United Arab Emirates: regions, best time to travel, getting there and costs in 2026

The United Arab Emirates suit you if you want warmth in the German winter and want to combine city, desert and mountains in one trip. In January Dubai reaches a mean of 24.4 °C by day (WMO normals 1991–2020). Three sites are on UNESCO's World Heritage List (as of September 2026).

What is new in 2026 is above all the railway: since 30 June Etihad Rail has been carrying passengers between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah. The Zayed National Museum has been open in Abu Dhabi since December 2025, and the Guggenheim is due to follow on 11 December 2026. The Museum of the Future in Dubai, on the other hand, is temporarily closed (as of 27 September 2026).

The Emirates suit you less from May to September, when the mean daily high in Dubai is between 38.2 and 41.9 °C.

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 951,447 passengers boarded at the 22 main German airports with a last known destination in the Emirates, ranking 25th among 211 destination countries. Anyone who changes planes only at a hub abroad is missing from this figure. With 777,559 passengers, 81.7% landed at Dubai International (DXB). Next come Abu Dhabi (AUH, now Zayed International) with 114,353, Al Maktoum in Dubai (DWC) with 40,199 and Sharjah (SHJ) with 19,215. Most often they departed from Frankfurt (294,350), Munich (226,069), Düsseldorf (155,543) and Berlin (106,482) (Federal Statistical Office, year 2025, own analysis).

Dubai International (DXB) to the centre

The Red Line of the Dubai Metro stops at Terminals 1 and 3 of the airport. It runs Monday to Saturday from 5:00 and on Sunday from 8:00, in each case until midnight, on Fridays until 1:00 (as of September 2026). You may not take more than two items of luggage, hand luggage included. City buses start from all three terminals and do not accept cash, only the Nol card. A taxi from the airport costs a starting fare of AED 25 plus the distance; Uber, Careem and Bolt also operate.

Zayed International (AUH) to Abu Dhabi

The airport taxi costs a base fare of AED 20 plus AED 1.82 per kilometre. The tariff gives a booking fee of AED 4, at night from 22:00 to 6:00 AED 5 (as of September 2026). To the city Visit Abu Dhabi reckons about AED 70 to 80. You can pay in cash, by Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or with the PayBy app.

Regions and destinations at a glance

As of September 2026, Wadi Wurayah according to the press (July 2026).

In Dubai, the Al Fahidi neighbourhood on the Creek with its wind towers, in Arabic barajeel, stands for the period from the middle of the 19th century to the 1970s. RTA abras cross the Creek, for example on line CR1 from Bur Dubai to the Old Souq in Deira. The Dubai Frame in Zabeel Park is open daily from 8:00 to 21:00, and adults pay AED 50 (as of September 2026). The Hatta Express runs every two hours from 7:00 to 19:00 from Dubai Mall Bus Station, and a journey costs AED 25.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi opens daily at 9:00, with last admission at 20:00; on Fridays it stays closed from 11:30 to 14:30. You book the visit online in advance, and visitors from abroad pay AED 10. Free guided tours without registration are available in English and Arabic (as of September 2026). Clothing must be loose for men and women alike and reach to the ankles; women also cover their hair.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Zayed National Museum, which opened on 3 December 2025, cost AED 70 each for adults. Both are in the Saadiyat Cultural District, where no admission is due for under-18s in most venues. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry is also due to open there on 11 December 2026.

By car it is around 90 minutes from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain on the border with Oman. Since 2011 the city's cultural sites have been World Heritage. UNESCO mentions round stone tombs from around 2500 BC and, at Hili, very early falaj channels from the Iron Age. Buses from Abu Dhabi run hourly for AED 30 (as of September 2026).

Dunes in Liwa, beaches on the west coast and islands such as Sir Bani Yas belong to Al Dhafra, the western region of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. From the capital you drive two to three hours. For the long distances the tourism authority recommends a hire car.

No peak in the Emirates is higher than Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah at 1,934 metres. According to the tourism authority it is usually around 10 degrees cooler at the top than lower down in the emirate. Its six hiking trails add up to 16 km, and the best months are considered to be October to April. The 2.83 km Jais Flight zipline costs from AED 325 per person (as of September 2026).

