Dubai, UAE
A pearling village that decided to become the world's crossroads
Dubai had almost no oil. It built a port, then an airline, then a skyline, and made itself the place a third of the planet passes through. It is the most deliberate city on earth, and it is far more livable than its reputation for spectacle suggests.
A creek, a pearling fleet and a few thousand people under the Al Maktoum family from 1833; a free-trade port that drew Persian and Indian merchants through the 20th century; and then, from the 1960s, a ruler who understood that Dubai's small oil reserves would not last and built infrastructure instead — the dredged creek, Port Rashid, Jebel Ali (now among the busiest container ports in the world), the airport, and Emirates airline in 1985. The towers came after 2000. The formula was always the same: build it first, and the world will use it.
The city runs along the coast in a line, and the metro's Red Line follows it. Old Dubai is at the creek — Deira's gold and spice souks on one bank, Bur Dubai's textile souk and the restored Al Fahidi quarter on the other, with abras (water taxis) crossing for a dirham. Downtown is the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall and the fountains. The Marina and JBR are the beach-and-towers district; Jumeirah the old villa neighbourhoods along the sea; the Palm the artificial island; and the newer districts push into the desert. Sheikh Zayed Road is the spine that ties it together.
Around ninety percent of the population is foreign — South Asian labour and services, Arab and Western professionals, a huge Filipino community, and a growing Russian and Chinese presence — living under a system of residence visas tied to employment or property, with no path to citizenship. It makes Dubai genuinely cosmopolitan and genuinely transient. English is the working language; Arabic the official one. The food is everywhere from everywhere: Kerala canteens in Karama, Lebanese grills, Iranian kebabs, and the world's chains and celebrity chefs.
Living here is comfortable, safe, tax-free on income, and hot: from May to September the days exceed 40°C and life moves indoors and after dark. Winter, November to March, is the season — warm, dry and outdoors. The rules are real (alcohol in licensed venues only, public modesty, strict drug and debt laws) and enforced, and the labour conditions of the people who build the place are its moral question. It is a city that rewards ambition and asks few questions, and it has bet its future on being indispensable.
Where People Live
Deira & Bur Dubai (the Creek)
Old Dubai — the gold, spice and textile souks, the abra crossings, Al Fahidi's wind-towered lanes and the Dubai Museum. The most atmospheric part of the city and the cheapest.
Downtown
The Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall, the Opera and the fountain show — the postcard centre, built from nothing after 2004.
Dubai Marina & JBR
The tower-lined marina and the beach walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence — expats, restaurants, the beach and the Ain Dubai wheel. The lifestyle district.
Jumeirah
The low-rise villa neighbourhoods along the coast — Kite Beach, the Jumeirah Mosque, Al Safa park, and the Burj Al Arab's sail on the horizon. Where families live.
Palm Jumeirah
The artificial palm-shaped island — hotels, Atlantis at the crescent's tip, beach clubs and villas, reached by monorail.
Al Quoz & Alserkal Avenue
The industrial district reinvented as the arts quarter — galleries, studios, coffee and the city's creative scene, in warehouses off Sheikh Zayed Road.
Karama & Satwa
The old working neighbourhoods between the creek and Jumeirah — the best cheap South Asian and Filipino eating, tailors, and a real street life away from the towers.
