What to do in Dubai in winter, what to see there: interesting places, beaches, and seaside vacations in January and February. What we managed to see and do during a week of quiet travel in late January.
Why exactly Dubai?
I was in Dubai Airport twice as a transit passenger. But could see only skyscrapers above and the construction of artificial islands from the plane. I was curious to see what it would be like to build a super-modern country in desert. How the Emirates lives, and to see everything from the inside, not from an airplane.
Dubai is like to see now the future made by the hands of millions of people. And also the opportunity to bask in the mild, not-too-hot sun in winter and swim in the waters of the Persian Gulf. Everything is as I like it – a combination of urban tourism and beaches.
Dubai is a vibrant kaleidoscope of futuristic buildings, monuments, hotels, shops, and entertainment. Dubai can be called a city of the future and a record-breaking city: it has the tallest skyscraper, the longest metro line without a driver, the largest flower park, and a shopping mall in the world are located here.
And of course, you should see all this with your own eyes – whether you like it or not, you can only find out after a trip to the Emirates.
Weather in Dubai in winter
The weather in Dubai in winter is more comfortable for walking – you can combine exploring the city and relaxing on the beach. Air in January is +24-28°C, water +20-22°C.
As for me, this is the perfect time and temperature to not only walk around the city, but also to go to the desert, visit theme parks, and not suffer from the heat and not burn on the beach.
I recommend reading: Which district of Dubai is best to stay and where to find a cheap hotel
Transportation in Dubai
Dubai stretches along the Persian Gulf, with a length of 135 km. Besides, this city is not designed to be walked around all the time. The city was built in such a way that everything in it is designed for traveling by car. Therefore, if it is convenient for you rent a car and you will not depend on public transportation and taxis.
But we managed by using public transportation – subways, buses, and a hovercraft tram. We also ordered a taxi and Uber several times.
Public transportation in Dubai: metro, buses, trams and water trams.
For most modes of transportation, there is a single ticket – the Nol travel card, which can be purchased at any metro station.
There are three types of maps that are well suited for tourist transportation in the city:
- Red Red Nol Ticket (2 UAE dirhams or $0.54 ) – for one-time trips in Standard Class cars. You will need to load these amounts onto your Nol Red card before using the metro. The card is valid for 90 days.
- Silver Nol Silver Card(AED 25 (including a travel credit of AED 19) – can be replenished for the required amount, single trips in any transport in Standard class cars. The maximum trip duration is 180 minutes.
- The Nol Gold Card (AED 25 (including a travel credit of AED 19)) is the same as the silver card, but with this card, you can travel in the “gold class” cars. Accordingly, the cost of each trip is 2 times more expensive than a trip with a Silver Card in Middle-Class cars. Each metro train in Dubai has one Gold Class car. It has large and comfortable seats with more legroom. Gold-class cars are usually less crowded than Standard class cars.
- The Nol Blue Card (70 UAE dirhams) is a secure personalized smart card that is not suitable for tourists, but rather for those who decide to stay in Dubai for a long time.
Children under 5 years old travel free of charge. Other preferential tariffs (students, pensioners, etc.) are available only for residents of Dubai.
Nol cards can also be used to pay for various services and goods:
Nol cards can be used for combined trips in various modes of transport (subway, buses, trams, and water buses). Passengers are charged a one-time fee, subject to the transfer time between different types of transport.
The fare depends on the type of card and the number of zones (there are 7 zones in total).
The minimum balance on the card is 7.5 UAE dirhams.
You can’t pay with cash on a bus or tram – only with a card!
- Taxi
- Shopping in stores that accept Nol: Circle K (mini-market), Carrefour and LuLu.
- Buying food and drinks at retail outlets: Burger King and Gloria Jean’s Coffees.
- Parking – new parking meters (installed after 2020) allow drivers to pay for parking without receiving a paper ticket. Drivers simply enter their license plate number on the touchscreen of the parking meter and pay with a Nol Card (or coins).
- Public parks – a small entrance fee to public parks (paid parts) can now be made only with a Nol Card. Public parks: Zabeel Park, Mamzar Beach Park Al, Dubai Creek Park and Mushrif Park.
