The best time to visit Dubai is in September and April, when it鈥檚 sunny but not too hot. While much of the Northern Hemisphere is wrapped up for winter during this period, the city continues to offer bright skies and balmy temperatures.
Temperatures soar from May to August, so hotel prices drop and crowds disperse. This is an excellent time to visit if you enjoy extreme heat, or plan to spend most of your time inside the air-conditioned shopping malls.
Ramadan is usually quieter, no matter when it falls through the year. This can make it a good time to go, but the holiday can affect certain activities due to restrictions, and you cannot eat, drink or smoke in public. We suggest avoiding Eid al-Fitr, the three-day festival that marks the end of Ramadan, as it can get very hectic in the city.
Month-by-month guide for travelling in Dubai
Visiting Dubai in January - April
With cloudless blue skies, hot temperatures and a festival calendar that鈥檚 packed with events, this is an excellent time to visit Dubai, though you鈥檒l have to contend with other visitors who come for the same reason. Your specialist can suggest the best hotels away from the noise, with private beaches that won鈥檛 be too crowded. Many of the city鈥檚 most important events happen during this time.
Events & Festivals
- Billed as the world鈥檚 richest horse race, the Dubai World Cup is the city鈥檚 pre-eminent social event.
- Art Dubai is one of the region鈥檚 most important art festivals.
- The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is five days of fast cars and motorbikes in a rally that鈥檚 part of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.
- The Dubai Tennis Championship is a renowned international tennis tournament.
- Dubai Jazz Festival sees a month of performances by some of the genre鈥檚 leading artists.
- The Omega Dubai Desert Classic is a prestigious golf tournament.
- A month-long event with steep discounts in shops, the Dubai Shopping Festival offers fireworks, daily giveaways of gold bars and cars, as well as over-the-top stunts like the world鈥檚 largest incense burner or the world鈥檚 longest buffet.
Visiting Dubai in May - August
Summer in Dubai is scorchingly hot and perpetually sunny. Most people retreat from the heat into the many air-conditioned malls and restaurants, meaning the beaches are less busy if you don鈥檛 mind the high temperatures. It鈥檚 also a good time to visit if you intend to shop.
Events & Festivals
- Dubai Summer Surprises is divided into ten weeks, each of which has its own theme: food, the arts or nature, for example. Look for the springy, bright-yellow mascot, Modhesh.
Visiting Dubai in September - October
Temperatures begin to moderate somewhat during these months, but the visitors who flock here during the summer haven鈥檛 begun to arrive, making it an excellent time for a beach getaway.
Visiting Dubai in November - December
Visitor numbers start to increase again as the rest of the hemisphere begins to cool down. Some find the gulf waters too chilly for swimming, but it鈥檚 an excellent time to enjoy sunbathing on the sand or a dip in the hotel pool. There are a number of important events, as well.
Events & Festivals
- Each year, Dubai hosts the first round of the World Rugby Sevens Series.
- The Dubai International Film Festival sees independent and art-house filmmakers debut their works at this internationally renowned regional event.
- The UAE celebrates its independence with fireworks and spectacle.
Dubai Climate Guide
Destination | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Downtown Dubai | 24°C 17mm | 25°C 28mm | 28°C 13mm | 32°C 8mm | 36°C 0mm | 38°C 0mm | 40°C 0mm | 40°C 0mm | 38°C 0mm | 35°C 0mm | 31°C 5mm | 27°C 16mm |
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Travel advice
Practical tips for travelling to Dubai, from social protocols to guidance on money matters, with a link to the latest FCDO travel advice.
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