Dubai has erupted onto the centre stage of commerce from the humblest of beginnings, creating a breeding ground for world-leading luxury hotels and high-class shopping. Sample some retail therapy, dine on the planet's finest cuisine and discover urban curiosities that can only exist in Dubai. Short city escapes and multi-centre adventures have flourished in Dubai, and a stay here is like sampling a buffet of global culture.
- Flight time: Approx 8 hours
- Passport & Visa: Visa required for British passport holders
- Currency: Dirham
- Time Zone: GMT+4
- Language: Arabic, but English is widely spoken
Culture
Archaeological discoveries suggest that small fishing communities lived along the coast of the Arabian Gulf on the site of modern Dubai as far back as four thousand years ago. After an economical flourishing beginning in the late 1870s, Dubai has been considered the principal port on the Arabian Gulf Coast.
Cuisine
Multiculturalism in Dubai creates unparallelled opportunities to experience ethnic cuisine from almost every region in the world. Standards of international and local cuisine in Dubai are extremely high, and the selection is diverse. Arabian, French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Mexican, Russian, British, German, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Filipino and Korean cuisine (to name just a few) are available at world-leading restaurants in the city.
Climate
Dubai enjoys an arid subtropical climate, with great variance across the year. Temperatures range from night-time lows of 10°C to extreme summer daytime highs of 48°C. The average maximum daily temperature in January is 24°C and the average maximum daily temperature in July is 41°C when humidity is very high. There is very little rainfall in Dubai, but when showers do fall it is mainly in the cooler months.
Things to do
This incredible city offers many activities for all types of holidaymaker. Discover wrecks beneath the ocean, see the world's tallest architecture, feast on mouth-watering Arabic cuisine and enjoy some of the best retail therapy in the world. Dubai holds more secrets than these, and the only way to find them is to walk the streets yourself.