All our Practical & planning guides for Dubai, in one place.
The city has two price levels running in parallel. Where the metro, the souks and the beaches keep costs down, where alcohol and attractions push them up, and how to plan a realistic daily budget.
Dubai is not dry, but the rules are specific and the penalties are real. Here is how the tourist liquor permit works, where drinking is legal, and the lines you genuinely should not cross.
Dubai eats in four distinct registers, from a five dirham paratha to a tasting menu with a view. How to read the scene by area, how lunch gets you into the expensive rooms, and what lands on the bill.
Dubai Summer Surprises turns Dubai's hottest months into the cheapest time to shop. Here is when DSS runs, where the real bargains are, and how to beat 45C heat.
How entering Dubai works: who gets a visa on arrival, who applies in advance, passport validity, what customs actually restricts, and the rules that surprise first-time visitors.
When to visit Dubai: the cool winter high season, the scorching summer, the shoulder months, and how heat, crowds, prices, Ramadan and big events should shape your dates.
Four hours, eight hours or overnight: whether to leave the airport at all, what fits into the time, and the visa question that decides it.
A long term residence permit tied to a qualifying property investment: how the route works in outline, what it does not give you, and why the detail must come from the source.
Driving here is easy, cheap and heavily automated: the licence rules by nationality, how Salik tolls and speed cameras work, and the deposit that surprises everyone.
A driverless metro along the spine of the city, a tram at the Marina, abras across the Creek and taxis for the gaps: how to get around Dubai without renting a car.
Two airports, three terminals and four sensible ways into the city: what the metro, taxis, ride hailing and hotel transfers actually cost you in time and hassle.
Healthcare here is private and billed, and the activities people actually book are the ones basic policies exclude: dune bashing, quad bikes, diving and hire cars.
Planning your first trip to Dubai? Here is when to go, which area to stay in, how the visa works for your passport, how to get around, what to book ahead, and the local etiquette that saves you trouble.
Police 999, ambulance 998, fire 997 and the non emergency line 901: the numbers to save, how hospitals and pharmacies work, and the laws visitors get caught by.