantly shorter for most of the time. I have heard that evenings on the weekend are vastly different, so take that into account.

Terra - Sustainability Pavilion, New Zealand, Turkey, Canada, Korea, Alif – Mobility Pavilion, Australia, Oman, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Russia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Iraq, Norway, Pakistan, Lebanon, Indonesia, Dubai Cares, Saudi Arabia, Palestine

Kuwait, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Mexico, Algeria

My reviews of Expo 2020 Pavilions