Must-see attractions
Where to stay
SLS Dubai
Marasi Dr - Business Bay - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Eat & drink
Restaurants & places to go
The Elite Cars
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Nikki Beach Dubai
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Xclusive Yachts
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Weslodge Dubai
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Bla Bla Beach Club, Dubai
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Koko Bay Dubai
beachfront restaurants, beach restaurants, beach clubs, European restaurants, Asian restaurants · kokobay.co
Baoli Dubai
restaurants · baoli-restaurant.com
Drai's Dubai
Dubai nightclubs, Dubai night clubs · draisdxb.com
J1 Beach
Dubai beaches, Dubai beach restaurants, Dubai restaurants, Dubai fine dining · j1beach.com
OSH Dubai
Dubai restaurants, Dubai dining, Dubai fine dining
Zero Gravity Dubai
beach clubs, day clubs
Airports
Dubai International Airport (DXB) 4.5 km to the centre
Dubai, DU, AE — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 83 airlines (Emirates, Fly Dubai, Qantas, Iran Aseman Airlines…) · direct flights to 188 destinations incl. Delhi, Jeddah, Kabul, London, Singapore… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 83 airlines, 188 direct destinations
- Emirates EK (777-300ER, A330-200, A380, 777-300, 777-200, 777-200LR…) · 120 routes: Accra, Addis Ababa, Adelaide, Ahmedabad, Algier, Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangalore, Bangkok, Barcelona, Basrah, Beijing, Beirut, Birmingham, Boston, Brisbane, Cairo, Calicut, Cape Town, Casablanca, Colombo, Copenhagen, Dakar, Dallas-Fort Worth, Dammam, Dar Es Salaam, Delhi, Dhaka, Doha, Dublin, Duesseldorf, Durban, Entebbe, Erbil, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow … +80 more
- Fly Dubai FZ (737-800) · 50 routes: Abha, Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Amman, Ashkhabad, Baghdad, Bahrain, Baku, Basrah, Belgrade, Bishkek, Bucharest, Dammam, Dhaka, Djibouti, Doha, Dushanbe, Erbil, Gassim, Hail, Hyderabad, Istanbul, Jeddah, Juba, Kabul, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kharkov, Khartoum, Krasnodar, Kuwait, Lucknow, Madinah, Mineralnye Vody, Multan, Muscat, Najaf, Port Sudan, Rostov, Salalah … +10 more
- Qantas QF (777-300ER, A380, A330-200, 777-200, 777-300, 777-200LR) · 33 routes: Adelaide*, Amman*, Bahrain*, Bangkok*, Birmingham*, Brisbane*, Copenhagen*, Dammam*, Dublin*, Duesseldorf*, Frankfurt*, Geneva*, Glasgow*, Hamburg*, Istanbul*, Jeddah*, Kuala Lumpur*, London*, London, Manchester*, Melbourne, Munich*, Muscat*, Nairobi*, Newcastle*, Perth*, Prague*, Riyadh*, Singapore*, Stockholm*, Sydney, Warsaw*, Zurich*
- Iran Aseman Airlines EP (Fokker 100, ATR 72, A340-300) · 11 routes: Bandar Abbas, Bandar Lengeh, Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Lamerd, Lar, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran, Zahedan
- JetBlue Airways B6 (777-300ER, A380, 777-200LR) · 9 routes: Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Milano, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington
- IndiGo Airlines 6E (A320) · 6 routes: Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Madras, Mumbai, Trivandrum
- Shaheen Air International NL (A320, 734) · 5 routes: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar
- Yemenia IY (330, 310, A320) · 5 routes: Aden, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Mukalla, Sanaa
- Air India Express IX (737-800) · 4 routes: Calicut, Kochi, Mangalore, Trivandrum
- Air India Limited AI (A321, A319, 787-8) · 4 routes: Calicut, Delhi, Goa, Mumbai
- Iran Air IR (A320, Fokker 100) · 4 routes: Ahwaz, Bandar Abbas, Esfahan, Tehran
- Saudi Arabian Airlines SV (A320, A321, A330-300, 777-300, 777) · 4 routes: Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh
- Ural Airlines U6 (A320) · 4 routes: Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Samara, Yekaterinburg
- Japan Airlines Domestic JL (777-300, 777-200) · 3 routes: Osaka*, Tokyo*, Tokyo*
- Jet Airways 9W (737-800) · 3 routes: Delhi, Mangalore, Mumbai
- Pakistan International Airlines PK (737-800, 310, 737) · 3 routes: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore
- South African Airways SA (777-300ER) · 3 routes: Cape Town*, Durban*, Johannesburg*
- Spicejet SG (737) · 3 routes: Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kochi
- Alitalia AZ (777, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Amsterdam*, Paris*
