Tripzle

Compare hundreds of sites in one search

GetGet
tripzle
The Museum of the Future in Dubai

United Arab Emirates

Dubai

The Burj Khalifa view, an abra across the old creek, Jumeirah's beaches and the desert.

  • Typical stay: 4–5 days

Why ⁨Dubai⁩?

  1. Old and new

    An abra on the old creek, then the towers twenty minutes away.

  2. Global Village

    Evenings at Global Village, from October to May.

  3. Public beaches

    Public beaches along most of the coast, the Gulf warm all year.

Before you go

  • Currency

    United Arab Emirates Dirham

  • Language

    Arabic

  • Time difference

    GMT+4

  • Getting around

    Metro

  • Driving

    On the right

  • Airports

    DXB

Where to stay in ⁨Dubai⁩

Areas to base yourself in, and who each one suits.

Best time to visit ⁨Dubai⁩

November to March

  • January

    Average high: 24°C

    Average low 15°C

    Coldest month

    4 days of rain

    Wettest month

    Best time to go

  • February

    Average high: 25°C

    Average low 16°C

    2 days of rain

    Best time to go

  • March

    Average high: 28°C

    Average low 19°C

    2 days of rain

    Best time to go

  • April

    Average high: 32°C

    Average low 21°C

    2 days of rain

    Good time to go

  • May

    Average high: 36°C

    Average low 25°C

    0 days of rain

  • June

    Average high: 39°C

    Average low 28°C

    0 days of rain

  • July

    Average high: 40°C

    Average low 31°C

    1 day of rain

  • August

    Average high: 41°C

    Average low 30°C

    Warmest month

    0 days of rain

  • September

    Average high: 39°C

    Average low 28°C

    0 days of rain

  • October

    Average high: 35°C

    Average low 25°C

    0 days of rain

    Good time to go

  • November

    Average high: 31°C

    Average low 21°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • December

    Average high: 26°C

    Average low 17°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

Places in ⁨Dubai⁩

Compare flight tickets to ⁨Dubai⁩

Trip plans for ⁨Dubai⁩

Local tips

  • Insider tips

    1. Start at the creek, not the towers: the old city explains the new one, and takes a morning.

    2. Cross the creek on an abra. It takes five minutes, and almost nobody plans it.

    3. Take the metro, not a car, along the coast road: at the wrong hour driving takes three times as long.

  • Money

    1. Cards work everywhere including taxis, and the Nol card covers all public transport.

  • Customs and safety

    1. Dress modestly away from the beach and pool; malls ask at the door for shoulders and knees covered.

    2. Between May and September heat and humidity push life indoors and into the night; November to March is pleasant.

  • Food and prayer

    1. Halal is the ordinary case across the city; where a hotel serves pork, it is a separate, labelled section.

    2. Mosques in every district; prayer rooms in the malls, metro stations, offices and both airport terminals.

Getting around ⁨Dubai⁩

  • Metro

    A driverless metro, opened in 2009, running the length of the city along the coast road. It is the fastest way from one end to the other and it reaches the airport.

    Recommended

  • Ride-hailing

    How anything off the metro line is reached, with the fare settled in the app before you start.

  • Ferry

    Small wooden boats cross the creek between Deira and Bur Dubai continuously, for a few coins, and it is the oldest transport in the city.

  • Tram

    A tram serves the Marina and the districts around it, and connects to the metro.

  • Walking

    Within a district, yes: Al Fahidi, the souks and Downtown are all walkable. Between them, only in winter.

Nol card

Transit card

One rechargeable card pays for the metro, the trams, the buses and the public ferries, bought at any station.

From the airport

  • DXB

    Dubai International Airport

    Metro, Taxi, and Ride-hailing

Things to do in ⁨Dubai⁩

Tours, tickets and experiences.

Loading activities…

eSIM plans in ⁨United Arab Emirates⁩

Loading eSIM plans…

Continue your ⁨United Arab Emirates⁩ trip

About ⁨Dubai⁩

The city has an old half and a new one and they are twenty minutes apart. The creek, the souks and Al Fahidi are where Dubai was a trading port; the towers, the marina and the beaches are the modern city, strung along the coast to the south-west.

Almost everything a visitor wants is on or near one metro line, which is unusual for a city this spread out and is the single most useful thing to know before arriving.

For half the year this is an indoor city and it is built like one. The malls are climate, not shopping, and the outdoor districts simply close down in the afternoon.

Photo credits

Photographs on this page, with their licences.

Data sources