The United Arab Emirates is made up of seven states, or emirates, but the two that are most popular as tourist destinations are the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Dubai is known for its resorts and shopping malls, and Abu Dhabi is known for Ferrari World and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The white mosque looks like something straight out of Aladdin!
Read through this complete UAE and Dubai travel guide for more info on what to expect!
Arabic; 'Thank you' is 'shoukran'
Islam
Abu Dhabi
Free 30 or 90 day visa for 60 nationalities
Arid; hot & dry year round. Coolest months are Nov - March
Uber, Careem
The Dubai International Airport (code: DXB) is the main airport serving Dubai and the country of the United Arab Emirates. It's one of the biggest and busiest airports in the world, with more than 86 million passengers served in 2019, but it's also a very nice airport in my opinion.
There are direct flights to the Dubai airport from Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and many different countries around the world.
There's also a major airport in Abu Dhabi (AUH). You can shop for flights to the United Arab Emirates on Skyscanner.
The UAE is a very safe place to travel, with a violent crime rate of only 0.9 per 100k inhabitants (86% lower than the global average). Terrorism is not an issue here and tourists are generally welcomed. The only thing to note is that Emirati culture is conservative, so clothing in public should be modest.
The climate in the UAE is arid, so it's very hot and dry year round. The coolest months are from November to March, and this is probably the best time to visit the UAE if weather is your main consideration. It can get extremely hot here in the summer. Temperatures can get up to 49 °C (120 °F) in July or August, and don't count on having any trees for shade!
The UAE is a bit harder to visit on a budget, but it can be done. Hostels are available from $18 and private hotels starting from $35. Meals are usually about $10 to $15 depending on location. Cars can be rented or hired, and transportation apps like Uber and Careem are great for short distance trips. The UberEats app can even be used for food delivery in Dubai.
Some top hotel picks in Dubai
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The best UAE tours & activities
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