Dubai — United Arab Emirates
Dubai sits on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, built outward from a tidal creek that was once a pearling and trading port. The city today layers tower districts raised on reclaimed land, older quarters of wind-tower houses, and desert that begins just past the last interchange.
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Why go
What strikes you about Dubai is how deliberate it is. Districts were planned like products: a marina, an island shaped like a palm, a downtown organised around one tower and one mall. Almost everything works — English signage, metered taxis, a driverless metro, hotels used to every kind of guest — which makes it one of the easiest long-haul cities to arrive in cold. Meanwhile the old city along the creek still trades gold, fabric and spices, and small wooden boats still ferry people across. The two Dubais are a few metro stops apart.
The city pays off for guaranteed warmth in December, for a stopover stretched into two or three days, or for a family week where the pool counts as much as the sightseeing. Walkers get the worst of it: distances are long, pavements are an afterthought, and for half the year the street is simply unliveable. Anyone travelling for unplanned neighbourhood life, weathered stone or cheap independent eating will find Dubai efficient and a little airless.
Month-by-month climate
Winter is the only mild season. January averages 25.5 °C by day and 17.1 °C at night, February 27 °C, and March climbs to 30.1 °C. April reaches 34 °C and oddly collects more rain than any other month, 41.9 mm. From May onward the heat is the whole story: 39.3 °C in May, 41.2 °C in June, a peak of 42.8 °C in July with nights that never fall below 33.5 °C. August holds 42.5 °C, September 40.6 °C, and October still runs 36.6 °C. Only November (31.9 °C) and December (27.4 °C by day, 19.5 °C at night) bring the outdoors back.
Rain barely exists here: 141.9 mm over the year, spread across 7 measured rain days. June and September recorded nothing at all in our sample, July 0.3 mm, August 0.2 mm, and only January produced a single day above 5 mm. What that changes in practice is simple — you plan around heat and humidity, never around weather. Between May and September, outdoor sightseeing works before nine in the morning and after sunset; the rest of the day belongs to interiors, and any itinerary that ignores this collapses by noon.
| Month | Avg. high (°C) | Avg. low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Days ≥ 1 mm | Days ≥ 5 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.5 | 17.1 | 23 | 1 | 1 |
| Feb | 27.0 | 18.7 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Mar | 30.1 | 21.1 | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr | 34.0 | 24.1 | 42 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 39.3 | 28.5 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 41.2 | 30.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 42.8 | 33.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 42.5 | 33.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sept | 40.6 | 31.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 36.6 | 28.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 31.9 | 23.6 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec | 27.4 | 19.5 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
Source: Meteostat — Dubaï (United Arab Emirates) station, 19.4 km away, 4 sample years. Monthly totals rebuilt from daily averages.
When to go
Aim for late November to early March. December to February gives highs of 25.5 to 27 °C, cool evenings and a sea warm enough to swim. The price is crowding and holiday-season rates. March and November are the honest compromise: 30.1 °C and 31.9 °C, still pleasant early and late in the day, with calmer hotels. Skip June to September unless your trip is entirely indoors.
The most favourable months, on these records
- January
- February
- December
What to see in 2, 4 and 7 days
In 2 days
- Morning one: cross the creek by wooden ferry, then walk the spice lanes and the gold market.
- Afternoon one: the restored heritage quarter of courtyard houses, then the observation deck timed for sunset.
- Morning two: a Jumeirah beach early, while the sand is still walkable and the sea flat.
- Afternoon two: the marina and the palm island by metro and monorail, dinner facing the water.
In 4 days
- Day one crosses the creek by wooden ferry for the spice lanes and the gold market, then the restored heritage quarter of courtyard houses, with an observation deck timed for sunset.
- Day two starts early on a Jumeirah beach, while the sand is still walkable, then the marina and the palm island by metro and monorail, dinner facing the water.
- Day three opens with a slow museum morning in the old town and a heritage lunch in a courtyard, then an indoor block for the hottest hours: aquarium, ski slope or water park, depending on age.
- Day three, late afternoon: the desert — dunes, a camel camp, dinner under canvas, back in the city well after dark.
- Day four goes by coach to Abu Dhabi, for the Grand Mosque and the waterfront museum quarter.
In 7 days
- Days one to three: the creek and its souks, the heritage quarter, an early Jumeirah morning, the marina and the palm island by metro.
- Day four: the desert from mid-afternoon onwards — dunes, a camel camp and dinner under canvas.
- Day five: Abu Dhabi by coach, for the Grand Mosque and the waterfront museum quarter.
- Day six: the mountain enclave inland, for wadis, dams and a genuine change of landscape and temperature.
- Day seven: a mangrove kayak session at first light, a fabric and tailoring morning in the textile district on the bank opposite the gold, and a dhow dinner on the creek to close.
- Somewhere in the week, ride the metro end to end: the cheapest way to grasp how the city is laid out.
- Keep beach time to the first hours after dawn and the hour before sunset; midday sand is unusable for most of the year.
Getting there and around
Three airports serve the city. Dubai International (DXB), 20 km from the centre, takes most long-haul traffic and is on the metro's red line. Al Maktoum (DWC), 22 km out, is a separate field handling a smaller share — check the code on your ticket, because the two are not interchangeable. Sharjah (SHJ), 34 km away, is the low-cost gateway from Europe. Two metro lines follow the main highway and cover most hotel districts; taxis are metered and everywhere; the creek ferries are a transport mode, not a ride. Walking between districts is rarely realistic.
Nearest airports
- DXBDubai Airport20 km from the centre
- DWCDubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport22 km from the centre
- SHJSharjah International Airport34 km from the centre
Budget
Country price level compared with France : −30 %
Price index for restaurants and hotels, France = 1000, from European purchasing power parities. It is a country average: it says nothing about one hotel in particular.
The gap between a cheap Dubai and an expensive one is the real planning problem. Eating and sleeping average below Paris levels here, and it is the season that moves that average hard. Between 70 and 180 € covers a mid-range room, less in the summer heat, considerably more between Christmas and New Year. For food, roughly 30 to 60 € a day per person if you mix a food court, a creek-side canteen and one sit-down meal. Desert trips and observation decks are what actually inflate a Dubai budget.
Common mistakes
- Booking a beach week in July or August: with 42.8 °C days and 33.5 °C nights, the sand is unusable from mid-morning.
- Assuming two landmarks that look close on the map are walkable — the city is laid out at motorway scale, not pedestrian scale.
- Turning up at the wrong airport: DXB and DWC are separate fields, 20 and 22 km from the centre, with no quick link between them.
- Packing beachwear only: malls, souks and mosques expect shoulders and knees covered, and alcohol is served in licensed venues only.
- Spending all four days on the new side of the creek and never seeing the trading city that came first.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Dubai without renting a car?
Yes, and most visitors should. Two metro lines run along the corridor where the hotels, the downtown and the marina sit, taxis are metered and plentiful, and ride-hailing works normally. A car only earns its keep for the desert, the inland mountains or a beach outside the city. Even with one, you will not be walking much between May and October.
What is Dubai like during Ramadan?
The month moves about eleven days earlier each year, so it can land in any season. Expect restraint about eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight, many restaurants screened or closed until sunset, shortened hours at attractions and offices, and long, sociable evenings afterwards. It is a quieter and often cheaper time to come, provided you plan your days around the rhythm rather than against it.
Updated on 12 September 2026