Dubai Travel Tips – All You Need To Know About The City Dubai, with its fascinating mixture of cosmopolitan hotels, soaring sky scrapers, historic monuments and traditional souks, makes an ideal holiday destination. If you’re planning to visit, Traveasy offer cheap flight to Dubai from UK, so you can explore for yourself how special this city is. Read on for some helpful information about Dubai.
The Basics: Language: Arabic Currency: United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) Time difference: UTC/GMT +4 hours Electric: Type L three-prong plug Getting to Dubai Dubai is a seven-hour flight from the UK when flying direct and flights to Dubai depart from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow. British passport holders are granted a free of charge 30-day visa on their arrival and the airport is located four kilometres from Dubai city centre. Money The local currency of Dubai is the UAE Dirham, but there are no currency restrictions here. All major currencies are accepted and can be exchanged, though it’s advised not to be involved with street money exchanges due to the possibility of fraudulent notes. Cash withdrawal ATM’s can be found in all major malls and hotels.
Transportation Metered taxis are Dubai’s most popular mode of transportation and this includes ladies-only cab services. There’s also the Dubai Metro which has two lines running to the most popular places in the city: the red line runs from 5.30am until midnight Saturday to Wednesday, 5.30am until 1:00am Thursdays and 10:00am until 1:00am Fridays, and the green line runs from 5.50am until midnight Saturday to Wednesday, 5.50am until 1:00am Thursdays and 10am until 1:00am Fridays. Opening hours Normal shopping hours are from 9:00am – 13:00pm and from 16:00pm until 9/10:00 pm. However, many shops stay open all day and some supermarkets stay open for 24 hours. Shops are open on Friday which is the city’s Islamic day of rest, but they all close from 11.30am to 13:00pm for Friday prayers.
Religion and Etiquette Dubai is generally a tolerant destination to visit, though visitors are advised to respect the country’s laws and values. Dubai’s official religion is Islam and the city strictly follows Islamic laws. During the month of Ramadan, eating and drinking in public places is prohibited from sunrise to sunset. Tourists must avoid any improper conduct or behaviour which could result in penalties. In public places such as shopping malls, parks and restaurants, individuals are encouraged to dress appropriately and avoid public displays of affection. Weather Dubai has quite a hot climate all year round. From November-March, the temperatures are pleasant and moderate and January is the coldest month with an average high of 19 degrees Celsius. June to September is the hottest period when the scorching heat can sometimes become unbearable, though this period is really popular with tourists as it’s the cheapest time to visit. Traveasy offers several cheap deals on flights to Dubai from UK, transporting you to one of the richest cities in the world.