- Ariana Afghan Airlines FG (734) · 2 routes: Kabul, Kandahar
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines BG (313) · 2 routes: Chittagong, Sylhet Osmani
- Egyptair MS (A330-300, 777-300) · 2 routes: Cairo, Singapore*
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (A330-300, 737-800, 767-300, 787-8, 777-200LR, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Addis Ababa, Singapore*
- Kenya Airways KQ (A320, 767-300) · 2 routes: Moscow*, Nairobi
- Kish Air Y9 (F50, MD-80) · 2 routes: GSM, Kish Island
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (767, 777) · 2 routes: Amsterdam, Nairobi*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A330-300, A340-300) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- Nas Air XY (A320) · 2 routes: Jeddah, Riyadh
- Oman Air WY (Embraer 175, A330-200, A330-300, 737-800, 737-700) · 2 routes: Muscat, Salalah
- Rwandair Express WB (737-800) · 2 routes: Kigali, Mombasa
- Singapore Airlines Cargo SQ (A330-300, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Cairo, Singapore
- United Airlines UA (777) · 2 routes: Doha, Washington
- VRG Linhas Aereas RG (ERJ) · 2 routes: Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A320) · 1 route: Moscow
- Afriqiyah Airways 8U (A330-200) · 1 route: Tripoli
- Air Algerie AH (330) · 1 route: Algier
- Air China CA (A330-300) · 1 route: Beijing
- Air France AF (777-300ER) · 1 route: Paris
- Air Mauritius MK (A380, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Plaisance*
- Air Serbia JU (737) · 1 route: Berbera
- American Airlines AA (747-400, 777) · 1 route: London*
- Austrian Airlines OS (767-300) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Azerbaijan Airlines J2 (A319, A320, 757) · 1 route: Baku
- British Airways BA (747-400, 777) · 1 route: London
- Cathay Pacific CX (A330-300) · 1 route: Hong Kong
- Cebu Pacific 5J (330) · 1 route: Manila
- China Eastern Airlines MU (A330-300) · 1 route: Kunming
- China Southern Airlines CZ (777-200) · 1 route: Guangzhou
- Daallo Airlines D3 (A321) · 1 route: Hargeisa
- Delta Air Lines DL (777-200LR) · 1 route: Atlanta
- Georgian National Airlines QB (F50) · 1 route: GSM
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A320, A321) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Jazeera Airways J9 (A320) · 1 route: Kuwait
- Kam Air RQ (A320) · 1 route: Kabul
- Korean Air KE (A330-200) · 1 route: Seoul
- Kuwait Airways KU (310, A320, AB6) · 1 route: Kuwait
- L MJ (A320, A330-200, A340-300) · 1 route: Colombo*
- Mahan Air W5 (AB6) · 1 route: Tehran
- Middle East Airlines ME (A320, A330-200) · 1 route: Beirut
- Nasair UE (A320) · 1 route: Aden
- NordStar Airlines Y7 (737-800) · 1 route: Krasnoyarsk
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Philippine Airlines PR (777-300ER) · 1 route: Manila*
- Qatar Airways QR (A320, A321, A330-200, A330-300, 787-8, 777-300ER…) · 1 route: Doha
- Royal Brunei Airlines BI (787) · 1 route: Bandar Seri Begawan
- Royal Jordanian RJ (A320, A321, 330) · 1 route: Amman
- S7 Airlines S7 (A320) · 1 route: Novosibirsk
- Safi Airlines 4Q (A319) · 1 route: Kabul
- Salzburg arrows SZ (737) · 1 route: Dushanbe
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A320, A321, A330-200) · 1 route: Colombo
- Sudan Airways SD (AB6) · 1 route: Khartoum
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A330-300) · 1 route: Zurich
- TAAG Angola Airlines DT (777-200) · 1 route: Luanda
- TAP Portugal TP (777-300ER) · 1 route: Lisbon*
- Tarom RO (737-700) · 1 route: Bucharest
- Thai Airways International TG (330) · 1 route: Bangkok
- Tunisair TU (A319) · 1 route: Tunis
- Turkish Airlines TK (A321, A330-200, A340-300, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Turkmenistan Airlines T5 (737-300) · 1 route: Ashkhabad
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (737-800, 73J, 73N) · 1 route: Kiev
- United Airways 4H (313) · 1 route: Dhaka
- Uzbekistan Airways HY (767-300) · 1 route: Tashkent
- Virgin Atlantic Airways VS (A330-300) · 1 route: London
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) 21 km to the centre
Sharjah, SH, AE — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 15 airlines (Air Arabia, Pakistan International Airlines, Air India Express, Air India Limited…) · direct flights to 78 destinations incl. Kochi, Calicut, Colombo, Peshawar, Trivandrum… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 15 airlines, 78 direct destinations
