First Time in Dubai: Everything You Need to Know

November to March is perfect (20-28C, clear skies, comfortable evenings). This is the season when Dubai works as an outdoor city. April and October are hot but manageable (30-35C) if you time your outdoor activities for morning and evening. May to September is 40-50C with humidity that makes it feel worse, and you will spend 90% of your time in air conditioning, which Dubai has made into an art form.

The weather determines your entire itinerary. In winter, you can walk the souks, lie on the beach, and explore Old Dubai comfortably at any hour. In summer, outdoor attractions become theoretical between 10 AM and 5 PM. Museums, malls, aquariums, and indoor parks become your daytime activities. The desert safari still runs in summer (the evening version, when temperatures drop to a more manageable 35C).

Water: carry it everywhere, drink more than you think you need. Dehydration creeps up fast, even in the cooler months. The desert air is dry and the sun is strong year-round.

The Dubai Metro has two lines. The Red Line runs from the airport through Downtown and the Marina to the end of the line. The Green Line covers Deira and Bur Dubai. Together they hit most tourist areas. Buy a Nol card (silver card AED 25, includes AED 19 credit) and top it up as needed. Regular fares are AED 3-6 per ride. Gold class (AED 6 per ride, guaranteed seating, less crowded) is worth the upgrade.

Taxis are cheap and metered. AED 12 minimum fare, most rides within the city AED 20-50. Careem (the local ride-hailing app, works like Uber) is convenient and sometimes cheaper than street taxis. Always have the Careem app as a backup.

Walking works within specific areas (JBR, the Marina Walk, Al Fahidi, the souks) but not between neighbourhoods. Dubai is built for cars. Highways and distances make inter-neighbourhood walking impractical and sometimes impossible. Plan taxi or metro between areas.

The Palm Monorail connects the Palm Jumeirah trunk to Atlantis (AED 30 return). The Dubai Tram runs along the Marina and JBR waterfront.

Dubai is more relaxed than most people assume, but there are lines. Swimwear at the beach is fine. Cover up when you leave the beach. Malls: casual clothing is fine, but very short shorts or bare midriffs will get you stares and occasionally asked to cover up. Mosques and government buildings: covered shoulders and knees for both men and women, headscarf for women at mosques (usually provided).

The Gold Souk and Old Dubai neighbourhoods are more conservative than the Marina and Downtown. Use common sense and you will be fine. Nobody expects tourists to wear traditional clothing, but showing basic respect for the culture goes a long way.

Photography: generally fine everywhere except government buildings and military installations. Ask before photographing local people, especially women. The souks and public attractions are fine to photograph.

Alcohol is available at licensed restaurants, hotel bars, and nightclubs. It is not available at street-level restaurants in Old Dubai, most food courts, or non-licensed venues. You cannot buy alcohol in regular supermarkets (there are specific licensed liquor shops, the main chains are MMI and African + Eastern).

Being drunk in public is technically illegal and occasionally enforced. The practical standard: be respectful, do not cause a scene, do not drink on the street. Hotel bars and clubs operate like anywhere else in the world and the nightlife in the Marina and DIFC districts is genuinely good.

During Ramadan (dates change yearly based on the Islamic calendar), eating, drinking, and smoking in public during daylight hours is prohibited, even for non-Muslims. Restaurants either close during the day or screen off their dining areas. Evenings are magical with iftar meals (the meal that breaks the fast at sunset), which are served at hotels and restaurants and are worth experiencing.

The currency is AED (Dirham), pegged to the US dollar at 3.67. Cards are accepted everywhere. ATMs are everywhere. Apple Pay and Google Pay work widely. You rarely need cash except at small restaurants in Old Dubai, Karama, and Satwa (some are still cash-only) and at the souks (for haggling, cash gets better prices).

Tipping: 10% at restaurants is standard. Many restaurants add a service charge automatically, check the bill. Taxi drivers do not expect tips but rounding up to the nearest AED 5 is appreciated. Hotel porters AED 5-10 per bag. Tour guides and safari drivers AED 20-50 depending on the quality of the experience.

Friday brunch is Dubai's version of the long Sunday lunch, except it lasts four hours and includes unlimited food and drinks. Hotels put on massive buffet spreads every Friday, typically from 12:30 PM to 4 PM, for AED 200-500 per person. The food is extraordinary (sushi, steak, seafood, dessert stations, everything) and the atmosphere is festive.

The good brunches book out weeks ahead. Bubbalicious at the Westin, Saffron at the Atlantis, and Brunch at the Top at Burj Al Arab are among the most popular. It sounds excessive because it is. But it is also a genuine cultural experience, the one time each week when Dubai's diverse population comes together over food and conversation. Book ahead. Arrive hungry.