Tag Archives: Victor Casse

Visiter Dubai | Day trip to Abu Dhabi | UAE | Travel | What to do with visiting relatives & friends | By Claudia Ong

Sometime last year, my cousin, Edwina Viel, wrote a post titled “A private tour guide for your visitors”. True enough, she heeded her own advice and organised a private travel guide for me to Abu Dhabi, and I’ve got to say that the experience was truly amazing and enriching.

Being extremely psyched about my big summer trip to Dubai, I spent a lot of my time doing my research about the place. And of course, being pretty hooked on social media, I found myself spending a ton of time exploring through Instagram for gorgeous pictures taken in Dubai by fellow enthusiasts. To be frank, I didn’t know much about the UAE or Dubai for that matter. The things I associated Dubai with was firstly, it’s a desert – so it’s incredibly hot in the summer, secondly, it’s where all the cool expats go to, and lastly, it’s a place for luxurious living. Eddie told me that you could call for an Uber Chopper! #mindblown

Of the many beautiful pictures that came up on Instagram during my research, the few that caught my eye were of course the #dubaigems like the well-known Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa. But there was this one, that was as white as snow, lined with gold and so perfectly symmetrical – The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. At first I was pretty bummed that it was in Abu Dhabi and not in Dubai. I wasn’t quite sure I’d get the chance to see this magnificent structure.

I have to say I’m very blessed to have such a hospitable cousin. Knowing that I wanted to delve deeper into the culture of UAE, she introduced me to Victor Cassé. If you’re looking for a warm, friendly, knowledgeable and personable travel guide, he is the man to go to. He dropped by the house at 1.30pm and we set off for our excursion. The drive to Abu Dhabi didn’t seem long because Victor was able to share his knowledge about the UAE in a way where you don’t even feel like you’re getting an information overload.

Unlike many regular tours, this one is flexible and customised to suit your interests best. You don’t need to fight with hordes of other tourists and it makes traveling from site to site very easy. The trip around Abu Dhabi took about 7 hours, and I was able to get a much deeper understanding and appreciation for its culture and development.

Here is where we went on the tour:

1: Saadiyat Gallery

2: Fruit and Vegetable Market/ Fish Market

3: Corniche Bridge

4: Al Hosn Exhibition

5: Emirates Palace

6: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

In the galleries and exhibitions, you get to see what Abu Dhabi was and how it has made its way to what it is now and will be in the future. It’s such a fast growing state and it’s definitely worth a visit, especially with the new heritage and culture developments coming up. You’ll get to admire the unique architecture that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai is known for. At the market, I had a sneak peek into a different side of the UAE, where you see local fruit and vegetable sellers with a variety of brightly coloured crops. I even got to sample home-grown dates, which was a real treat for someone with a sweet tooth.

The trip ended off with a gorgeous sunset, which made the grand structure even more unbelievable. I was in awe of every single little detail that was so intricately designed and carved. I believe that pictures speak more than a thousand words, so I’ll let them do the talking for me.

For more information on Victor and the types of tours you can expect please go to www.visiterdubai.fr/en/

Photos by Claudia Ong.

A private tour guide for your visitors | UAE

Your private travel guide in and around the UAE who speaks English, Italian and French – great for your visiting family and friends.

We have been living in Dubai now for over 6 years, and we think we have seen everything until that is we speak to Victor Casse, the owner of Visiter Dubai, and our personal friend and favourite tour guide in the UAE.

These are our quick reasons to book your private guide

#If you need to entertain family and friends

#If there are language barriers French | Italian | English

#If you love history

#If you like something off the beaten track

#If you want to escape the hordes of tourists

#If you want to travel with ease and get someone else to organise your day

#If family and friends do repeat trips to the UAE

If you are nodding at some of the above then read on.

Since we had cost centre number 3 and number 4, the number of guests that we have had to stay has fallen dramatically but we don’t blame them.  It is not much of a holiday if you stay with us and our brood.  However, I do know many friends who have their endless visitors.

We all love our guests but whilst they are on holiday, we are still doing the school run or working.  It is hard to palm off the family to the mall on their own – I don’t know about you but I feel guilty.

Victor is that bridging solution to arrange the family to be entertained for the day but he isn’t your typical commercial company that you are lumping your parents or friends onto. Victor normally looks after VIPs as well as corporate executives companies like L’Oreal who require a French speaking guide and services, as well as accompanying some French speaking executives to meetings to help with translation and to bring them a very well documented insight on the UAE.

Who is Victor? 

Not only is Victor a qualified and professional translator but he is a historian buff having graduated from the University of Paris in History, and later studying International Affairs at the Sciencepo in Paris, and has a Master degree in History from La Sorbonne in Paris.  He has lived in Dubai for over 5 years with his wife and two sons.

How does it work?

Victor, himself, will pick up a party of up to 5 passengers (for larger families, he can arrange bespoke transportation, just ask him), and take them on a either a half or whole day trip and the price includes the transport, water, entrance and Victor as your personal guide.  Prices start around AED1,400

Where can you go?

The day can be a bespoke tour into Abu Dhabi to see historical sites or the different museum projects, or a Pear tour in Dubai, a full day in Al Ain to see the historical forts or jut a generic tour.

For more information on Victor and the types of tours you can expect please go to www.visiterdubai.fr/en/