Dubai travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Dubai, planned over three days
Best time to visit Dubai
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter peak: 24 to 30C days, every terrace and outdoor pick works at once, at peak prices and crowds.
Spring shoulder: highs climb 28 to 35C, sea at its best, prices soften and Global Village and Miracle Garden still open.
Summer indoor season: highs 37 to 41C plus, seasonal attractions close and outdoor time shrinks to sunrise and after dark.
Relief arrives through October: terraces reopen, Global Village and Miracle Garden relaunch, pre-peak prices.
What's on
- Dubai Shopping Festival 4 Dec 2026 to 17 Jan 2027
Citywide sales, concerts, drone shows and raffles for six weeks over the winter peak.
- DP World Tour Championship mid-November
DP World Tour season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
- Hero Dubai Desert Classic late January
DP World Tour golf at Emirates Golf Club.
- Art Dubai usually March
The region's biggest art fair at Madinat Jumeirah, with gallery openings across Alserkal Avenue the same week.
- New Year at Downtown and the Burj 31 Dec
Spectacular and gridlocked: book a room or restaurant with the view rather than standing in the crowd.
- Ramadan about 8 Feb to 9 Mar 2027
Quieter sights by day and superb public iftars at sunset. Don't eat or drink in public in daylight; exact dates follow the moon sighting.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Dubai
Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood
Wind-tower lanes and small museums: start the essential Old Dubai walk here before the abra to Deira.
Al Shindagha Museum
Creekside museum showing how the pearl-diving city became modern Dubai, an easy add to Old Dubai.
Burj Khalifa
Levels 124 and 125 at sunset buy day, dusk and city lights on one ticket: the geography finally makes sense.
Dubai Fountain
Free fountain shows on Burj Lake every 30 minutes from 6 to 11pm, best from Souk Al Bahar bridge.
Museum of the Future
The calligraphy-covered torus is the city's most beautiful modern building: go for spectacle, book ahead.
Alserkal Avenue
Warehouse art quarter of galleries, concept stores and cafes: resident Dubai's cultural living room.
Cinema Akil
The region's serious independent cinema inside Alserkal Avenue, the cultural heart of Al Quoz.
Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Cultural breakfast or lunch hosted by Emiratis who invite any question: open doors, open minds.
Where to stay in Dubai
Downtown Dubai
first trip, short stays
Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and the Fountain on foot: the premium base that avoids commuting to your own holiday.
Dubai Marina / JBR
beach and evenings, longer stays
Walkable waterfront, public JBR beach and dozens of licensed restaurants, but 45 to 60 minutes from Old Dubai.
Business Bay
value next to Downtown
One Metro stop from Downtown on the canal, with 4 and 5-star rooms at noticeably lower prices.
Al Barsha / Mall of the Emirates
budget base for New Dubai
Budget chain hotels on the Metro Red Line by Mall of the Emirates: no character, decisive location per dirham.
Palm Jumeirah
resort stays, families and honeymooners
Private beaches and great resort hotels, but a monorail or taxi ride to everything else, every time.
Jumeirah / Umm Suqeim
relaxed luxury coast, couples and second trips
Low-rise villa-street Dubai along Kite Beach with Burj Al Arab views, calmer than Downtown or the Marina.
Think twice about
- Far inland suburbs sold as Dubai
Dubailand villa districts, Dubai South, International City and Discovery Gardens are not dangerous, just far: taxis eat the trip.
- Palm outer fronds and West Crescent for sightseeing trips
Beautiful and hushed but stranded: no walkable anything and a taxi or monorail leg before your day even starts.
- Parts of Deira (Naif and Baniyas Square) and older Bur Dubai blocks at night
Dense trading districts with crowded pavements, aggressive touts and the massage-card nuisance: fine hotels, uneasy evening strolls.
- Airport corridor and Al Garhoud
Functional flight-path Dubai with nothing to walk to: only sensible for a layover.
Best restaurants in Dubai
Orfali Bros
Three Syrian brothers' contemporary Middle Eastern tasting menu: the occasion booking to make first.
Trèsind Studio
Progressive Indian fine dining at a small chef's counter, one of Dubai's two three-star restaurants.
Kinoya
Residents' favourite ramen and izakaya that became the UAE's best restaurant while staying a neighbourhood place.
Moonrise
Eight-seat counter where Middle Eastern and Japanese technique meet in a deeply personal tasting menu.
3Fils
Tiny no-reservations modern Asian spot on a working fishing harbour: go early or late, expect a wait.
Sufret Maryam
Palestinian and Jordanian home dishes elevated without losing warmth: order the slow-cooked lamb shoulder.
11 Woodfire
Everything cooked over wood fire in a villa restaurant: the group-dinner splurge that is not a tasting menu.
