Dubai

Do

thumb|right|250px|Fossil cliffs near Dubai right|thumb|250px|China Pavilion in Global Village

Abra ride. A boat ride is best done at night in the cool weather and to enjoy the city lights. Abras can be hired for a private tour (for a price negotiable with the driver, but usually very cheap). This is quite a popular activity at sunset on a clear day, particularly if the driver is able to enliven the tour with stories about the structures on either side of the Creek. Just make sure that the purpose of one's abra hire is made clear at the outset, otherwise, you will be in for a very expensive cross-river trip or a crowded private tour. Beaches and sea. There are endless water sports opportunities as Dubai has some of the whitest and sandiest beaches in the world. Ocean temperatures range from in winter up to in summer, there are few wave breaks and the strong winds can make swimming difficult. The water is also very salty so many prefer to use their hotel swimming pool. Diving activities have been severely affected by offshore construction work for the Palms and The World; consequently, long boat trips are necessary to reach wreck sites. Alternatively, one can make the 90-minute road journey to the East coast Emirate of Fujairah or the Sharjah enclave, Khor Fakkan, for top-class diving on coral reefs supporting extensive marine life. Camel race track. One of the more unusual attractions, with races being held on Thursday and Friday in the winter. You can watch the races, and yo…

Buy

250px|thumb|All that glitters is gold at the Gold Souk.

Dubai is practically synonymous with shopping and could be called "Do buy". Low tariffs and a huge amount of cargo passing through its port ensure that practically anything is available at fairly competitive rates, although the appreciation of the Dirham and the plentiful supply of shoppers means that Dubai is no longer a bargain basement shopping city. You'll also find products in Western chain stores, still with the original tags quoting euro or sterling prices, being sold with a 20–30% mark-up once converted to dirhams. The best things to buy are textiles, electronics and gold; electronics are believed to be much cheaper, while there is a wide selection of textiles and gold.

Dubai shops suffer from the standard developing world shopping phenomenon of having no storeroom and no stocks in reserve, even in the mega-malls – and for clothes shopping this may mean that you struggle to find the style you want in the size you want. Shops open as early as 09:00 and stay open until 22:00, and on weekends to midnight or 01:00.

Remember to haggle in the souks, as discounts are almost always available and even in situations where the item will not become much cheaper, the customer is always expected to "play the game" of haggling. A simple question of "What's your best price?" will often result in a shopkeeper going to extraordinary lengths to sell his stock. Prices in the malls and other Western shops tend not to be negotiable…

Eat

thumb|Mezze selection commonly found in Arabic restaurants in Dubai Shawarma is the most available food item on almost all streets (and cheap) in Dubai. It is the Arabic equivalent of the burger. It is meat that has been cooked on a skewer and then cut into thin strips and placed into a kuhbus (pita) bread with vegetables and dressing. There is the plain-jane variety and the more exotic Lebanese and Iranian varieties. The shawarma sold by Indian restaurants are arguably the cheapest.

Another local snack is fala-fil (felafel, falafel), which is as cheap as shawarma.

thumb|Typical Emirati traditional food Traditional Emirati food normally involves rice and meat/chicken cooked with different spices. As such, mandi is a very popular meal and generally affordable, except when served in high end restaurants. Emirati restaurants can be mostly found in areas with local residents, such as Deira, Bur Dubai and Jumeirah. Traditional desserts are also worth trying. Search for luqaimat, deep fried dough balls tossed with date syrup on top. You'll find it at any Emirati restaurant as well as some small cafeterias or street markets.

Most of the American fast food chains have set up shop, including KFC, Chillis, TGI Fridays, Starbucks, and McDonalds. The beauty of the food in Dubai is that you will probably find cuisine for every taste. All food is halal.

Dubai has a big selection of budget Indian food. Dosa, vada, idlee, samosa, chapaati/roti, with generous servings of sabji (cooked veg…

Drink

thumb|Arabic coffee served with traditional Emirati sweets called Lugaimat.