- Air Arabia G9 (A320) · 65 routes: Abha, Ahmedabad, Al-ahsa, Alexandria, Alma-ata, Amman, Asyut, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangalore, Basrah, Beirut, Cairo, Calicut, Chimkent, Chittagong, Coimbatore, Colombo, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Doha, Donetsk, Erbil, Gassim, Goa, Hail, Hyderabad, Istanbul, Jaipur, Jeddah, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kazan, Kharkov, Khartoum, Kiev, Kochi, Kuwait, Lar … +25 more
- Pakistan International Airlines PK (737, 310, 737-800, A320, ATR) · 8 routes: Dera Ghazi Khan, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Turbat
- Air India Express IX (737-800) · 6 routes: Calicut, Jaipur, Kochi, Mangalore, Pune, Trivandrum
- Air India Limited AI (A321, A320) · 5 routes: Calicut, Hyderabad, Kochi, Madras, Trivandrum
- Shaheen Air International NL (734) · 2 routes: Peshawar, Sialkot
- Airlines Of Tasmania FO (CRJ-700) · 1 route: Aden
- Egyptair MS (A320, 737-800) · 1 route: Cairo
- Jet Airways 9W (737-800) · 1 route: Kochi
- L MJ (A321) · 1 route: Colombo
- Qatar Airways QR (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Doha
- Spicejet SG (737) · 1 route: Pune
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A320) · 1 route: Colombo
- Sudan Airways SD (AB6) · 1 route: Abu Dhabi
- Tajik Air 7J (735) · 1 route: Dushanbe
- Uzbekistan Airways HY (767-300) · 1 route: Tashkent
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) 42 km to the centre
Dubai(Jebel Ali), DU, AE — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 11 airlines (Fly Dubai, Transaero Airlines, Ural Airlines, Wizz Air…) · direct flights to 40 destinations incl. Samara, Yekaterinburg, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 11 airlines, 40 direct destinations
- Fly Dubai FZ (737-800) · 24 routes: Ahmedabad, Amman, Bahrain, Beirut, Chisinau, Chittagong, Colombo, Dammam, Doha, Donetsk, Jeddah, Kabul, Kathmandu, Kazan, Khartoum, Kiev, Kuwait, Male, Muscat, Odessa, Riyadh, Samara, Ufa, Yekaterinburg
- Transaero Airlines UN (737-800, 767-300, 777-300, 777) · 8 routes: Moscow, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Samara, St. Petersburg, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg
- Ural Airlines U6 (A321, A320) · 6 routes: Chelyabinsk, Mineralnye Vody, Nizhniy Novgorod, Perm, Samara, Yekaterinburg
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 3 routes: Bucharest, Budapest, Sofia
- Air Philippines 2P (330) · 1 route: Manila
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A320, A321) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Jazeera Airways J9 (A320) · 1 route: Kuwait
- Malaysia Airlines MH (A330-300) · 1 route: Kuala Lumpur
- Philippine Airlines PR (330) · 1 route: Manila
- Qatar Airways QR (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Doha
- Royal Brunei Airlines BI (787) · 1 route: London
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Emirates Falcons Aeroclub Airport 92 km to the centre
Al Ain, AZ, AE
Nad Al Sheba Airport 15 km to the centre
Dubai, DU, AE
Skydive Dubai Airport 26 km to the centre
Dubai, DU, AE
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) 113 km to the centre
Abu Dhabi, AZ, AE — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 58 airlines (Etihad Airways, Alitalia, Jet Airways, American Airlines…) · direct flights to 87 destinations incl. Muscat, Bahrain, Amsterdam, Lahore, Islamabad… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 112 km from Dubai · Etihad Airways, Alitalia, Jet Airways · Getting around Abu Dhabi, UAE →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 58 airlines, 87 direct destinations
- Etihad Airways EY (A320, A330-200, 777-300ER, A330-300, A340-600, 345…) · 81 routes: Ahmedabad, Alma-ata, Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangalore, Bangkok, Basrah, Beijing, Beirut, Belgrade, Berlin*, Brussels, Cairo, Calicut, Casablanca, Chengdu, Chicago, Colombo, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Doha, Dublin, Duesseldorf, Erbil, Frankfurt, Geneva, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong*, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jaipur, Jakarta, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Karachi … +41 more
- Alitalia AZ (A320, A330-200, 777-300ER, A340-600, 330) · 25 routes: Bahrain, Bangalore, Bangkok, Beijing, Chengdu, Colombo*, Delhi, Jakarta, Johannesburg*, Karachi, Khartoum*, Kochi, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Lahore, Mahe*, Male*, Melbourne*, Milano*, Mumbai, Muscat, Nairobi*, Rome, Singapore*, Sydney*
