--- title: "United Arab Emirates travel guides, city by city | Wimup" description: "The UAE, city by city: where to go, what to eat, when to visit, and what to know before you land. Emirate by emirate, from the Gulf coast to the Hajar mountains." url: https://wimup.com/country/united-arab-emirates type: Country guide updated: 2026-10-06 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10s across United Arab Emirates Seven emirates, one federation, and a coastline that runs from the **Arabian Gulf** to the **Gulf of Oman**. The UAE is desert, mountains and some of the most deliberately built cities on earth, all within a few hours of each other. ## Quick answer First-timers base themselves in **Dubai** and take a day or two in **Abu Dhabi** for the Grand Mosque and the Louvre. Repeat visitors trade up for **Sharjah's museums**, the oases and forts of **Al Ain**, and the mountain road to **Fujairah and Khor Fakkan** on the east coast. The comfortable window is **November to March**, when daytime heat drops back into the twenties. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Nov · Feb · Mar - **Ideal length:** 5–7 days - **Budget per day:** $100–220 - **Language:** Arabic & English - **Getting around:** Metro, taxi & intercity bus - **2** City guides - **11,294,243** People - **0** Video guides The UAE is small enough to cross in a day and varied enough to make that a waste. Dubai is the entry point for most travellers, and Abu Dhabi, the Hajar mountains and the east coast each pull in a different direction. ## 2 United Arab Emirates city guides 1. [Abu Dhabi](https://wimup.com/city/abu-dhabi.md): Asia · 10 picks 2. [Dubai](https://wimup.com/city/dubai.md): Asia · 10 picks ## Know before you go - **Population:** 11,294,243 - **Area:** 71,023.6 km² - **Density:** 159 / km² - **Capital:** Abu Dhabi - **Major cities:** Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Ajman - **Currency:** UAE dirham (AED) The dirham is pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725 to one, so the rate you are quoted rarely moves. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; keep small notes for taxis, souks and karak stops. - **Language:** Arabic Arabic is the official language, and English is the working language of daily life. Menus, road signs and hotel staff all switch to English without being asked. - **Calling code:** +971 - **Power:** 230V · Type G - **Emergency:** 999 · 998 · 997 999 for police, 998 for ambulance, 997 for civil defence. All three are free and answered in Arabic and English. - **Visa:** Visa on arrival for many A long list of nationalities gets a free entry stamp or visa on arrival, and others apply in advance. Confirm your own passport on the government portal before booking. - **Weekend:** Saturday & Sunday The federal government moved to a Monday to Friday week in January 2022, with Friday a half day. Friday midday prayers still empty offices and slow traffic around mosques. - **Getting around:** Metro, taxi & bus Dubai has a driverless metro and Abu Dhabi a dense bus network. Intercity coaches link the emirates cheaply, and a rental car is what unlocks Al Ain, the mountains and the east coast. - **Tipping:** Round up Restaurant bills often carry a service charge already. Rounding up a taxi fare or leaving a small note for housekeeping is normal but optional. - **Tourism board:** Official site - **Government portal:** u.ae Visa rules, entry requirements and residency, straight from the federal portal. ## When to visit - **Jan** (peak) - **Feb** (best) - **Mar** (best) - **Apr** (good) - **May** - **Jun** - **Jul** - **Aug** - **Sep** - **Oct** (good) - **Nov** (best) - **Dec** (peak) ## Fun fact The federation was declared on 2 December 1971 with six emirates. Ras Al Khaimah joined on 10 February 1972 and made it seven. ## Stereotypes, sorted out - **Myth:** The UAE is basically just Dubai **Reality:** Abu Dhabi is the capital and by far the largest emirate. Sharjah holds the museums, Al Ain the oases and forts, and the east coast a mountain shoreline that looks nothing like the Gulf. - **Myth:** Everything here is brand new **Reality:** The Hafeet tombs outside Al Ain are around five thousand years old, and the wind-tower quarter of Al Fahidi in Dubai predates oil entirely. The glass towers are one layer, not the whole story. - **Myth:** It is too hot to visit **Reality:** Summer is brutal. From November through March the days are warm and dry and the evenings cool enough for a jacket on the water. - **Myth:** Women have to cover head to toe **Reality:** Modest dress means shoulders and knees covered in public places, and a headscarf inside mosques. Beaches, pools and hotel bars have their own, far looser, norms. - **Myth:** It is a country you only shop in **Reality:** The malls are real and enormous. So are the mangrove kayak routes in Abu Dhabi, the diving off Khor Fakkan, and the desert road south to the Liwa dunes. - Greet with the right hand, and accept coffee or dates with it too. - During Ramadan, do not eat, drink or smoke in public in daylight hours. Many restaurants screen off or open after sunset. - Dress modestly away from the beach. Shoulders and knees covered is the rule in malls, souks and older neighbourhoods. - Alcohol is served in licensed hotels and restaurants. Drinking or being drunk in public is an offence. - Ask before photographing people, and