Dubai
Desert evenings, dhow dinners and the city's big-ticket sights, with guides who know how to show visiting family the real Dubai.
In this guide
When to go
The season runs from November to March, when daytime highs sit around 24 to 28°C and the desert is properly cool after dark. Global Village and the outdoor markets open from late October to early May. December is the busiest month: school holidays and New Year push up hotel rates and safari demand, so book visiting family's tours as soon as their flights are fixed.
Ramadan in 2027 is expected from around mid-February to mid-March. Tours still run, with adjusted timings and iftar options on the dhow and at the desert camp, though live entertainment is reduced. From June to September, plan mornings and evenings outdoors and the hot middle of the day at museums and indoor attractions.
Planning a week for visiting family
Most families we host want a mix of icons and something they could not do at home. A balanced week looks like this: one day in old Dubai, one evening in the desert, one night on the water, one big view and two free days for the beach and malls.
Book Burj Khalifa for a slot just before sunset, and the desert safari for a day when nobody is flying out early the next morning. Grandparents usually prefer the Marina dhow dinner to dune bashing; teenagers want the opposite. We can mix private and shared tours in one booking and collect everyone from different addresses.
Things to do
- Evening desert safari with a dune drive, camel ride and barbecue dinner at a camp in the Lahbab dunes
- Old Dubai souks walk through Al Fahidi, across the creek by abra and into the spice and gold souks with Saeed Al Mazrouei
- Burj Khalifa At the Top at sunset from levels 124 and 125
- Museum of the Future, best booked for a weekday morning
- Hot air balloon over the desert at dawn, with a falcon display and breakfast
- Jet ski past the Burj Al Arab and the Palm with Jomar Villanueva's marine team
- Hatta day of kayaking on the dam and the heritage village
- Dibba cruise into the fjords of Musandam with swimming stops
Practical tips
Dress modestly at heritage sites and mosques, with shoulders and knees covered. On safaris, wear closed shoes and bring a light jacket from December to February. Most tours collect from hotels and homes in central Dubai; pick-ups from Sharjah are available for a supplement. Tipping is appreciated but never expected: AED 20 to 50 for a guide or driver after a good day is typical. Children aged 3 to 11 pay child rates, and under-threes go free on most shared tours.
Things to book in Dubai
Red dunes at sunset with a licensed driver, sandboarding, a camel ride and a BBQ dinner at our own camp, with hotel pickup and no extras at the gate.
Two hours on a traditional wooden dhow through Dubai Marina at night, with an international buffet, live tanoura show and views of JBR and Ain Dubai.
Timed entry to the observation decks on levels 124 and 125 of the world's tallest building, with our host at The Dubai Mall entrance. Sunset slots sell out first.
Lift off at first light over the dunes near Margham for about an hour in the air, then a falcon show and breakfast at a desert camp. Pickup before dawn.
Four hours in the red dunes while the light is soft and the sand is cool: a proper dune drive, sandboarding and a camel ride, back in Dubai by lunchtime.
Sunset dune drive, dinner by the fire, a tent with a real bed and a sky full of stars, then sunrise over the dunes and breakfast before the drive home.
Two hours on a 50-foot yacht from Dubai Marina past JBR, Ain Dubai and Palm Jumeirah, with a swim stop and soft drinks. Book a seat or charter the whole boat.
Five hours with a licensed guide from Jumeirah Mosque and Burj Al Arab to the Creek, an abra ride and the spice and gold souks, with hotel pickup.
Dubai: questions we are asked
Do my visiting parents need a visa for Dubai?
What is the best month for a desert safari?
How many days do visitors need in Dubai?
Are your Dubai tours family friendly?
Is the food on your tours halal?
Can we combine Dubai tours with Abu Dhabi?
Travellers back from Dubai
Visited with my in-laws from Sheffield on one of the rare drizzly mornings of their stay. Kevin found a bench for my father-in-law on every floor and slowed the pace without making a fuss. A beautiful building inside and out.
Kevin gave the best history of Dubai I have heard: Al Fahidi, the abra across the creek, spice and gold souks, then Jumeirah Mosque and a beach photo stop facing the sail-shaped hotel. Every stop had a story.
Did it for my sixtieth, much to my children's horror. Viktor made sure the medical form was sorted in advance and kept me calm during the wait. Landing on the beach with my grandchildren cheering was the best birthday present I have ever given myself.