- Jet Airways 9W (737-800, A320) · 11 routes: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Dammam, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kuwait, Madras, Mumbai, Trivandrum*
- American Airlines AA (777, A320, A330-200, 330, 340, 777-300ER) · 9 routes: Chicago*, Colombo*, Duesseldorf*, Islamabad*, Lahore*, London*, Muscat*, New York*, Washington*
- Air Berlin AB (A330-200, A330-300, A340-600, A320, 345) · 8 routes: Bahrain*, Beijing*, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt*, Munich*, Phuket, Singapore*
- Hainan Airlines HU (A330-200, A320, A330-300) · 7 routes: Beijing*, Chengdu*, Geneva, Johannesburg, Khartoum*, Nairobi, Shanghai*
- Virgin Australia VA (A320, A330-200, 777-300ER) · 6 routes: Islamabad*, Lahore*, Melbourne*, Peshawar*, Singapore*, Sydney
- Pakistan International Airlines PK (310, 737-800, 737) · 5 routes: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Rahim Yar Khan
- Air Baltic BT (A330-200, A330-300, 345, A340-600) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich
- Air India Express IX (737-800) · 4 routes: Calicut, Kochi, Muscat, Trivandrum
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (A320, 330, A330-200, 777-300ER) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, Bahrain, Islamabad*, Lahore*
- Nas Air XY (A320, 777-300ER, A319, A330-200, A340-600) · 4 routes: Dammam*, Jeddah*, Madinah*, Riyadh*
- Air France AF (330, A340-600) · 3 routes: Amsterdam*, Bahrain*, Paris*
- Malaysia Airlines MH (A320, A330-300) · 3 routes: Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Muscat*
- Saudi Arabian Airlines SV (A320, A321) · 3 routes: Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh
- Shaheen Air International NL (734, A320) · 3 routes: Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar
- TAP Portugal TP (A330-200, A330-300, A340-600) · 3 routes: Amsterdam, Casablanca*, London*
- Yemenia IY (A320, 310) · 3 routes: Aden, Mukalla, Sayun Intl
- Air Astana KC (A320, A321) · 2 routes: Alma-ata, Tselinograd
- Air India Limited AI (A319) · 2 routes: Delhi, Mumbai
- Air Seychelles HM (A330-200, A320) · 2 routes: Hong Kong*, Mahe*
- All Nippon Airways NH (A330-200) · 2 routes: Beijing*, Tokyo*
- Bangkok Airways PG (A320, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Bangkok*, Muscat*
- British Airways BA (777) · 2 routes: London, Muscat
- Delta Air Lines DL (330) · 2 routes: Amsterdam*, Bahrain*
- Garuda Indonesia GA (A330-200) · 2 routes: Amsterdam, Jakarta
- Iberia Airlines IB (777) · 2 routes: London*, Muscat*
- Kuwait Airways KU (A320) · 2 routes: Kuwait, Muscat
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A330-300) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Muscat
- Royal Air Maroc AT (A330-200, A330-300, A340-600) · 2 routes: Casablanca*, Singapore*
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A320) · 2 routes: Amman, Colombo
- United Airlines UA (A330-300) · 2 routes: Frankfurt*, Muscat*
- Vietnam Airlines VN (A330-200, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Ho Chi Minh City*, Kuala Lumpur*
- Aegean Airlines A3 (A320, A321) · 1 route: Athens
- Aer Lingus EI (A330-200, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Dublin*
- Air Canada AC (777-300ER) · 1 route: Toronto
- Air New Zealand NZ (A330-200) · 1 route: Singapore*
- Air Serbia JU (A319, A320) · 1 route: Belgrade
- Asiana Airlines OZ (345) · 1 route: Seoul*
- Belavia Belarusian Airlines B2 (A319) · 1 route: Minsk 2
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines BG (313) · 1 route: Sylhet Osmani
- Brussels Airlines SN (A330-200) · 1 route: Brussels*
- Cathay Pacific CX (A330-300) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Cyprus Airways CY (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca*
- Egyptair MS (330, 737-800) · 1 route: Cairo
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A320) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Kish Air Y9 (F50) · 1 route: Kish Island
- Korean Air KE (345, A340-600) · 1 route: Seoul
- L MJ (A320) · 1 route: Colombo*
- Middle East Airlines ME (A320) · 1 route: Beirut
- Oman Air WY (737-800, ATR, Embraer 175, 737-700) · 1 route: Muscat
- Philippine Airlines PR (330) · 1 route: Manila
- Qatar Airways QR (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Doha
- Royal Jordanian RJ (A319, A320) · 1 route: Amman
