United Arab Emirates
Dubai
Our notebook to help you plan your trip to Dubai: the right season, where to stay and our ideas to make the most of it.
Skyscrapers, beaches and malls: a spectacular city between desert and sea. Choose your neighbourhood based on what you feel like doing.
Best weatherDuring the mild season: pleasant weather for the beach and evenings out. Summer is very hot.
A question?
Wéa answers about this destination: neighbourhoods, seasons, ideas.
When to go
Every season has its charm. Here's how to choose yours, depending on what you want to experience.
Perfect season
25 to 30 °C, beaches, rooftops and desert. From December to January, the Dubai Shopping Festival is one deal and show after another.
Lovely sea
It's hot, the sea is perfect and hotels start lowering their prices.
Smart summer
It's very hot, but everything is air-conditioned: malls, aquariums, indoor ski slopes. And it's when the big hotels have their best prices of the year.
Mild again
Temperatures come down, Global Village reopens and the terraces come back to life.
Where to stay
The right neighbourhood depends on what you're after. Here are our favourite places to stay.
Downtown
Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and the fountains: the modern heart of the city.
Dubai Marina and JBR
Beach, promenade and restaurants. Lively, and well linked by tram and metro.
Palm Jumeirah
Big seafront resorts. Perfect for unwinding.
Deira and Bur Dubai
Old Dubai, with its souks and creek. A real trip back in time.
Our favourites
What we love there: its history, its landscapes, its flavours and its festivals. Take your time, it's all there to enjoy.
The Burj Khalifa
At 828 metres, it's the tallest building in the world. Go up to the observation deck at sunset, then watch the Dubai Fountain show at its feet.
Ideal for great views
Al Fahidi and the Creek
Old Dubai means coral-stone houses with their wind towers. Then cross the Creek by abra, the little traditional boat, just like the locals.
Ideal for discovering old Dubai
The gold and spice souks
On the Deira side, the windows of the gold souk sparkle, and the spice souk smells of saffron, cinnamon and incense.
Ideal for shopping
The desert
Less than an hour from the city, the orange dunes are waiting: a 4x4 ride, sunset over the sand and dinner under the stars.
Ideal for adventurers