Nada has spent more than 30 years watching Dubai change. Her favourite version of the city? It's not the one with the biggest skyline or newest attraction; it's the Dubai of childhood memories, historic neighbourhoods, family stories, and places that have been part of the city long before the skyscrapers arrived.

Her dream is to share that Dubai with others.

"It brings me so much joy to take people—whether it's out-of-towners or people who live here—around to show them the same and basically just point out the places I used to either play as a kid or, back in the days when there was just the one mall," she smiles.

"These stories are what I love to share with people, and I only hope that they take away something with it. [That they] go back home and remember fondly their time here."

Nada brings that dream to life through her partnership with Mastercard Priceless, creating an experience that takes guests beyond the Dubai they already know and into the stories, traditions, and hidden corners that have shaped the city.

The dream

For Nada, the idea was never simply to become a tour guide—it was about sharing a personal connection to the UAE. It was about giving people the chance to see Dubai through the eyes of someone who has lived through its extraordinary transformation.

Having called the Emirates home for more than three decades, Nada has seen the city evolve from a relatively small trading hub into one of the world's most recognisable destinations. With that change has come an even greater desire to preserve and share the stories behind it.

An experience with Nada synthesises the places she loves, memories from her own life, and the traditions that continue to define Emirati culture. History, food, famous neighbourhoods—and countless details that most visitors would walk straight past, connected to stories you definitely won't find in a guidebook.

The stories that stay with you

For Nada, the real measure of a tour's success is what people remember long after taking it.

"One of the highs of starting something like this would have to be seeing your effort come back in a way that's unexpected," she says.

She recalls receiving an email from someone whose colleague had visited Dubai several years earlier and taken one of her tours: "Phil from work had visited Dubai several years ago, took one of your tours, and loved it. We are coming to Dubai in a month, and we would like to do something similar. Are you available?"

It was a simple message, but it showed Nada that the stories she was sharing were travelling further than she realised. Someone had not only enjoyed an afternoon in Dubai; they had remembered it well enough to tell someone else about it.

What Mastercard Priceless changed

Her partnership with Mastercard Priceless has given Nada a way to take her vision to a wider audience.

"The magic behind Mastercard Priceless is that there's always the additional element of surprise, something you would not actually be able to find on your own had you booked it separately," she says. "I think that's one of the great value-adds, and with that, we have been able to cater to a much, much wider audience."

For Nada, the platform creates another way to introduce people to the Dubai she knows personally, while adding the unexpected details and access that make the experience feel different from a conventional sightseeing tour.

A Dubai best understood on foot

The experience begins in Al Shindagha, one of the city's oldest neighbourhoods. Here, Nada guides guests through the district's galleries and stories, exploring how Dubai grew from a creekside settlement into a thriving trading hub.

There are stories of pearl diving and the traditional dhow routes that connected Dubai with Persia, India, and East Africa, offering visitors a glimpse into a city that existed long before its modern skyline.

From there, the walk continues through the spice and gold souks.

The route is deliberately unhurried. There's time to take in the aromas of the spice market, browse local produce, and admire the gold displays before boarding a traditional wooden abra to be ferried across Dubai Creek.

It's a different way of seeing Dubai: not as a checklist of landmarks, but as a city shaped by the people who have lived, worked, and traded here.

A cup of gahwa, a table of Emirati food

The experience is also built around the traditions that Nada believes help tell Dubai's story.

Guests pause for gahwa, or Arabic coffee, served in the traditional way. Nada explains the etiquette surrounding the ritual, from the small gestures to the customs that give it meaning.

Then comes lunch at Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant, a Dubai favourite recognised with a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction. The meal brings Emirati comfort food to the table, with slow-cooked dishes, freshly baked bread, and generous sharing platters.

Here, food becomes another way into the story, with Nada sharing the traditions and cultural context behind what guests are eating.

Inside an Old Dubai home

The experience continues at Mazmi, a boutique hotel and café inside a beautifully restored 1940 wind-tower house in Al Fahidi.

The property once belonged to Sheikh Mohammed Shareef Al Ulama and is filled with details that reveal its history, including its distinctive wind towers, papyrus-headed columns, and flower-in-a-vase motifs around the courtyard.

There's time for a scoop of slow-melt gelato from the café, too. But this is also where the experience becomes particularly personal, as Nada shares memories from her own life growing up in the Emirates, from family and food to the places that have stayed special to her over the years. It's the part of the tour that finds Nada revealing five of her favourite hidden gems around Dubai, offering the kind of local knowledge that can't easily be found by searching a map.

The Dubai Nada wants you to remember

For Nada, the city is a collection of memories as much as it is a collection of landmarks. It's the neighbourhoods where she played as a child, the traditions she grew up with, and the stories that have been passed between generations.

Her hope is that guests leave with stories of their own.

Maybe it's a detail about Dubai's pearl-diving history. Maybe it's the ritual of pouring gahwa. Maybe it's a dish discovered during lunch, the view from an abra, or a hidden corner that never would've been have found otherwise.

And perhaps, years from now, these guests will be the people telling a friend about the Dubai tour they once took with Nada.

That, for Nada, is the dream.

The experience

Exclusively available to Mastercard cardholders, the experience includes a curated walking tour of Old Dubai, visits to Al Shindagha Museum and the historic spice and gold souks, an abra ride across Dubai Creek, traditional Arabic coffee, lunch at Michelin Bib Gourmand Al Khayma Heritage Restaurant, gelato at Mazmi, access to five of Nada's hidden Dubai gems, and a special keepsake to take home.

The experience is for up to 10 guests per day and must be booked at least one day in advance. Comfortable shoes and clothing suited to the weather are recommended.

How to book

Ready to discover Nada's Dubai? This exclusive experience is available to Mastercard cardholders on select dates.

Book the Walking Tour with Nada on Priceless.

The experience must be booked at least one day in advance. Lunch is pre-ordered and served on sharing platters, with a vegetarian option available on request.