- S7 Airlines S7 (330) · 1 route: Moscow*
- South African Airways SA (A330-200) · 1 route: Johannesburg
- Sudan Airways SD (AB6) · 1 route: Khartoum
- Turkish Airlines TK (A321, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Al Seef Marine Transport Station
Ferry terminal · 2.5 km from the centre
Baniyas - water bus terminal
Ferry terminal · 2.6 km from the centre
Dubai Festival City
Ferry terminal · 3.3 km from the centre · Dubai Roads & Transport Authority
Al Jadaf
Ferry terminal · 3.4 km from the centre · Dubai Roads & Transport Authority
Al Sabkha Abra terminal (North)
Ferry terminal · 3.5 km from the centre
Al Sabkha
Ferry terminal · 3.5 km from the centre
Baniyas - Al Seef (Water Bus)
Ferry route
Al Sabkha - Baniyas (Water Bus)
Ferry route
Al Jadaf - Dubai Festival City
Ferry route · Dubai Roads & Transport Authority
Al Jaddaf Marine Station - Dubai Festival City
Ferry route · Dubai Roads & Transport Authority
Dubai Old Souk - Baniyas (Water Bus)
Ferry route
Al Ghubaiba - Dubai Old Souk (Water Bus)
Ferry route
Al Sabkha - Al Fahidi Marine Transport Station
Ferry route
Deira Old Souk - Al Fahidi Marine Transport Station
Ferry route
Local transit
RTA
Metro, tram, bus · Dubai Metro, the tram, buses and water taxis. · Fares: Nol card · Airport: Red Line metro from Terminals 1 and 3
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Emirates Executive
Charter · Airbus ACJ319 · Emirates' VIP Airbus for bespoke charters from Dubai.
Empire Aviation
Charter, management · Managed fleet · Dubai-based aircraft management and charter.
Royal Jet
Charter · Boeing Business Jet, Global, Learjet · Abu Dhabi-based premium charter with the world's largest BBJ fleet.
Air Charter Service
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
ExecuJet
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Tours & experiences
Living Here
Getting about
- The automated metro (Red Line along the coast, Green Line around the creek) is clean, cheap and air-conditioned; a Nol card works on the metro, tram, buses and abras. Distances are large and the heat is severe, so metro plus taxi is the pattern.
- Taxis are cheap, metered and plentiful; Careem and Uber operate. Walking between districts is impractical; walking within them is fine in winter.
- Dubai International (DXB) is one of the world's busiest airports and 15 minutes from downtown on the metro; Al Maktoum (DWC) is the second airport to the south. The city is a hub — most of the world is one flight away.
- Driving is easy on excellent roads but fast and aggressive; an international licence works for visitors. Salik tolls are automatic.
Health
- Healthcare is high-quality and largely private: American Hospital, Mediclinic, Dubai Hospital and Rashid Hospital (the main public emergency and trauma centre). Health insurance is mandatory for residents and usually employer-provided.
- Dial 998 for ambulance, 999 for police. Pharmacies are everywhere and well stocked; many medications need a prescription and some common Western drugs are controlled — check before travelling.
- Heat is the hazard: from May to September stay hydrated, avoid midday sun and expect everything to be air-conditioned to the point of cold.
Work & study
- Trade, logistics and aviation (Jebel Ali, DP World, Emirates), finance in the DIFC free zone, real estate and construction, tourism and hospitality, and a growing tech and media sector in the free zones. No personal income tax.
- Residence is tied to employment, property or investment; the Golden Visa offers longer terms to professionals and investors. The workforce is overwhelmingly expatriate at every level.
- Universities include the UAE's own institutions and the branch campuses of foreign schools in Academic City and Knowledge Park; the American University in Dubai and the University of Wollongong are among the largest.
Money & manners
- UAE dirhams, pegged to the dollar; cards are universal. Tipping around 10% is customary in restaurants; a service charge is often added.
- Dress modestly in public places — shoulders and knees covered in malls and old districts, swimwear only at the beach or pool. Alcohol is served in licensed hotels and venues; public drunkenness is an offence. Public displays of affection are best avoided.
- Friday is the holy day and the weekend now runs Saturday–Sunday; Ramadan changes hours and eating in public by day is discouraged. Photograph people only with permission, and never government buildings.