Is Dubai Worth Visiting?

Is Dubai worth visiting? Find out all the reasons why you should visit Dubai.

Dubai, is a city of gold, a city of fashion, a city of abundance, of glamour, a city of architecture, and a city of the future. These all and much more are Dubai.

A city that grew up from the desert to the top of the world. And to the top literally with the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

When I came to Dubai for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was in a Muslim country, so it was more reserved than Europe, I knew it was a desert, so it was very hot there, but the rest I left to surprise me.

It was a pleasant surprise for me as I fell in love with the city and wanted to move there. The sunshine, the beach, safety, cleanliness, delicious food, I love it all.

However, not everything that is shining is gold and so Dubai as well has some disadvantages like any other city in the world.

Some people would never come to Dubai or even if they came they didn’t like it. Some people say it is a fake city, an expensive city, a busy city, and more.

Maybe you are asking a question now: “Is Dubai worth visiting?” Is it worth the money and the time? 

I came to Dubai eight times and I still would like to live there for some time. I’m sure that Dubai is worth visiting for families, couples, or friends. 

In this blog post, I will provide you with some reasons why Dubai is worth visiting. I will also explain the disadvantages, so you have a full picture.

As the owner of this website, I’ve included some recommendations for your trips. When you use the links to make a purchase, I may get a small commission. You will not get charged extra. Full disclosure.

Is Dubai Worth Visiting?

Luxury accommodations, large shopping malls, beautiful beaches, relaxing desert, fine dining, amazing waterparks, sensational attractions, and sights are continuously rising in the city so you have always something to do. In Dubai, you can never be bored.

Dubai is on the top of the world with everything being the best, the biggest, the tallest. Dubai is absolutely worth visiting and here are some reasons.

Beaches

Beaches are probably the first reason why people come to Dubai. White soft sand with lovely warm water makes it the perfect relaxing destination. Besides relaxing, many beaches offer other activities like jet skiing, kitesurfing, parasailing, and renting a yacht. 

Some of the beaches are private belonging to the hotels, however, there are many free public beaches, for example, Jumeirah Beach, Marina Beach, Umm Suqeim Beach, Kite Beach, and more.

➡️You can book your Yacht cruise experience HERE  

➡️You can book your jet ski experience HERE

 

Extravagant Architecture

The Architecture in Dubai is one of the most extravagant in the world as they have to excel in everything they do. 

Whether it is the tallest building in the world Burj Khalifa, the largest garden Miracle Garden, the deepest pool in the world, or other attractions like Dubai Frame, Museum of the Future, Dubai Fountain, or Ain Dubai the biggest observatory wheel. 

The skyscrapers of different shapes are growing like mushrooms after the rain. As you know, 50 years ago, Dubai was just a desert. Now you see the tall shiny buildings all over the city.

➡️Get your entry ticket to Burj Khalifa HERE

 

Luxury Hotels

Dubai is well known for its most luxurious and expensive hotels. There are hotels furnished with gold and marble. You can eat golden steak or have a bath in a golden bath. 

The most luxurious and the only 7* hotel in the world is Burj Al Arab. In this hotel, some rooms have a gold bathroom, there is a Michelin-star restaurant with an aquarium around it, an infinity pool, a private beach, and much more. 

The hotel is built on a private island with a small helipad near the roof. To enter the hotel you either have to be a guest of the hotel or have a booked table in one of the restaurants.

Some other luxurious hotels are Armani Hotel located in Burj Khalifa and Atlantis the Palm located on the man-made island of Palm Jumeirah. Guests in the Atlantis Hotel have free entrance to one of the biggest waterparks in the world, Aquaventure.

Check out the best hotels near Dubai Mall here.

 

Shopping

Dubai is heaven for shopaholics. The city is equipped with many amazing malls where you can spend the whole day. 

It wouldn’t be Dubai if they didn’t build one of the biggest malls in the world, which is the Dubai Mall. Dubai Mall is a huge mall with many designer shops and middle-range shops, restaurants, a cinema, an ice rink, an aquarium, several amusement parks and an entrance to the Burj Khalifa is also from this mall.

The second biggest mall in Dubai is the Mall of the Emirates, where you also have many shops, restaurants, a cinema, a game center, and a ski center. Yes, you read it right. Ski Dubai is a skiing center with a chairlift built inside the shopping mall. 

As you can see even if you are not into shopping, you can still have fun in these malls. It will take you a few hours to find your way and walk around.

There are many more shopping malls in Dubai, for example, Marina Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai Festival City, Wafi City, Dragon Mart, City Centre Mirdif, and Deira City Centre.

There are also many outlets where you can buy designer clothes for less, for example, Dubai Outlet Mall and Brands for less.

Every year, the Dubai Shopping Festival happens from mid-December until the end of January where you can shop with discounts.

 

Fun and Adrenaline

Fun and adrenaline definitely belong to Dubai. There are so many fun and also adrenalin things to do here.

There are several water parks here, Wild Wadi, Aquaventure, Aquafan, for children Splash ‘n’ Party Kids Waterpark, Legoland Water Park, Splash Pad and game parks, IMG Worlds of Adventure, Magic Planet, Bollywood, Motiongate Parks, Legoland, and many more where you can have a lot of fun.

Besides the parks, you can go skiing, ice skating, camel riding, dune bashing, sandboarding, swimming with dolphins, going to pool parties, and cinema.

If you are an adrenalin junkie, then you can go ziplining, skydiving, diving in the deepest pool in the world, or diving in Dubai aquarium with sharks.

 

International City

Dubai is an international city with 90% of people living here being expats. So even though Dubai is a Muslim city, you don’t really feel it as you are meeting people from all over the world of different nationalities.