Dubai public transport fares in 2023
| Silver card | Gold card | Red card | |
| T1 (1 zone) – a single trip that starts and ends in the same zone | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| T2 (2 zones) – a single trip that starts and ends in the same zone | 5 | 10 | 6 |
| T3 (3+ zones) – One trip through three or more zones | 7,5 | 15 | 8,5 |
To use the card, you need to go to the turnstile in the subway and attach the Nol card to the reader at the entrance. In buses and other modes of transportation, readers are located inside the cabin near the entrance.
Taxi in Dubai
Although the Nol card can be used to pay for a taxi in Dubai, you can also pay in cash and with a bank card. If a taxi is the only mode of transportation you will use in Dubai, there is no need to make an effort to buy a Nol card if you do not want to pay for park admission, shopping, and use its other convenient features.
Traveling by taxi in Dubai is not only convenient but also at a very reasonable price. And if you are used to more pleasant prices in Uber or Bolt at home, then in Dubai, city taxis are the cheapest (we checked – Uber was 1.5 times more expensive than a city taxi in the same direction to and from the airport at night, when there is almost no traffic in the city).
Dubai taxis have different basic rates depending on how you order a taxi:
- The standard basic fare for boarding is 5 UAE dirhams ($1.36 ) for a taxi that you catch directly on the street.
- When booking through the dispatch service or the app, the price for boarding ranges from AED 10 ($2.7 ) (off-peak hours) to AED 12 ($3.27 ) (peak hours), with additional fees for other types of services, such as Juniors or Van.
- The subsequent meter fee is AED 1.82 ($0.5 ) per kilometer for a regular sedan, and AED 1.96 ($0.53 ) for a larger vehicle or special service.
- An airport tax of 25 AED($6.8) is added for landing at any airport terminal.
- Any road tolls are also paid by the client.
To get from the area where the Burj Khalifa is located to Terminal 2 of the airport, we paid about 130AED ($35). While Uber cost us $45.
Advise to read: 10 important things to know when you going to the Emirates
Money in Dubai
AED is a currency in the Emirates. But since you can pay with a card almost everywhere, you don’t even have to touch real money. You can pay for everything with the card: in restaurants, to buy transport cards and replenish them, in stores, when buying tickets to shows and parks. In general, everywhere.
But there are small exceptions. For example, in the Deira district, where many cafes and restaurants operate for cash. We were never able to eat Indian food in Deira, simply because we didn’t have the cash.
You also need cash to sail across Dubai Creek on an authentic Abra boat. It costs only 1 dirham, but it’s not virtual, it’s real. So, for the sake of completeness, I recommend withdrawing at least $30 in dirhams from an ATM.
What to see in Dubai
There is a lot to see in Dubai, and we can talk about it for a long time. But the main thing here is to understand that you won’t be able to see everything at once. The variety of entertainment is off the charts. So we tried a little bit of everything. I hope that the next transit with long layovers will allow me to see some more Dubai wonders.
Let’s start with what you can see in Dubai for free, or almost free.
Dubai Fountain
Perhaps the most vivid impression of the trip is the light and music fountain Dubai. Several times we came to the Bourgeois Khalifa in the evening to watch this wonderful performance.
The fountain is open daily from 18:30 to 23:30. Music plays every half hour, the melodies do not repeat. And for each scenario of water and light play.
In between the fountain shows, a bright LED show is shown every half hour on the Bourgeois Khalifa, which is also almost never repeated in one evening. What can I say – it’s beautiful. No, it’s more like wow! It makes me cry for once.
The main thing you need to do to get the most out of the fountain show in Dubai is to choose the right place to watch it.
Advises about view points near Fountain of Dubai:
- Where not to watch the fountain show: from the side of the promenade leading along Dubai Mall. There are always crowds of people rushing out of the mall to get a seat to see the play of light and water.
- The best place to watch the fountain show is from the observation deck on the roof of the LMF, Dubai Fountain Office, located near the Dubai Opera House. A grass lawn and stone steps were made on the roof of the low-rise building, where you can sit comfortably, like in an amphitheater, and watch the fountains. On the last evening, we got coffee at Starbucks and spent several hours on this lawn. We were late for the subway and sat until the last fountain, but it was worth it!
