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Dubai (ΟΘν) is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. It is rather like an independent city-state and is the most modern and progressive emirate in the UAE.
A relatively new tourist destination, Dubai has gained in popularity in recent years. It is essentially a desert city with superb infrastructure, liberal policies (by regional standards), and excellent tourist amenities. Just 5 hrs from Europe and 3 hrs from most parts of the Middle East, the Near East, and the sub-continent of India, Dubai makes a great short break for shopping, partying, sunbathing, fine dining, sporting events, and even a few sinful pleasures. It is a city of superlatives: for the fastest, biggest, tallest, largest and highest, Dubai is the destination.
The weekly day off is on Friday. Note that, since September 2006, a harmonised weekend of Friday and Saturday has been adopted for the public sector and schools. Government departments, multi-national companies, and most schools and universities are now off on Friday and Saturday (after years of a mixed bag of Friday/Saturday and Thursday/Friday weekends). Some local companies still work a half day on Thursday with a full-day on Saturday.
Climate
The city of Dubai is situated on a coastal strip bordered by desert and gets very hot dry on the hottest days and humid during the cooler days in the summer. Cooler, more pleasant weather lasts from the end of September to beginning of May (although note that pleasant is relative, which daily temperatures from October to January and March to May still being in the lower 20s Celsius/70s Farenheit), but be prepared for cold night temperatures. In winter the temperature at night is usually from 10-16 Celsius (50-60 Farenheit). In May, June, July, August and September, the sun is intense and temperatures can touch 45 degrees Celsius in the city and even higher in the desert! The heat coupled with humidity of 60-70 near the coast effectively precludes most activity outdoors for the daylight hours during summer.
December to April generally produces the highest precipitation, which at 10 cm (5 in) still isn't much. Some years yield no more than a few minutes of shower in Dubai. November 2006 brought record rains up to 50 cm of rain with temperatures going down to record lows.
Get in
By plane
Dubai has several airports to consider. Frequent visitors from countries granted automatic visa on entry may wish to purchase an e-gate card to speed up immigration formalities and save passport pages. The e-gate card office is situated in the upstairs foodcourt area of the departures concourse. The card will cost AED 150. Note: If you intend to buy an e-gate card in Dubai, you must have entered UAE via Dubai airport.
Dubai International Airport (DXB)
It is the largest hub in the Middle East and the home base of the Dubai's flag carrier Emirates. In fact, it's grown at such a furious pace that the present terminals are bursting at the seams, especially during the peak hours around midnight — immigration lines can be long and it can be difficult to find a place to sit. The opening of Emirates' dedicated Terminal 3, planned for May 2008, should ease things considerably.
The airport is famous for its duty-free shopping. Alcohol is also available at an inbound duty free store situated in the baggage reclaim area. The allowance is 4 bottles (or four 6 packs) per person.
Most visitors will opt for public taxis from the airport, readily available just outside arrivals, which use the meter and start at Dhs 20. If you already know your way around the city or are continuing elsewhere, you may also want to opt for buses 401 and 402 (Dhs 3), which go to the Al Sabkha and Al Ghubaiba bus terminals respectively. The Dubai Metro, planned to open in 2009, will have a station at the airport.
By car
Dubai's only international road border is with Oman at Al Wajajah. Expatriate residents of Oman will require an official permit to exit Oman by road. Visitors do not require the permit. There is an OMR 3.000 charge per vehicle to exit Oman and, if returning, retain the charge receipt as it will be required to reenter. Ensure that insurance is valid for the UAE (preferably before commencing the journey). Temporary UAE insurance can be purchased at the border for a premium price.
There are also road borders between the neighboring Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Oman at the Al Burami Oasis which divides the sister cites of Al Ain and Al Burami, Oman.
Driving Inside Dubai.
There are a countless number of Rent-A-Cars that will provide a mode of transportation for very cheap rates and very little paperwork. An International Driving Permit is not necessarily required, but hire companies may not rent a car without one. Depending on which country you are from (UK, USA & Australian licenses are acceptable), your driving license could be used to obtain a temporary driving permit at the licensing office in the 'City Centre' shopping mall.
Some agencies will hire out cars complete with drivers. Visitors taking advantage of this option will need to make certain that their driver knows his way around, as many do not.
When driving on the main roads, such as Sheikh Zayed road, the junction numbers are not in logical order! Junction 13 is just after 18 and are rarely as shown on the maps. Road names can also be very confusing with slight differences in spelling (due to transliteration from Arabic) being very important. The construction work that is taking place throughout and around Dubai can make finding your destination a challenge. Temporary road layouts change with alarming regularity and temporary signs can be misleading or non existent.
Driving during morning and afternoon peak hours is not recommended, as traffic slows to a standstill and even a simple trip across a bridge can take up to 45 minutes. There is also a scarcity of parking spaces in many parts of the city.
With such a mixture of nationalities residing in the city, driving styles are mixed to say the least. Dangerous driving will be witnessed, or experienced, on a frequent basis; and, bear in mind that Dubai has one of the highest per capita road death rates in the world. There is zero tolerance for alcohol and driving with stiff penalties meted out, including jail and deportation.
See Salik for information about toll to pay on certain routes in Dubai.