Dubai has supercharged the nightlife in the last decade and most international known brands have a sister location in town. Most 3-5 star hotels have bars and nightclubs for those interested in the nightlife. World-class DJs frequent Dubai's nightclubs, and many A-list musical celebrities are adding Dubai to their list of tour dates. There is nothing missing and during the high tides of the party time, the impression of being in Ibiza is not misleading. Most of the night life is geared at the beaches of Jumeirah or the Dubai Marina. Bur Dubai is more family-oriented (e.g. Dubai Fountain), while Deira was able in parts to maintain its more Arabic focussed style. Dubai is very popular with Arabic travellers, so an Arabic blend is added quite often.

Dubai has several laws regarding alcohol which travelers should be aware of:

Alcohol is available only at licensed premises, usually attached to hotels (most nightclubs and bars are in or attached to hotels, though they may have separate entrances). As of 2023 there is one public cinema that serves alcohol (Cinema City's Azul Lounge & Theatre), as well as a few private cinemas that can be booked for groups. Alcohol is not sold on religious holidays. From 2016, it can be sold during Ramadan. It is illegal to drink alcohol in public places, and there is a zero-tolerance policy on drunk driving. Anyone involved in a collision found with alcohol in their bloo…

Sleep

Take care, on booking.com all dorms in Dubai are named as private rooms like "entire holiday home", "entire apartment" or "room with shared bathroom". This seems to be the case due to local laws. So check twice, if you want a private room to not end up with a dorm.

Due to substantial increase in hotel rooms, only during Islamic holidays do prices rise substantially. The cheapest places, mainly catering to small-scale businessmen, can be found in near the souks of Deira. In Dubai you find a youth hostel and several backpacker hostels.

See the individual listings in the districts for hotel recommendations. In general tourists tend to stay at the beach hotels in Jumeirah or Jebel Ali, while city dwellers have ample choice in Deira or Bur Dubai. Dubai is a stretch along the coastline and taxis are cheap and the metro reliable, so there are always alternative options. The only hassles are ever-new construction sites and the rush hour. During the summer heat a hotel with access to a mall or shopping complex is beneficial to have a greater area for air conditioned walking.

There are luxury glamping resorts in the desert far from the city. The most well known is Terra Solis. Reservations need to be made more than a month in advance, even in summer. As of 2023, the cheapest type of accommodation (tents) cost 950 dirham per night on weeknights and 1400 dirham per night on weekends.

For long trips (a month or more), the Rove hotel collection offers summer rates from 4000 dirham per …

Stay safe

Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world with regard to street crime. Call 999 if you need police attention. If you heard the sound of cannon fire, don't panic! It actually marks the time to break the fasting during Ramadan. This tradition started in Dubai since 1960. This is because most mosques in the UAE did not have loudspeakers several decades ago, so they used a cannon instead - which had a loud sound - to inform local residents that the fasting time was over.

Connect

See United Arab Emirates#Connect for details of Internet and mobile connectivity in Dubai, including restrictions on popular services internet telephony services like WhatsApp.

GSM – Those with GSM smartphones or feature phones can expect auto roaming from their home countries. As roaming fees are quite high and incoming calls are also charged, consider buying a local prepaid GSM SIM card, designed especially for tourists, from one of the two cellular providers of the UAE: e& (etisalat) - product Visitor Line Du - product Visitor Mobile Line - Incoming calls are free of charge.

Phone booths – Phone booths are located on most streets. Phone cards can be purchased from hotels and tourist shops.

Internet – Internet cafés can be hard to find. There are a number of cafés on Al Musalla Rd/Al Mankhool Rd in Bur Dubai, including one at 38 Al Musalla Rd and one at Computer Plaza next to the Ramada Hotel. A number of Internet cafes are found in Satwa too. In Satwa there is the French Connection in the Al Wafa Tower on Sheikh Zayed Rd (opposite side of road from the Dusit Hotel), which has wi-fi access and nice cakes and pastries. In Al Qusais, there is an internet café a 5-minute walk northwest of the Dubai Youth Hostel. Turn right out of the gates and walk to LuLu's Hypermarket. The café is located inside the food court.

Gaming cafes aimed at teenagers are dotted around, notable examples including Escape gaming zone (opposite Lulu Hypermarket hypermarket in al Ba…