DubaiTravel Guide
Dubai is the Gulf's showpiece city: a strip of desert coastline transformed within a generation into a skyline of record-breaking towers, artificial islands and some of the most theatrical hotels ever built. Beneath the spectacle sits an easy city break — reliable winter sun, beaches, vast malls and souks, and a hotel scene that is an attraction in its own right.
Is Dubai right for you?
October–April
Expensive. Part of the reason to come is what you can book when you arrive.
We have a full day here planned hour by hour. Longer stays are covered by subject rather than by route.
October–April
Luxury
Typical cost profile for visitors
- Abu Dhabi120 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in January, February, March
- Muscat, Oman360 km
half a day's travel · both good in January, February, March · a different price level (mid)
- Doha, Qatar380 km
half a day's travel · both good in January, February, March · a different price level (mixed)
Abu Dhabi
Muscat
DohaFinding Dubai
Reading Dubai
One Perfect Day in Dubai, From Creek to Skyline
Old souks by morning, beach by afternoon, the world's tallest tower by night — a single flawless day that shows you both Dubais.
Dubai's Sweet Tooth: Desserts, Cafés and Market Treats
From luqaimat drizzled with date syrup to the pistachio-kunafa chocolate bar that broke the internet, the Emirates' sweetest city, dish by dish.
The Quiet Corners of Dubai That Locals Love
Beyond the malls and observation decks is a slower Dubai of creekside lanes, desert lakes and flamingo lagoons. Here is where the city goes to exhale.
Dubai, place by place
Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Dubai. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.
Where to stay
The areas and addresses our writers put first
Darcey Beau
Burj Al Arab Jumeirah
The sail-shaped silhouette on its own artificial island remains Dubai's postcard.
Noyzzee
Atlantis The Palm
Anchoring the outer crescent of Palm Jumeirah, this coral-pink resort is Dubai's great family playground: the Aquaventure waterpark next door is among the largest in the world, and the Lost Chambers aquarium wraps aro…
Allan Rodrigues
Atlantis The Royal
The 2023 sibling next door swapped fantasy-Atlantis kitsch for stacked-block architecture, a skybridge infinity pool 90-odd metres up, and a restaurant roster heavy with celebrity chefs.
Nick Fewings
Jumeirah Beach Hotel
The wave-shaped curve beside the Burj Al Arab predates almost everything around it and remains a superb family resort, with direct access to the Wild Wadi waterpark and every room facing the sea.
Eslam Tawakol
Bulgari Resort Dubai
On the seahorse-shaped Jumeira Bay island, this is the quiet-money option: Antonio Citterio's Milanese design, its own marina and yacht club, and none of the glitz.
Rushikesh Patil
Dubai Marina and JBR
Dubai Marina and JBR are the beach-holiday choice: waterfront towers, a walkable promenade, sand within reach.
Hoyoun Lee
Deira and Bur Dubai
Deira and Bur Dubai, the old city on the Creek, offer the lowest prices and the most character — souks, abra ferries and heritage lanes — with the metro connecting you to the glossy districts.
Armani Hotel Dubai
DubaiOccupying the lower floors of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building at 828 metres, this is Giorgio Armani's own design from door handles to bed linen.
Downtown
DubaiDowntown puts you beside the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall and the fountain shows — maximum spectacle, mid-to-high prices.
What to see
The things that justify the trip
Riyas Mohammed
Al Qudra
On the city's desert edge, a long, looping cycle track threads the dunes near the Al Qudra lakes, man-made oases that draw oryx, desert birds and, at dawn, half the city's serious cyclists.
Things to do
Walks, tours and days out we would book again
Crossing the Creek by abra
DubaiThe wooden abras that shuttle between Bur Dubai and Deira are working transport, not a theme-park ride, and the crossing among dhows and gulls is Dubai's most atmospheric few minutes.
What we'd do in Dubai
See and do
- Crossing the Creek by abra
The wooden abras that shuttle between Bur Dubai and Deira are working transport, not a theme-park ride, and the crossing among dhows and gulls is Dubai's most atmospheric few minutes.
Read: The Quiet Corners of Dubai That Locals Love - Money and manners
Dubai is straightforward for visitors: cards are accepted almost everywhere and tipping around ten percent is customary rather than obligatory.
Read: First Time in Dubai: Everything You Need to Know - Flamingos against the skyline
At Ras Al Khor, where the Creek widens into tidal lagoons, hides overlook shallows that fill each winter with greater flamingos — thousands of them, feeding pink against a backdrop of distant towers.
Read: The Quiet Corners of Dubai That Locals Love - The old-fashioned beach hours
Skip the beach clubs once and do what residents do: walk the open public beaches at sunrise, when kitesurfers rig up and the Burj Al Arab catches the first light down the coast.
Read: The Quiet Corners of Dubai That Locals Love
Eat and drink
- The "Dubai chocolate" phenomenon
A few years ago a Dubai chocolatier filled a chocolate bar with pistachio cream and crunchy kunafa pastry — and the internet lost its mind.
Read: Dubai's Sweet Tooth: Desserts, Cafés and Market Treats - Dates and camel-milk chocolate
At the Deira souks and in the city's specialty shops, dates are sold like jewels: plump Medjool, caramel-toned Khalas, dozens more, plain or stuffed with nuts and candied peel.
Read: Dubai's Sweet Tooth: Desserts, Cafés and Market Treats - Karak chai and the cafeteria tradition
Dubai's beloved everyday indulgence costs about as little as anything in the city: karak chai, strong tea simmered with evaporated milk, cardamom and plenty of sugar, handed through the windows of small neighborhood cafeterias.
Read: Dubai's Sweet Tooth: Desserts, Cafés and Market Treats
Where to stay
- Burj Al Arab Jumeirah
The sail-shaped silhouette on its own artificial island remains Dubai's postcard.
Read: Dubai's Most Spectacular Hotels, from the Burj Al Arab DownCheck ratesad · Booking.com - Atlantis The Palm
Anchoring the outer crescent of Palm Jumeirah, this coral-pink resort is Dubai's great family playground: the Aquaventure waterpark next door is among the largest in the world, and the Lost Chambers aquarium wraps around the lobby.
Read: Dubai's Most Spectacular Hotels, from the Burj Al Arab DownCheck ratesad · Booking.com - Atlantis The Royal
The 2023 sibling next door swapped fantasy-Atlantis kitsch for stacked-block architecture, a skybridge infinity pool 90-odd metres up, and a restaurant roster heavy with celebrity chefs.
Read: Dubai's Most Spectacular Hotels, from the Burj Al Arab DownCheck ratesad · Booking.com - Armani Hotel Dubai
Occupying the lower floors of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building at 828 metres, this is Giorgio Armani's own design from door handles to bed linen.
Read: Dubai's Most Spectacular Hotels, from the Burj Al Arab DownCheck ratesad · Booking.com
Practical essentials for United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates dirham (AED), pegged to the US dollar
Arabic is official, but English is the everyday working language across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Type G, 230V 50Hz
Dubai's metro, tram, buses and ferries all run on the prepaid nol card, Abu Dhabi uses the Hafilat card, and Careem and Uber work in both.
A 10% service charge is usually already on the bill and goes to the house; another 10-15% in restaurants and a few dirhams for taxis and porters is common.
Tap water is desalinated and meets drinking standards, but most residents and hotels use bottled or filtered water because of building storage tanks.
Right-hand side; licences from the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan and about two dozen other listed countries are accepted directly, and all other visitors need an International Driving Permit.
999 police, 998 ambulance, 997 fire
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Saudi Arabia
Jordan