never photograph government buildings, ports or airports. - Friday midday prayers pause much of the country for an hour. Plan errands around them. - Bargaining is expected in the souks and nowhere else. In a mall, the price is the price. ## Famous Emirati faces - **Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan**: Founding president who brought the seven emirates into one federation - **Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum**: Ruler of Dubai, vice president and prime minister of the UAE - **Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan**: President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi - **Sultan Al Neyadi**: First Arab astronaut to walk in space, after six months on the ISS - **Sarah Al Amiri**: Science lead of the Emirates Mars Mission, then government minister - **Ahlam**: Emirati singer with fourteen albums and four seasons judging Arab Idol - **Ali Mabkhout**: The UAE's all-time leading scorer, with 85 international goals - **Hussain Al Jassmi**: Singer and oud player, one of the biggest names in Arabic music - **Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi**: First woman appointed to the UAE cabinet - **Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi**: Ruler of Sharjah, historian and author who built the emirate's museums - **Hazza Al Mansouri**: First Emirati in space, eight days aboard the ISS in 2019 - **Nora Al Matrooshi**: First woman from the UAE and the Arab world selected as an astronaut candidate - **Omar Abdulrahman**: Playmaker and national team captain, four league titles with Al Ain - **Adnan Al Talyani**: Forward of the 1990 World Cup side, still the league's defining goalscorer - **Nayla Al Khaja**: The country's first female film director, and founder of Dubai's first film club - **Ali F. Mostafa**: Director of City of Life, the first Emirati feature film - **Hassan Sharif**: Father of conceptual art in the Gulf, and co-founder of the Emirates Fine Arts Society - **Mohammed Kazem**: Conceptual artist who represented the UAE at the Venice Biennale ## Must-try Emirati food - **Machboos**: The national dish: spiced rice and slow-braised meat, sharpened with dried lime. - **Harees**: Wheat and meat cooked down to a smooth porridge, finished with ghee. - **Thereed**: Stewed meat and vegetables poured over torn regag bread. - **Ouzi**: Slow-roasted lamb over spiced rice, the centrepiece of a celebration table. - **Saloona**: The everyday household stew, tomato-based, with meat or fish and whatever is in season. - **Balaleet**: Saffron vermicelli under a thin omelette. Breakfast, and a Gulf trade route on a plate. - **Chebab**: Saffron and cardamom pancakes, served with date syrup or cream cheese. - **Khameer**: Soft date-sweetened bread, split and filled at breakfast stalls. - **Regag**: Paper-thin bread cooked on a hot plate, folded around cheese, egg or fish paste. - **Madrooba**: Salted fish or chicken pounded into a thick, buttery mash. - **Samak mashwi**: Whole hammour or safi grilled over coals, straight off the Gulf. - **Luqaimat**: Fried dough balls under date syrup and sesame. The dessert nobody skips. - **Khanfaroush**: Saffron and cardamom cakes, crisp outside and soft in the middle. - **Batheeth**: Dates worked into toasted flour with cardamom, rolled into the oldest sweet here. - **Karak chai**: Strong tea boiled with evaporated milk and cardamom, sold from roadside hatches. - **Gahwa**: Arabic coffee with cardamom, poured small and offered with dates. ## FAQs ### How many days do you need in the UAE? Five to seven days covers it. Three or four in Dubai, one or two in Abu Dhabi, and a day out to Al Ain or the east coast if you have a car. Two weeks is only worth it if you want the mountains and the desert properly. ### When is the best time to visit the UAE? November to March. Daytime highs sit in the twenties, evenings are cool enough to eat outside, and the beaches and desert are both usable. December and January are the busiest and priciest weeks of that window. ### Dubai or Abu Dhabi? Dubai for the skyline, the souks, the food scene and the easiest arrival. Abu Dhabi for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre and a slower pace. They are 90 minutes apart by road, so a first trip does not have to choose. ### Do you need to rent a car? Not for Dubai, where the metro and cheap taxis cover almost everything. Rent one if you want Al Ain's oases, the Hajar mountains, or the drive over to Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, none of which public transport serves well. ### What should you know about local rules? Dress modestly in malls, souks and mosques (shoulders and knees covered), and cover your hair at mosque entrances if you are a woman. Alcohol is served in licensed hotels and restaurants but not consumed in public. Public displays of affection and photographing people without asking are both best avoided. ## Related countries - [Japan](https://wimup.com/country/japan.md) - [Singapore](https://wimup.com/country/singapore.md) - [All of Asia](https://wimup.com/asia) Part of [Asia](https://wimup.com/asia.md) ## Sources - [Tourism board](https://www.moet.gov.ae/en/explore-the-uae?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Government portal](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/visa-and-emirates-id?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.