Café and restaurante near fountain Dubai with good views:
Another place where you can see the fountains and the façade of the Burj Khalifa is a café and stairs at the entrance to the Souk Al Bahr market. I liked it here too, and it’s also the best place to watch LED shows. And to see the panorama of the fountains, you have to turn your head all the time, to the right or the left. But it’s also beautiful.
If you decide to combine dinner with the fountains, it is worth staying in one of the restaurants: Serafina Dubai, Bice Mare Restaurant, Thiptara or Colt Dubai, GIA – these establishments located in Dubai Mall have outdoor terraces overlooking the fountain.
Al Bastakiya is a historic district on the shores of Dubai Creek
Al Bastakiya or Al Fahidi is a carefully restored and renovated historical corner of Dubai. The district began to be built in the early nineteenth century and was named in honor of merchants who moved here from Bastak (a district in Iran).
If you want to see what Dubai looked like in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, then head to Al Bastakiya. Here you can see the wind towers that were once used for air conditioning.
There are many galleries, cafes, and souvenir shops. Not far away is the local Grand Bazaar – Bur Dubai Souk Market.
Al Bastakiya is a pleasant place, comfortable for walking even in the heat. Awnings are stretched everywhere, creating coolness and shade. I liked it there, although all the time I had the feeling that I was surrounded by scenery. The careful restoration made me think that it was a new building, but a very cool one – even the signs in front of the toilet were old, as if they were from ancient times.
We enjoyed a walk and sat in a cafe on the bay. For those who like museums and exhibitions, Al Bastakiya has the Museum of Numismatics and the Museum of Coffee.
Free beaches in Dubai
The Persian Gulf and the beaches of Dubai. Of course, we took advantage of the moment and spent a couple of days at sea, warming our bones in the middle of winter. We went to two completely different beaches and liked them both.
The first beach is La Mer, which, according to most ratings, is the best free beach in Dubai. And it’s really cool: there is an infrastructure – free changing rooms, toilets, showers. There are also many cool cafes, a large food court area decorated in the Western style, beautiful graffiti that can be used as a photo zone, fountains, and in the evening all this is illuminated with lights.
The beach is sandy, with pleasant yellow sand, a gentle entrance. There were few people, the water was about 20 degrees, but we swam and sunbathed for a long time. You can come with your own towels, or you can pay for a sun lounger. The beach is located quite far from many hotels, and the best way to get here is by taxi, as buses take a long time.
The second beach is well-known and very popular among tourists – Marina Beach. Located in the Dubai Marina district. It is easily accessible by metro – 15 minutes on foot from Dubai Marina station.
The beach is sandy, white coral sand, very pleasant to the touch. There are also free locker rooms, toilets, and showers – 5 dirhams. Nearby are cafes, fast food, and shops.
The view from Marina Beach is great – on the Ferris wheel and the runway for small airplanes from which paratroopers jump. There are a lot of people here even in the low season.
Deira – little India and bazaars
Do you like to wander around eastern markets? Then go to the Deira district. Here you will find the Golden Market and the Spice Market, as well as cheap cafes and restaurants. We are not very fond of tourist markets, so we decided to walk around Deira for a few hours.
What can I say? It’s a different Dubai, the neighborhood is somewhat reminiscent of Kathmandu, some call Deira a small Mumbai. Shops, cafes, streets with appliances, Chinese clothes, cars, and some garbage.
In general, if you want to feel the contrast in the technological Dubai, go to Deira!
Dubai fogs
If you manage to stay in a hotel or apartment above the 35th floor, you’ll have a fantastic view of skyscrapers sticking out of the fog in the morning.
Fog occurs in Dubai throughout the winter. Sometimes they drag the city for a day, but most often they can be seen early in the morning. So sit up higher and wake up earlier to see skyscrapers growing out of the clouds.
Paid entertainment in Dubai
The choice is enormous – it’s hard to see all the wonders, observation decks, and amusement parks in Dubai in a week. We have to choose, and we have chosen some of what we like.
For those who want to see as much as possible, The Dubai Pass is worth taking.
