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Plan a group trip to Dubai

Everything below is the planning detail rather than the sightseeing. Currency, climate, what to pack for it, and a day structure that works, so you can put your dates in and fill the days.

Country
United Arab Emirates
Currency
UAE Dirham (AED)
Time zone
GST, four hours ahead of the UK
Language
Arabic officially, English used almost everywhere
Typical trip length
4 to 7 days
Best months
November to March. Summer is extremely hot and largely spent indoors

Weather and what it means for planning

Winter days are around 24 to 28°C and pleasant. From June to September temperatures regularly exceed 40°C with high humidity, and outdoor plans need to move to early morning or evening.

On your Holiday Board, each day shows a forecast once a reliable one exists, which is roughly two weeks ahead. Further out than that we show nothing rather than guessing, because a made-up forecast is worse than none when you are deciding what to pack.

What to pack for Dubai

  • Modest clothing for malls, souks and public areas: shoulders and knees covered is the safe default
  • Swimwear is fine at hotel pools and beaches but not away from them
  • A layer for indoors. Air conditioning is aggressive and restaurants can be genuinely cold
  • Sun protection all year, including winter
  • Comfortable shoes for very long indoor walks. Malls here are enormous

Add these to your plans as bring items while you are setting up the trip and they turn up on everyone’s packing list automatically, with duplicates merged.

An example Dubai day structure

A workable shape for a 4 to 7 days trip. Copy whichever of these fit onto your own days and ignore the rest.

  1. Day 1Arrival day

    Take the time difference seriously. Something low key rather than a big first night.

  2. Day 2Old Dubai

    Souks and the creek, best in the morning before the heat builds.

  3. Day 3Beach or pool day

    Early morning and late afternoon in summer, all day in winter.

  4. Day 4Desert trip

    Usually late afternoon into evening. Pick up times are strict, so set a leave time.

  5. Day 5Downtown

    Burj Khalifa and the fountains. Book a timed slot and work backwards to your leave time.

  6. Day 6Brunch

    A local institution and a whole afternoon. Book well ahead and note the reservation name.

Practical things worth knowing

  • Dirham, pegged to the US dollar. Cards work nearly everywhere, cash is useful in the souks
  • Alcohol is served in licensed venues, mostly hotels. Public drinking is not permitted
  • The metro is cheap, clean and covers the main strip. Taxis are plentiful and reasonable
  • Fridays and weekends are busier for brunch and attractions, so book earlier

Getting around

The city is long and spread out, and walking between districts is not realistic in the heat. The metro handles the main axis, taxis fill the gaps. Journeys take longer than they look.

This is the reason leave time exists as its own field on every plan. The start time is when the thing happens. The leave time is when you actually need to be out of the door, and in Dubai the gap between those two is bigger than people expect.

Money on a Dubai trip

Dubai uses the UAE Dirham. If your group counts in pounds, set AED as the local currency and GBP as the home currency when you create the holiday. Every expense then shows both, and the rate is saved with the expense so past spending never shifts when rates move.

At the end, the expense splitter nets everything off into the fewest possible payments.

Dubai planning questions

What currency is used in Dubai?
The UAE Dirham (AED). Dirham, pegged to the US dollar. Cards work nearly everywhere, cash is useful in the souks
How long should I go to Dubai for?
4 to 7 days suits most groups. That gives you enough days to include a full day trip without every day being booked.
When is the best time to visit Dubai?
November to March. Summer is extremely hot and largely spent indoors. Winter days are around 24 to 28°C and pleasant. From June to September temperatures regularly exceed 40°C with high humidity, and outdoor plans need to move to early morning or evening.
How do I get around in Dubai?
The city is long and spread out, and walking between districts is not realistic in the heat. The metro handles the main axis, taxis fill the gaps. Journeys take longer than they look.

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Put your dates in and every day of the trip appears, ready for the structure above.

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