Al Ustad Special Kebab
Iranian kebab house since 1978: yoghurt-marinated kebabs with saffron rice, dinner for two under AED 100.
Outdoor things to do in Dubai
Emirates Golf Club
The Majlis Course is the region's first grass course, home of the Desert Classic against the Marina skyline.
Faldo Golf Course - Emirates Golf Club
Floodlit night golf on the Faldo Course: the uniquely Dubai round and the only sane tee time in warm months.
Earth Course - Jumeirah Golf Estates
Greg Norman's long, immaculate Earth Course hosts the DP World Tour Championship finale each November.
The Els Club
Ernie Els desert-links design: the residents' favourite for conditioning at a calmer price.
Dubai Hills Golf Club
Newer, forgiving course with Burj views, the one locals recommend to visitors short on time.
Topgolf Dubai
Climate-controlled bays with food and music at Emirates Golf Club: the group version of a golf day.
Platinum Heritage
Wildlife drives in vintage Land Rovers through the protected reserve, with falconry and a heritage camp dinner.
Hero Balloon Flights
Sunrise balloon flight over dunes and oryx, usually packaged with a heritage breakfast afterwards.
Best hotels in Dubai
Address Downtown
The splurge: direct Burj Khalifa and Fountain views with Dubai Mall next door.
Rove Downtown
Design-led local brand with Burj-facing rooms and a pool at a fraction of 5-star neighbours.
Address Beach Resort
Beachfront luxury at the Marina end, with the infinity-pool view over Bluewaters and Ain Dubai.
Rove Dubai Marina
The Rove formula by Marina Walk: walk to The Walk and JBR beach at a calmer price.
Atlantis The Royal
The spectacle resort: celebrity-chef restaurants and sky pools on the Palm's outer crescent.
Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort
The calmer Palm choice: lagoon-access rooms, over-water villas and kayaking from its own beach.
JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai
Practical canal-side giant, ten minutes to Downtown at Business Bay prices, with strong in-house dining.
Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek
Veteran Creekside address with Creek-view rooms, abras outside and Baniyas Road eating all around.
Is Dubai expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | AED 400 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | AED 900 a person |
| Splurge | AED 2,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Burj Khalifa: a few days ahead
- Museum of the Future: weeks ahead
- Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding: a few days ahead
- La Perle: a few days ahead
- Dubai Opera: a few days ahead
- Emirates Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Faldo Golf Course - Emirates Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Earth Course - Jumeirah Golf Estates: weeks ahead
- Museum of the Future timed tickets sell out days to weeks ahead in season: book as soon as dates are fixed.
- Top tables including Tresind Studio, Orfali Bros and Moonrise need reserving 3 to 6 weeks out for prime nights.
- Burj Khalifa sunset slots go first; Platinum Heritage, balloon flights and Skydive are small-capacity and weather-sensitive.
- Golf tee times from November to March book out at weekends; Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque entry needs free pre-registration.
Is Dubai safe?
- Street safety is excellent and solo travellers including women rate Dubai among the safest big cities; the Metro has women-and-children cars.
- Alcohol is 21-plus in licensed venues only, public drunkenness is an offence and drink-driving is zero tolerance: always taxi after drinking.
- Drugs are absolute zero tolerance, CBD is illegal, and some home-legal medications are controlled: check the UAE list and carry prescriptions.
- Real risks are heat, roads and money: hydrate, cross only at crossings, pay in AED on card machines. Emergencies: 999, non-emergency police 901.
Dubai travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The dirt-cheap AED 50 to 99 desert safari: long pickups, aggressive upselling, crowded camp and poor buffet. Book named operators only.
- Burj Khalifa lounge tiers at levels 148 and 154 cost double to triple the 124 and 125 ticket for the same horizon.
- Dubai Frame as a paid interior visit and Ski Dubai for experienced skiers both underdeliver for the time and money.
- Gold Souk buying without the day's gold rate, a hallmark and a proper invoice; mall prices carry flagship premiums.
- Massage cards tout illicit parlours, and timeshare or scratch-card pitches offer no prize: ignore and keep walking.
Getting around Dubai: public transport and more
- Metro first on a Nol card for the airport, Old Dubai, Downtown and the Marina; taxi the Palm, Jumeirah beach strip and Al Quoz.
- Taxis and Careem are plentiful and metered or fixed-quote: Downtown to Marina is 25 minutes at noon, over an hour at evening peak.
- Walking is winter-only outside Marina Walk, JBR, Downtown, Old Dubai and the Kite Beach path; summer walking is a health risk.
- Drive only for Hatta or Abu Dhabi: zero alcohol tolerance, Salik tolls and automated speed enforcement everywhere.
Who Dubai suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Dubai your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store