Destinations
Five nights in Dubai with children, planned properly
The mistake is trying to do everything. Here is the shape of a Dubai week that leaves everyone still speaking to each other on the flight home.
Dubai is easy to reach and easy to get wrong. Families arrive with a list of twelve attractions, book them back to back, and spend the holiday in taxis. Five nights is enough for four proper days, and four proper days is enough.
Book three things, leave the rest open
The desert safari, the Burj Khalifa deck and one waterpark day are the three that need booking. Everything else, the creek crossing, the souqs, the beach, the fountain show, can be decided the morning of.
Work around the middle of the day
From May to September, outdoor plans between eleven and four do not survive contact with the weather. Malls, the aquarium and the indoor attractions exist for exactly that window, and the city is built around it.
- Day one: arrive, check in, Dubai Mall and the fountain show
- Day two: free morning, desert safari from four in the afternoon
- Day three: waterpark, back at the hotel by five
- Day four: old Dubai in the morning, Burj Khalifa before sunset
- Day five: beach or shopping, then the evening flight
One practical note for Nigerian families: apply for the visa at least three weeks out even though it is usually issued in under a week. Peak periods slow it down, and a delayed visa with ticketed flights is an expensive problem.
- Dubai
- Family Travel