You can tell it is an international city due to the fashion, food, and art, and feel that you taste a bit from each corner of the world. The big plus is the location of Dubai in the world. Dubai became a connection hub among countries and also built the most successful airline Emirates Airline.

 

Fine Dining

I have to say that Dubai excels in food. Whether you are eating in a Micheline star restaurant or a small restaurant, you will not be disappointed.

Moreover, as Dubai is a multicultural city, you can find food from each corner of the world. You can eat Lebanese, Indian, Italian, Thai, Chinese, anything you desire, you will find it there.

You definitely must try shawarma and Arabic sweets like baklava, basbosa, kunafa, and more. The prices of food in smaller restaurants or food courts are very reasonable.

Sometimes we could find lower prices than in Europe. However, the more luxurious the restaurant, the higher the prices. For pizza lovers, Pizza Hut is the best.

 

Old Traditional Dubai

Dubai is not only about new, shiny, and extravagant.  There is also part of Dubai that keeps the old tradition and culture. This part of Dubai is the Old Dubai with districts like Bur Dubai or Deira that you should visit.

Go to Deira where you can find souks like gold souk or spice souk. Visit Al Bastakiya District which is the oldest area of Dubai. Continue to Al Seef which will take you back in time with sandstone buildings and alleys.

To boost your experience even more take a ride on Dubai Creek by traditional Abra boat. To see all that Old Dubai has to offer, take a guided tour where you will receive a lot of information about the culture and you will not miss any part of it.

➡️Book a guided tour of Old Dubai HERE

 

Safety and Cleanliness

Dubai is an extremely safe city. It is actually one of the safest cities in the world. Obviously, there is some crime happening, but compared to other countries it is very low due to strict rules.

I traveled to Dubai alone or with a friend and I always felt safe. I went out at night and walked on the streets without being worried. In Europe, I would not do that. There are no drug addicts, drunks, or homeless on the streets.

Streets are extremely clean, as well as parks and all shopping malls. There are people who clean all the areas throughout the day.

If you travel as a solo female, you can check my article here.

 

Nature

Now you are probably asking, what nature? There is no nature in Dubai, everything is fake. This is not true. Dubai has a beautiful desert. I totally fell in love with it.

When you have enough of the hustle and bustle of the city, just go to the desert. Sitting in the desert surrounded by sand all around you, peace and quiet are a balsam on your mind and body.

You probably didn’t know, but there are also mountains in Dubai and the surrounding Emirates. So if you are more of a nature lover and hiker, you have many places to go to.

 

Disadvantages

As mentioned before, there are certainly some disadvantages but they don’t surpass the advantages when deciding to visit Dubai.

Expensive

Dubai can get very expensive if you don’t do your research. For example, there are hotels in different price categories you can choose from. There are different kinds of restaurants, where you can pay a high amount or eat for a reasonable price. 

Traveling by public transportation is cheaper than using taxes, however, even taxes are not very expensive in Dubai. 

If you travel during the high peak season, which is December and January, the prices of the hotels will be the highest as well as of the flight tickets.

➡️You can also save money on attractions by buying the Dubai city pass HERE

Conservative

As Dubai is a city in a Muslim country despite being very international, it is still a bit conservative and there are rules that need to be followed. 

For example dress code for women. Even women wear almost what they want, you should still respect the culture and not wear shorts that show more than is necessary. The exception is a nightclub. For more about the dress code in Dubai, check my article here.

During the Holy month of Ramadan, you should not eat and drink on the streets during the daytime. You can’t drink alcohol on the streets. For more rules, see my article here.

Not Walkable

Dubai is not a very walkable city like cities in Europe where you can easily walk around. Dubai is spread over a large area and almost everywhere you must go by public transportation or car. 

There are certainly places where you can walk, like Marina, Downtown, or parks, however, to get there you need to use transportation.

Weather

While on the one side weather in Dubai can be one of the good things as there is sunshine the whole year around, it can be a bad thing during a few months.

During the summer starting from mid-June until mid-September, the temperatures rise to 40-50 degrees Celsius and it is impossible to stay outside. During these months you can enjoy mostly indoor activities where there is AC.

Click here to see when is the best time to go to Dubai

 

FAQs: Is Dubai Worth Visiting?

Now you know all the reasons why Dubai is worth visiting as well as some drawbacks. Here are a few more answers to questions you may have.

How many days in Dubai is enough?

That really depends on what you want to do there and what you want to see. If you just want to visit the main attractions, then 4-5 days is enough. However, if you want to spend some days on the beach and see more things in peace and not rush, then 10 days would be ideal.

In Dubai, there is always something to do and you can’t be bored even if you stay for three weeks. There are fun and adrenalin activities to do as well as relaxing to rejuvenate your body and soul.

Is Dubai a good tourist destination?

Dubai is an absolutely good tourist destination. Whether you love to relax on the beach, swim and practice water sports and adrenalin activities, do sightseeing, have fun, or taste different kinds of food, you will find it all in Dubai.

Is visiting Dubai safe for women?

Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world. Even if you are traveling as a solo female traveler or as a group of girlfriends, Dubai is very safe during the day and night. 

However, no matter how safe the city is, you should behave responsibly and use common sense.  Moreover, in Dubai, you should follow the rules of the country in order not to get in trouble.

 

Conclusion: Is Dubai Worth Visiting?

So is Dubai worth visiting? In my opinion, it absolutely is. Imagine staying in a luxury hotel, relaxing on the beach, eating delicious food, walking through old Dubai, admiring the amazing architecture, having fun, and unwinding in the desert during sunset.

Doesn’t it sound like a dream? Your dream can become a reality in Dubai. Don’t wait any longer, plan your trip and go to Dubai. Or as people in Dubai say: “Habibi come to Dubai.”