DESERT'S MOST EXCITING CITY Welcome

to Dubai, city of merchants, cultural crossroads, second largest of the seven United Arab Emirates. A country where the dust of the desert is clearing to reveal the potential for one of the most significant international cities of the 21st century. Dubai is the Middle East meets Hong Kong with a little Las Vegas thrown in for extra pzazz. Dubai is a cosmopolitan melting pot and the quintessential home of sand, sea, sun and shopping. A great destination whether it's for a short break, a stopover or a longer beach holiday with almost guaranteed year-round sunshine. Hotels in Dubai are out of this world with underwater spas, fine dining restaurants suspended high above the sea, lavish décor and a standard of service and facilities second to none. Visitors will be delighted beyond their expectations. Dubai is a holiday paradise - white beaches on which to relax and enjoy the sun, the best hotels in the world and an absolute shopper's delight offering a unique and richly exotic experience that is both modern and traditional. As one of the safest and most relaxed environments on earth - Dubai is truly distinctive. From snow-skiing in the morning to a desert safari in the afternoon, a myriad of activities cater to the adventurer's dream. The finest of the world's hotels, gourmet cuisine and outstanding standards of service combined with traditional Arabian hospitality make Dubai a novel and satisfying experience for today's demanding holidaymaker

Places to see

Souks (markets)

The souks, or traditional markets, are one of Dubai's greatest attractions. They are located on both sides of the creek, with the most impressive on the Deira side. The highlight is the colourful SpiceMarket, which abounds with exotic aromas and bustles with locals seeking bargains. Wandering around the atmospheric souks is a good way for visitors to get in touch with how life was in Dubai, before oil was discovered.

Burj Al Arab

This is an impressive landmark, a five star hotel (unofficially known as the worlds only seven star hotel) which is built on an artificial island, with a sail-shaped build reaching out at 321m. It is certainly an extraordinary building with superb interior decor, including a Skyview bar with amazing views.

Wild Wadi Waterpark

This is certainly something for the children to enjoy.
The waterpark includes many exciting rides for all ages which are based on the Legend of Arabian adventurer, Juha and his friend Sinbad. The waterpark also includes the popular almost free-fall ride, Jumeirah Sceirah.

Dubai Museum

The building that houses the Dubai Museum, Al-Fahidi Fort, is an attraction in itself. The historic fort, dating back as far as 1799, was converted into a museum, in 1970. The exhibits range from old weapons and pearl-diving outfits to an impressive range of military artefacts. Some of the most fascinating exhibits are those recovered from the 3000 to 4000-year-old graves at Al-Ghusais.

Gold Souk

Dubai boasts one of the largest retail gold markets in the world, selling everything from ingots to intricately worked jewellery at bargain prices. The street-front stores side alleys of smaller shops with glittering show windows.

Ski Dubai

Ski Dubai is the first indoor ski resort in the Middle East and offers an amazing snow setting to enjoy skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing, or just playing in the snow.

Atlantis Resort & Hotel

A multi billion dollar resort built on the fascinating Palm Island.

Burj Dubai

The world's tallest tower and still growing...

Deira Covered Souk (District)

The Deira Covered Souk has more of an Indian feel than an Arabic one, with folks hawking textiles, spices, kitchen wares, clothes and henna. It is a perfect place for a housewife to feel at home! The aromas, the sights and the flavours of this place are quite intoxicating!!!

The Heritage Village

offers a great example of how life was in Hatta before its modernisation, with its traditional fort, mud houses and stone buildings. In this village you can visit the famous Hatta House which gives you an idea of how homes were designed just a couple of decades ago.

Desert Safari

Dubai has a number of highly professional inbound tour operators offering a range of services for both individual tourists and the travel trade. The major operators are well-equipped to provide a full destination management service covering hotel bookings, airport transfers, ground transport and a daily programme of tours and activities with multilingual guides.
'Shell' programmes are also available with as much or as little unallocated time as required. These are becoming increasingly popular as Dubai makes its mark as a conference and incentive travel destination All the leading inbound tour operators, offer tours, ranging from a couple of hours to several days, devoted to special interest activities, sightseeing or exploring neighbouring emirates.

When to go

The weather in Dubai won't surprise you. This is desert territory, after all, and you don't go there for winter skiing (although you can get some snow skiing in at the indoor ski slope!) or to get away from summer's heat.
Indeed, you head for Dubai knowing full well what awaits you. It's likely to be hot and sunny. Most Dubai experts say it's best to stay away from the area during the hot summer months, if you can. In the summer, there's an average of 11 hours of sunshine a day, and all of it is hot.
If you are planning to be in Dubai in the summer months – or the hot months of roughly June through September, be prepared for midday temperatures to reach or 42°C to 45°C (95°F to 108°F). On the hottest days the temperatures can reach 48°C (120°F). There's some respite from the heat at night, when temperatures dip lower, usually in the low 30s C (high 60's to low 80's Fahrenheit) range but then the humidity rises making things quite uncomfortable.
Now, if you are able to go to Dubai between December and March, the weather is much more agreeable to most people. During this period, daytime temperatures range between 22°C and 30°C (77°F to 95°F). Nightime minima can get as low as 7°C (48°F) in the city in rare instances but will get lower if you are camping up in the mountains. Depending on where your home is, that might not even seem so cold.
Whatever the outside temperature and whatever time of year, however, you will spend most of your time here in extremely efficient Air con. So you might want to pack at least one warm top.
There is no particular rainy season in Dubai, as might be expected, but there can be rainfall at any time, even in the summer; however, January to March has the most rainfall days.