In Fujairah, Wadi Wurayah has been a UNESCO natural heritage site since 2026. According to the Fujairah Environment Authority, since January 2026 you can enter only with a tour by Fujairah Holidays, and only in the hiking season. Tours cost from AED 300 per person (Khaleej Times, July 2026).

Best time to travel

WMO climate normals 1991–2020 of Dubai International (coast, 8 m) and Al Ain International (inland, 264 m) airports: mean daily high and low, precipitation per month.

From November to March the mean high in Dubai is between 24.4 and 30.7 °C. From June to October the thermometer there climbed to at least 30 °C on all days. On the coast the summer air is more humid: in July the mean vapour pressure is 29.1 hPa in Dubai and 21.2 hPa in Al Ain.

Getting around the country

Train and bus

Etihad Rail has announced further stations: Dubai and Al Dhaid on 30 September 2026, Madinat Zayed and Liwa on 30 November, Sharjah on 30 March 2027. Tickets are available via the app and on the website.

From Abu Dhabi the intercity bus costs AED 25 to Dubai and AED 30 to Sharjah, and within the emirate AED 35 to Liwa. From Union Station in Dubai buses leave hourly for Ras Al Khaimah, taking 2 to 2.5 hours for AED 30 (as of September 2026).

Car and roads

In the Emirates you drive on the right, and road signs are labelled in Arabic and English. With a visitor visa you may drive there with the driving licence of certain countries, according to the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); Germany is one of them. According to Visit Abu Dhabi, car hire companies want to see a credit card, a copy of your passport and a driving licence, national or international (as of September 2026).

The Salik toll in Dubai has cost AED 6 or AED 4 depending on the time of day since 31 January 2025, and nothing after midnight (as of May 2025). In Abu Dhabi the Darb system charges AED 4 per pass from 7:00 to 9:00 and from 15:00 to 19:00, except on Sundays and public holidays (as of September 2026).

Money and costs

Payment is in dirhams (AED, unofficially “Dh”), which has been pegged to the US dollar since February 2002. You can pay by credit card. Foreign currency can be exchanged at licensed exchange offices, for example at airports and in malls (as of 27 August 2026).

The Tourism Dirham in Dubai is set per room and night by a decision of the Executive Council of 2014. It is AED 7 in a guest house or for one star, AED 10 for 2 or 3 stars, AED 15 for 4 and AED 20 for 5 stars. Three nights in a 4-star room therefore cost AED 45 extra, even for two people (own calculation).

Practical information

The Emirates are at UTC+4; in the German summer it is 2 hours later there, in winter 3 hours (own calculation). The official language is Arabic. The emergency numbers are 999 for the police, 998 for the ambulance service and 997 for the fire brigade (as of 2 September 2026). Sockets are type D or G at 230 V and 50 Hz (IEC, as of 2020). The EU roaming rule “Roam like at home” does not apply in the Emirates (as of 7 January 2026).

The national day on 2 and 3 December falls on a Wednesday and Thursday in 2026 (own calculation). Islamic holidays depend on the sighting of the moon.

During Ramadan the obligation to fast does not apply to non-Muslims, and sights stay open. During the day some restaurants have shorter hours or are closed. Around the evening breaking of the fast many taxi drivers eat themselves; the government portal recommends pre-booking for this time (as of 23 January 2026).

According to the customs page of the government portal, you must declare cash above AED 60,000 on entry and exit. Medicines for your own use are exempt from duty if they comply with the applicable rules. At the same time the page lists medicines as a restricted good whose import must be approved in advance by the Ministry of Health, but names no individual drugs (all as of 8 September 2026).

The applicable rules on entry, safety and health are set out by the German Foreign Office.

Who the United Arab Emirates are not for

• Anyone who does not cope well with heat: from May to September the mean daily high in Al Ain is 42.0 to 44.9 °C, in Dubai 38.2 to 41.9 °C (1991–2020). On the coast the air is also muggy.
• Anyone on a tight budget: Tourism Dirham or a tourism fee is added to the hotel bill, plus 5% VAT.
• Anyone who wants to travel overland without a car: to Hatta the bus runs only every two hours, and for Al Dhafra the tourism authority recommends a hire car.
• Anyone who objects to dress codes: in the mosque, ankle-length clothing applies, and in everyday life the Abu Dhabi tourism authority advises clothing that does not show too much skin.
• Anyone who wants to eat out spontaneously during Ramadan: during the day some restaurants are closed.