It includes:
ascent to the Bourgeois Khalifa – access to At the Top (floors 124 and 125),
and Morning Safari in the Desert,
as well as 10% discounts on many other Dubai attractions.
Dubai Fraime
Seeing the city from above is a must, and especially in Dubai. Just imagine the view from the 35th floor of a skyscraper. Or even better, visit an observation deck – Dubai has a large selection of such places. To do this, we chose an interesting and unusual object – the Dubai Skyline.
It is located in Zabeel Park, which is located near the Al Jafiliya metro station. Let’s just say that Dubai Fraime is the largest photo frame in the world. And even in gold color. On the top rung of the arch is an observation deck and a glass bridge. That’s where we went.
What to see from the Dubai Frame:
The frame was conceived as a cultural object and an observation deck from which the sunset is beautifully visible. The sun goes down behind the Burj Khalifa and the downtown in winter. It’s nice – the main thing is that there is no dust storm (we were lucky with the storm, of course).
But its main feature is the glass bridge. A high-speed elevator takes visitors to a height of about 150 meters, and a surprise awaits them at the exit of the elevator. The floor of the observation deck is covered with frosted glass. As soon as you step on it, the glass becomes transparent.
It’s amazing how the body behaves in this way. At the first second, my knees go a little weak, and I feel a stupor. Then the brain begins to realize that everything is safe and lets the body go on a walk across the glass bridge. That’s what happened to me. And some of them were unable to step on the transparent glass – fear, despite the smile on their faces. A cool experience and an opportunity to see the city from above for relatively little money.
In addition, the frame hosts breakfasts in the morning with a view of waking Dubai (daily from 6:00 to 8:00).
Cost: entrance fee: AED 50 ($15) – tickets online or at the box office, breakfast: AED 100 ($30) per person. Book breakfast on the frame in advance on the
website
.
Getting to Dubai Fraime: by metro to Al Jafiliya station
Other observation decks in Dubai:
At The Top observation deck, located on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.
The cost on the website online from AED 170 ($47) from 10:00-15:30 and 18:30-22:00. Tickets are more expensive at the box office!!!
Sky bars, where you can visit for free, but you will have to order at least some drinks. For example, Luna Sky Bar at Four Seasons in the financial center overlooking the Burj Khalifa. Or BiCE Sky Bar at Hilton Dubai The Walk in Dubai Marina.
Safari in the desert
When we were planning a trip to Dubai, I was dying to see the desert. Initially, we planned to rent a car, but in fact we bought a safari excursion, which consisted of the safari itself and dinner in the desert.
If you are planning to go to the desert on your own, you must first decide where exactly you want to be. Because not everywhere there are beautiful dunes, and not everywhere there is an opportunity to walk along tall, beautiful dunes. In most places, the desert near the highway is fenced with chain-link mesh. And more often than not, large dunes are not located near the highway, but deep in the desert, where you can’t get there without an off-road vehicle. And renting a 4×4 is much more expensive, and you also need to be able to drive it on sand.
So, before such a trip, you need to decide whether it’s worth paying for a car rental or whether a desert safari is cheaper.
As a result, we bought an excursion that included the tour:
- transfer to and from the hotel,
- a jeep safari in the desert,
- a photo shoot in the dunes with their own equipment, but the girls were asked to change into abaya, the national Arab dress,
- a delicious dinner accompanied by a fire show and dancing.
Of course, this is a very touristy thing and cannot be compared to an independent trip to the desert. When we were in Morocco, we did without any additional attractions – we just got up before dawn, arrived in the desert, and enjoyed the sunrise.
The dinner was delicious – a large food court offered various appetizers, hot dishes and several types of meat. The dances are also cool – I especially liked the Tunur dance – men danced rapidly in colorful skirts for twenty minutes. Very cool!
The cost of a safari to the Dubai desert: from $35 per person.
Amusement parks in Dubai
During a week in Dubai, we managed to visit the Miracle Garden Dubai Miracle Garden . It is the largest flower park in the world. It would be strange if this were not the case. More than 50 million flowers, statues in flowers and plants, waterfalls, installations, and a huge life-size model of an airplane – also covered in flowers.
