Dubai by Night
Sizzling beach clubs like Nikki line the coast as well — nab a sun bed near the pool then sip on mojitos and margaritas as the DJ spins chilled summer tracks until dusk.
Dubai During Ramadan
You’ll be glad to know that alcohol is not banned during the Holy Month of Ramadan. However, **clubs are completely shut and bars, while open, will not play any music or serve alcohol before 8pm.**This means you may want to consider booking outside these dates.
Keep in mind that during this 30-day period locals will be particularly reflective, so do your best to be respectful in public. Most restaurants will not be open between sunrise and sunset (to coincide with the fasting practice), but convenience stores and designated cafes still cater to non-Muslims.
Dress codes definitely get more conservative during this period: women should cover their shoulders and legs in public (a shawl will do wonders in a pinch), while men should not wear shorts above the knee.
Getting Around Dubai
Dubai has built more than just a showy skyline — the city’s transport infrastructure is top-drawer, too.
Metro
A clean, quick and cheap metro system links 47 stations — including the airport — with all the major sights for Dh4, 6 or 8.50, depending on the length of your journey. Grab a red Nol prepaid ticket from any stop for Dh2, which you can then load up with 10 trips or 5 daily passes. Services stop from 1am to 5am,so hop in a cab or an Uber instead of stumbling around drunk in a town that doesn’t tolerate boozy behaviour.
A stack of bus lines also cov areas the metro doesn’t — pre-pay for your ticket on your Nol card.
Taxi or Ride-Share
Cabs charge Dh12 plus Dh2 per kilometre — a great-value trip home from the club, with taxi stands outside most malls and hotels. Uber and a local app called Careem are also popular — roughly the same price as taxis, but much nicer cars.
Bike
The Nextbike bike-sharing system has pick-ups at the Burj Khalifa and Marina Walk if you feel like pedalling around town — Dh15 for 30 minutes and Dh80 for the day.
As for walking? That’s a dangerous game with such heat and such crazy drivers.
Boat
You can hop on an abra — the old wooden boats chugging across Dubai Creek — for just Dh1. But for some signature Emirati luxury, book your own private yacht to cruise along the coastline.
Desert
Conquer the desert like an Arabian night behind the wheel of a dune buggy, smashing through the sand on a dune-bashing safari, or saddle up a camel and trek across the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve on humpback.
The good-value 2 Days Parks Pass also bundles together Motiongate, Bollywood Parks, Legoland and Legoland Water Park.
