Middle East
Superlatives in the desert — the tallest, the biggest, the boldest.
The United Arab Emirates is the Gulf at its most ambitious — a young, glittering federation that turned desert and pearl-diving villages into futuristic cities in a single generation. Dubai is the showpiece: the world's tallest tower, palm-shaped islands, ski slopes in shopping malls and gold souks beside superyacht marinas, wrapped in year-round sunshine and tax-free glamour. Slick, safe and unabashedly over-the-top — love it or raise an eyebrow, there's nowhere quite like it.
What things cost: Dubai spans extremes — five-star hotels, fine dining and rooftop bars run expensive, but a shawarma, the metro and the old-town souks are cheap. Alcohol is pricey and mostly hotel-bound. Summer sees hotel rates tumble (but it is furnace-hot). When a zone below says 'low', that means low for Dubai, which still isn't budget.
Sometimes the event picks the city for you.
Six weeks of huge sales, nightly fireworks, concerts, markets and light shows across the city — the retail extravaganza Dubai is famous for, timed for the perfect winter weather. Even if you hate shopping, the fireworks, deals and buzz make it a lively time to visit.
Dubai · Citywide
During the holy month the days are quiet and eating and drinking in public is avoided, but the nights come alive — lavish iftar and 'suhoor' feasts in the hotels, glowing Ramadan tents and a warm, communal spirit. A calmer, more reflective time to see the city.
Dubai · Citywide
The Gulf's leading art fair — galleries from across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, plus talks and installations, the centre of a lively week of exhibitions and parties across the city. The moment Dubai's fast-growing art scene takes the spotlight.
Dubai · Madinat Jumeirah
One of the richest horse races in the world, run under floodlights at the vast Meydan racecourse — a glamorous night of racing, fashion, fireworks and a headline concert. Free to enter the public enclosure; dress up and join the spectacle.
Dubai · Meydan Racecourse
