Dubai & Abu Dhabi - Part IV

Holidays in Dubai? Here the travel guide for you in Dubai trips.

GENERAL

Abu Dhabi is the capital and second largest city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai. It is roughly 90-minutes drive from Dubai. Dubai is surrounded by Saudi Arabia on its southern and western borders while northern and eastern borders are shared with the Sultanate of Oman. The neighbouring cities of Dubai are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Sharjah and Umma al-Quwain. The population of Dubai as per 2008 census is 2,262,000. Dubai follows Islamic traditions and practices but is tolerant of other religions as well. The people of Dubai will appreciate if you try to learn more about their customs and practices. Therefore, Dubai is a very safe city to visit as the laws provide stringent punishments.

Palm Islands

FLYING TO DUBAI

Airlines flying to Dubai include Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and KLM, etc. Peak travel periods include school half-terms, Christmas (inbound/outbound) and July (outbound), although good deals can be had during off-peak periods, such as Ramadan and the hottest months between June and September.

Flight times: 

From Kuala Lumpur - 7 hours 23 minutes; London - 7 hours 45 minutes; New York - 14 hours 50 minutes; Los Angeles - 19 hours 55 minutes; Toronto - 14 hours 10 minutes; Sydney - 16 hours 15 minutes.

Baggage allowance:

Emirates airlines is generous with baggage allowance which is 30 kg check-in baggage for Economy class travelers, 40-kg for Business class and 50-kg for First class travelers.

LANGUAGE
The official language of Dubai is Arabic. However, English is widely spoken and understood.

CURRENCY
The official currency in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is United Arab Emirates Dirham; AED.
Besides, they use United States Dollar (USD) but changes will remain in AED currency. 

ELECTRIC CURRENT VOLTAGE

The electric current is 220 Volts and three pin plugs are used similar to the ones used the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The standard voltage in your country is in between 220V - 240V (as in the UK, Europe, Australia and most of Asia and Africa). If the standard voltage in your country is in the range of 100V - 127V (as in the US, Canada and most South American countries), you need a power converter.

WEATHER

Dubai lies within the Arabian Desert and therefore is influenced by a hot and humid climate with long hours of sunlight. Summers are very hot and dry as temperatures reach an average of 40 °C. The best time to visit Dubai is during winter months between December and March when its cooler with an average of 23 °C. On the other hand, shoppers will be particularly keen to time their visit with the Dubai Shopping Festival (January/February) when the city is abuzz with bargain hunters.

Rainfall in Dubai is infrequent and does not last for a long period. It mostly rains during the winter period in the form of short gushes and an occasional thunderstorm. On average, rain falls only five days a year.

TIME

The UAE is four hours ahead of GMT (GMT/UTC +4 hours). The time does not change during the summer. This means that there is a three hour difference between UK and UAE local times in summer and a four hour difference in winter.

TELECOMMUNICATION

Dubai is the hub of tourism in UAE as visitors throng the emirate for tourism and business purposes. A well-maintained network of communication is of primary importance which includes various departments such as phone, internet, newspaper, postal, courier, television and radio. Telecommunication services are top-notch in the emirate with public telephone booths allowing for international calls using phone cards. Moreover, most of the star hotels include IDD in their room facilities. There are two major service providers in Dubai: Etisalat and Du. 

Local & International Area Codes:

Abu Dhabi 02 + 9712
Dubai 04 + 9714

DRESS CODE

Lightweight summer clothing is ideal with a wrap, sweater or jacket for cooler winter nights and air-conditioned premises. Although the dress code in the UAE is generally casual, guests in the larger hotels do tend to dress more formally in the evening. Since you are visiting a Muslim country, bikinis, swimsuits, shorts and revealing tops should be confined to beach resorts. Even though, Dubai respects western style of clothing, but does not tolerate disgraceful attire. It is advisable to cover knees and shoulders. Spaghetti straps, low cut tops may be viewed as offensive. Note that in Sharjah women are prohibited from wearing swimsuits on public beaches.

Dubai city

Getting Around in Dubai

Public transport in Dubai is the cheapest and the most popular mode of transport, preferred by lower income class travelers. Managed by the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), it includes public buses, inter-emirate buses, metro rail and taxi services. Bus and Train Ticket fares/passes are available online as well as on boarding. Routes and bus numbers are placed in both Arabic and English. While traveling in Old Dubai, Abras or Dhows are used as transportation to cross the Dubai Creek to the Al Sabkha station. Extremely cheap compared to other transport services, the Abras are revived as a part of a conservation program, running from Creek Park Station to the Public Library Station. Public Transport in Dubai is controlled by the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) which includes public buses, inter-emirate buses, metro rail and taxi services.

Bus System

RTA operates an extensive web of public buses in Dubai working on 734 bus schedules on 79 bus routes. The custom built buses travel on planned routes during weekdays except for Fridays and public holidays when passenger demand is at its peak. Public buses are the cheapest way of transport, though not always feasible due to increasing traffic chaos. The government has made available easy e-swipe cards and discounts, but most tourists and locals prefer traveling by car, which is the obvious cause of the traffic congestion.

Taxis

The most frequently used mode of transport, taxi services, is operated by the Dubai Taxi Corporation, part of the Roads & Transport Authority. Although there are public cab services available, DTC taxis are easily identified by their cream colour. Taxis are easily available and cheap as the fares are metered according to distance traveled. They are characterized by the services they offer that include airport transfers, special taxis for women, families and physically challenged and the regular taxis to hop from one destination to another. Presently the minimum taxi fare in Dubai is 10 AED and is less if they are booked in advance.

Rail

RTA operates and maintains an advanced, state-of-the-art Dubai Metro rail system, a much sought after transport option. It is a driverless, fully automated metro system built mainly underground to solve the traffic congestion in the city. Currently, the Red Line is fully operational covering stations from Al Rashidiya to Jebel Ali, traveling along the Sheikh Zayed road where most of the corporate offices and hotels are located. The RTA has introduced separate NOL cards for frequent travelers, first class travelers and tourists to pay for the tickets. These cards can be used for other modes of transport and parking as well.

Car Rental

Tourists in Dubai are partial towards car rentals as it allows them to travel at their own convenience and privacy. Also, a national or international driving license is enough to hire a car making the procedure quick and easy. Moreover, today many websites provide for online booking of cars to pick up from the airport or alternatively to be delivered at the hotel. It is possible to rent 4x4 SUV to enjoy adventurous Desert Safaris or cars for long distance traveling beyond Dubai into another emirate. Dubai possesses an impressive and well signposted road network which makes getting about quite easy. In fact, traveling in Dubai by car is comparatively a low cost option since the petrol pricing is reasonably cheap in the Middle Eastern countries. It's important to remember, traffic regulations in Dubai are considerably strict. Have a good knowledge of the driving laws and regularly check the speed limit.

THINGS TO DO IN DUBAI

Top 10 Dubai Landmarks

- Downtown Dubai 

- The Dubai Mall

- The Dubai Fountain

- Burj Khalifa

- Burj Al Arab

- Palm Islands

- Al Bastakiya

- Ski Dubai 

- Deira Clocktower

- Dubai Marina   

 Top 5 Activities 

- Shopping

- Visit the Burj Khalifa

- Dune Bashing (Desert Safari) 

- Cruise Dubai Creek 

- Wild Wadi Waterpark 

 Hope the above information helps.