7 Days in the UAE
A week is comfortable saturation for the UAE. Four nights based in Dubai with one of them spent in a desert camp, a day crossing to the Gulf of Oman at Fujairah, and two nights in Abu Dhabi covering the Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan, the Louvre and Yas Island. Beyond seven days most visitors are better off adding Oman than staying put.
7 days in UAE at a glance
| Day | Based in | What you do | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai | Old Dubai, the creek and the souks | — |
| 2 | Dubai | Downtown, the tower and the fountain | — |
| 3 | Dubai | The Marina, the Palm and the water | — |
| 4 | The desert | A night in the desert | — |
| 5 | Dubai | Across to the Gulf of Oman | — |
| 6 | Abu Dhabi | The mosque, the palace and the Corniche | — |
| 7 | Abu Dhabi | Saadiyat, Yas or the water | — |
Seven days is the honest ceiling for the UAE as a single destination, and we would rather say so than sell you a ten-day page. What a week buys over five days is not more sights but more room: a night actually spent in the desert, a day on the other coast, and mornings that are not scheduled. That is the difference between seeing the country and moving through it.
A full holiday rather than a stopover, and anyone travelling far enough that a short trip is not worth the flight.
Old Dubai, the creek and the souks
Al Fahidi's wind-tower lanes, the abra across the creek, gold and spice souks, lunch in Deira. An easy arrival day that puts the city in context before the tall parts.
Downtown, the tower and the fountain
The aquarium and mall in the morning, the Dubai Frame in the early afternoon, the Burj Khalifa before sunset and the fountain from a boat on the lake afterwards.
The Marina, the Palm and the water
A whole day at the western end. Morning on a yacht or speedboat past Ain Dubai, the Palm and the Burj Al Arab, with a swim stop if the boat has one. Beach and lunch at JBR. Late afternoon, a helicopter over the Palm if the budget stretches — it is the only way to see the shape properly — or parasailing off the Marina for a tenth of the price.
A night in the desert
The overnight safari, which with a week is unarguable. Dune bashing across the Al Lahbab red dunes in the afternoon, sandboarding, camel riding, sunset, and a camp evening with dinner and shows.
Then everybody else leaves and you stay. The generators go quiet, the sky opens, and you sleep in a tent rather than driving back to a hotel. Sunrise over the dunes the next morning is the part almost no visitor to the UAE ever sees.
Across to the Gulf of Oman
The east coast day. Through the Hajar mountains to Fujairah and Khorfakkan — a smaller Sheikh Zayed Mosque, a museum of Bronze Age finds, an amphitheatre and waterfall above a curved beach, and a green sea with no skyline behind it.
Snorkelling out of Dibba if the water appeals; the reefs here hold rays and turtles and the visibility is good most of the year.
The mosque, the palace and the Corniche
Move down mid-morning. The Grand Mosque, then Qasr Al Watan timed so you are there as the floodlights come on and the projection show starts. Dinner along the Corniche.
Staying the night here is what makes tomorrow's early mosque visit possible, if you want it a second time when it is empty.
Saadiyat, Yas or the water
The last day is a genuine choice rather than a leftover.
Saadiyat for the Louvre and teamLab Phenomena, whose installations respond to air, water and the people moving through them — two hours minimum, and nothing is on a loop.
Yas Island for Ferrari World, SeaWorld or Warner Bros. World, three of which are fully indoors and are what residents do in summer.
Or the water: kayaking the Reem Central Park waterways or around the Louvre's dome, which is quiet in a way nothing else on this trip has been.
The Louvre closes on Mondays.
Planning this trip
Getting around
Dubai runs about seventy kilometres along the coast and the two areas you most want — Downtown with the Burj Khalifa, and the Marina with the Palm — are half an hour apart on a good day. Plan each day around one end of the city rather than crossing repeatedly. The metro's Red Line follows Sheikh Zayed Road and connects the airport, Downtown, the Marina and Expo City; it is faster than a car at rush hour and needs a Nol card, sold at every station. Taxis are metered, plentiful and cheap by European standards, and Careem is the local ride app. For anything outside the city — the desert, Abu Dhabi, the east coast — book a vehicle with a driver rather than metering a taxi.
Abu Dhabi from Dubai
Ninety minutes each way by road. That is three hours of a day gone, which leaves about seven for the city — enough for three major sites, not five. If Abu Dhabi is genuinely the reason for the trip, stay there rather than day-tripping: the mosque at sunrise and the palace lit at night are the versions worth having, and no day trip reaches either.
Two closures that ruin plans
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque does not admit visitors on Friday mornings. Louvre Abu Dhabi is closed all day Monday. Between them these catch out an extraordinary number of visitors, because a day trip has no second chance. Qasr Al Watan adds a third, less predictable risk — it shuts at short notice for state functions, and that is not published in advance. Give us your dates and we check all three with the operator before you pay.
What to wear
In malls, souks and public areas, shoulders and knees covered is the norm and swimwear stays at the beach or pool. At the Grand Mosque the code is enforced on everyone including men: no shorts, nothing tight or sheer, and hair covered for women — an abaya is provided free at the door. Shoes come off inside prayer halls and the marble outside gets painfully hot by midday, so carry socks.
Heat, and how it shapes a trip
November to March is the season. Between June and September the temperature reaches the mid-forties with humidity off the Gulf, and anything outdoors between ten in the morning and five in the evening becomes an endurance test. The city is built for it — three of the four Yas Island parks, the aquarium, the Green Planet and every mall are fully air-conditioned — but a summer plan has to be front-loaded before nine and restarted at dusk.
Alcohol, Ramadan and the working week
Alcohol is served in licensed hotels, bars and restaurants and is not sold in ordinary supermarkets. Drinking in public is an offence. During Ramadan, eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight is restricted, though hotels serve guests throughout the day and visitors are not expected to fast; iftar at sunset is the most sociable hour of the year and worth planning for rather than around. The working week is Monday to Friday with Saturday and Sunday the weekend, so attractions are busiest at weekends exactly as they are elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dubai or Abu Dhabi the better base?
Dubai, for a first visit. It has more to do, better transport and a wider choice of hotels, and Abu Dhabi is a comfortable day trip from it. Base yourself in Abu Dhabi if the museums and the Grand Mosque are the actual reason for the trip, or if you are here for the Grand Prix.
How many days do I need in the UAE?
Three days covers Dubai's essentials. Five gets you Dubai properly plus a full Abu Dhabi day. Seven adds the east coast or a second Abu Dhabi day and is about the point of comfortable saturation — beyond that most visitors are better off adding Oman than staying put.
Do I need a visa?
Many nationalities receive a visa on arrival; others must apply in advance. Rules vary considerably by passport, so check the official UAE government guidance for yours rather than a summary. Passports generally need six months of validity remaining.
Is the UAE expensive?
It can be either. Hotels and alcohol are expensive; taxis, the metro, food outside the tourist strips and most attractions are reasonable. Eating where residents eat — Deira and Karama in Dubai, the older parts of Abu Dhabi — costs a fraction of a Downtown restaurant for better food.
Should I stay more than a week?
Most visitors should not. The UAE is two cities ninety minutes apart plus a coastline, and past seven days you are repeating yourself. If you have longer, the better move is to add Oman — Musandam is a couple of hours from Dubai and is a completely different country in every sense that matters.
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