Guides for visiting Dubai
Practical Dubai guides for visitors, from planning a first trip and choosing what to do to beaches, food, neighbourhoods and getting around.
What you’ll find here
Use these guides to make a Dubai visit easier to plan and easier to enjoy. They explain the local choices that are easy to miss on a first trip, including how to move between neighbourhoods, where a free beach is worth your time and which tourist decisions deserve more thought.
Visiting Dubai
A long weekend in Dubai
A workable three-day plan for first-time visitors. No tourist traps, no double-booking. Just the good stuff.
Al Quoz, a practical guide
Why Al Quoz trades beachfront polish for mid-market rents, warehouse art galleries, and one of Dubai's best contemporary art scenes.
Arabian Ranches, a practical guide
How Emaar's original villa-and-golf-course community works two decades on: the golf club, the polo club, getting around without a Metro station, and what a villa actually rents for in 2026.
Beaches and creeks
The good free beaches, the ones worth paying for, and how to get to each one. Winter vs summer, families vs surf, north vs south.
Day trips from Dubai
Mountains, an ancient oasis, quiet east-coast beaches, and Oman's fjords — the best day trips from Dubai, each an easy drive and doable in a day.
Dubai Hills Estate, a practical guide
How Emaar and Meraas's 2,700-acre golf-course community fits together, what its award-winning course and 750-store mall add, and what an average villa actually costs in 2026.
Dubai Marina and JBR, a practical guide
How to move between Dubai Marina and JBR, the three promenades that cover the area, and what the tram and parking actually cost.
Eat like a local
Suqs, biryani places, Levantine grills, and the Friday brunch question. The places residents actually go.
Getting around Dubai
When to take the Metro, when to grab a Careem, and what the RTA app actually does well.
Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), a practical guide
How JLT's 26 lettered clusters and three lakes fit together, the DMCC free zone underneath the towers, and what an average one-bedroom actually costs in 2026.
Jumeirah Village Circle, a practical guide
How Nakheel's ten-district ring became one of Dubai's most affordable large communities, what Circle Mall and the parks add, and why a Gold Line metro station is finally coming.
Souks and old town
A walking route through Bur Dubai, Deira, and Karama. The city before the towers — wind-towers, spice and gold, and an abra ride that's changed in a hundred years.
When to visit Dubai
The best months for weather, prices and events — and the ones to avoid.