The Garden of Wonders is decorated with petunias of various colors and shades. But there are other flowers and plants. The smell is incredible – you can smell the aroma of flowers through it.
Everything is well done and thought out: there are food courts, benches and gazebos in the shade. And given that I had never been to such parks before, I have nothing to compare it to. Overall, I liked it.
Ticketprice: 55 dirhams ($15), tickets without queues – $23.
Getting there: by taxi or by bus #105, which runs every 20 minutes from the bus station near the Mall of the Emirates.
Dubai Parks and Resorts
There are also many other amusement parks in Dubai to suit all ages and budgets.
For example, the largest entertainment complex Dubai Parks and Resorts, which covers 2.3 million square meters, has several theme parks at once: Legoland, Motion Gate, and Bollywood.
- Dubai Legoland features more than forty LEGO-themed attractions, shows and performances.
- Motion Gate will appeal to cartoon fans.
- In Bollywood Park, the world’s first theme park dedicated to Indian blockbusters, fans of Indian cinema will experience the magic of Bollywood.
Ticket price: from AED 275 ($75) for a visit to one of the parks. It is better to buy tickets in advance and online.
Getting there: Taxi, as the complex is located outside the city.
La Perle show
I like to mix different experiences while traveling. That’s why the list of must-sees included a Dubai show by La Perle Theater. This spectacular production, created under the direction of Frank Dragonet, once became a real sensation in the Dubai theater scene. How could I have missed it?
What is the La Perle show?
In fact, it is a mixture of a play, a circus and a water show, for which Dubai has built its own theater located in the Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City hotel. Everything is on a grand scale – in Dubai style. The action takes place on a specially created 2.5 million-liter water stage, a pool equipped with hydraulic elevators and fountains. Every day, a troupe of 65 professional artists and acrobats takes the stage to amaze with their breathtaking stunts in the air and water.
La Perle is the story of the emergence and development of the Emirates: from pearl fishermen to spaceflight, told against the backdrop of a simple story of love, friendship, betrayal, and the triumph of justice. The story is a bit simple, but it looks very impressive.
What can I say – I liked it. Although I was expecting Cirque du Soleil level from the description and pictures. La Perle is not yet up to the world circus show in terms of staging and skill of the artists. But the technical side of this performance was very impressive. I’ve never seen waterfalls flowing on stage, rain falling and everything instantly drying up like magic.
Cost: three types of tickets depending on the seats
– Bronze – from AED 249 ($62),
– Silver – AED 259 ($70),
– Gold – AED 309 ($82).
These are promotional prices during the low season (January-February) – current prices
on the show’s website.
Getting there: From Business Bay metro station, take a taxi to the Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City hotel.
Aquarium in Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall is a huge complex of shops near Burj Khalifa. In addition to shopping, be sure to plan a visit to the Aquarium with sharks, rays and other fish. The aquarium is huge – 50 meters long – and has become home to thousands of inhabitants.
There is a tunnel in the center of the aquarium that runs the entire length of the aquarium, where you walk under tons of water, holding your head up and looking at the faces of the fish. In addition to the aquarium, the price includes a visit to the underwater zoo, where I first saw a shark embryo developing. Lots of fish, cute penguins, crocodiles, birds and animals. You can ride a boat with a transparent bottom, feed the fish with special food.
Ticket prices: aquarium + zoo – 254 dirhams ($70), previously there were tickets for entrance only to the tunnel, but now they have been canceled. It is better to buy tickets on the aquarium’s website – at the box office are more expensive.
Getting there: by metro to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro station.
This is just a small taste of what you can see and where to go in Dubai. The city is huge, and new attractions appear there every year. The Museum of the Future will open soon, which is something I would like to see next. And also to go to the Ras al-Khaimah Mountains, live in Sharjah, and visit Fujairah on the Indian Ocean. In general, there is still room for improvement – the Emirates are diverse and different.
Useful articles and links:
- TOP city hotels in Dubai
- Wadi Rum Desert – a branch of Mars in Jordan
- Road trip in Jordan – route, main sights and costs of the trip
- The best road trip in Morocco
Booking of hotels and apartments – Booking.com
Car rental – I am looking for inexpensive options on Rentalcars.com
Booking of hotels and apartments – Booking.com
