Dubai, United Arab EmiratesBy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Dubai
Built along one highway, with the old creek at one end and the new towers at the other. Winter is the season. Summer sends everything indoors, which is fine if malls and hotel pools are the plan and miserable if they aren't.
- Group trips
- Families
- Beaches
- Stopovers
Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Dubai at a glance
A 3 to 5 day trip to Dubai comes down to a few decisions: which stops earn a morning, whether you sleep in Downtown Dubai or somewhere cheaper, and whether the month you picked was the right one. This page has an opinion on each. Change any of it once it is on the map.
- How long
- 3–5 days
- When to go
- Go November to March, when you get days in the seventies and eighties. Avoid July. June through September regularly passes 105°F with high humidity, and because Ramadan shifts each year and changes daytime dining hours, look up the dates first.
- Getting around
- The metro runs along Sheikh Zayed Road and covers most attractions cheaply, while the taxis are metered and inexpensive. Distances are long, so the walk between districts rarely works, and the heat settles that argument for you.
What to build the plan around
- 1
Burj Khalifa
Book a timed slot for level 124 well ahead, because the sunset slots cost the most and sell out first.
- 2
Dubai Creek and Al Fahidi
The old city, crossed by abra water taxis for about a dirham, with the gold and spice souks waiting once you land on the other side. This is the best hour in Dubai.
- 3
Desert safari
Half-day dune drives with dinner, and if you book a smaller operator in a conservation reserve you get the version without a hundred other 4x4s in the frame.
- 4
Jumeirah beaches
Kite Beach and JBR are free public stretches with showers and food, which is more than the hotel strips offer.
Where to stay in Dubai
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- Downtown Dubai
- Burj Khalifa and the mall on your doorstep, and it is metro connected, which covers most of what you would want to reach. Browse stays in Downtown Dubai
- Dubai Marina / JBR
- Beach and boardwalk, with plenty of dining, and the best pick if you are staying longer than a few nights. Browse stays in Dubai Marina / JBR
- Deira / Bur Dubai
- The old city at a fraction of the price, and the closest base to the souks once you are on foot. Browse stays in Deira / Bur Dubai
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Itineraries close to Dubai
Dubai has no itinerary of its own yet. These are the nearest ones, and every stop is already mapped.
Dubai planning questions
- How many days do you need in Dubai?
- 3 to 5 days is the usual answer, and the low end works only if you skip one of the four stops. Three days covers the tower, the creek, and a desert night. Five is the number if you want beach days or you are adding Abu Dhabi, and the fifth is where the trip stops feeling like a stopover.
- What is the best time to visit Dubai?
- Go November to March, when you get days in the seventies and eighties. Avoid July. June through September regularly passes 105°F with high humidity, and because Ramadan shifts each year and changes daytime dining hours, look up the dates first.
- Where should I stay in Dubai?
- Book Downtown Dubai if you are undecided, because it is the most convenient of the three and the choice you are least likely to regret. Burj Khalifa and the mall on your doorstep, and it is metro connected, which covers most of what you would want to reach. Two others are worth comparing before you commit, and the difference is mostly rate against how far you walk. Dubai Marina / JBR: Beach and boardwalk, with plenty of dining, and the best pick if you are staying longer than a few nights. Deira / Bur Dubai: The old city at a fraction of the price, and the closest base to the souks once you are on foot.
- How do you get around Dubai?
- The metro runs along Sheikh Zayed Road and covers most attractions cheaply, while the taxis are metered and inexpensive. Distances are long, so the walk between districts rarely works, and the heat settles that argument for you.
- What should I see first in Dubai?
- The first thing to slot in is Burj Khalifa, because once you have given it a morning the rest arranges itself around that. Book a timed slot for level 124 well ahead, because the sunset slots cost the most and sell out first. After that, Dubai Creek and Al Fahidi, then Desert safari, though the order between those two barely matters.
- Can I build a Dubai itinerary automatically?
- Yes. Arriv takes the trip length, the pace you want, and the size of the group, then returns a mapped Dubai itinerary built from venues that exist. Editing it is the point, so nothing it hands you is fixed, and you sign in only when you want to save or share.