Language · 11 published
Country guide
The United Arab Emirates has been one country since 2 December 1971, when seven emirates — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah — federated. It covers 83,600 km² and held 11,027,129 people in 2024, of whom about 11 per cent are Emirati citizens; the rest came to work, and that shapes the food, the languages and the shape of a week more than any monument does. Abu Dhabi is the capital and Dubai the largest city, close enough to treat as one base. The northern emirates beyond them are quieter and far less built.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Tim Reckmann from Hamm, Deutschland · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph · Валерий Дед · CC BY 3.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
5 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Palm Jumeirah is Nakheel's palm-shaped, man-made island extending five kilometres into the Arabian Gulf. The master developer records 560 hectares of land and describes a mixed residential, tourism and leisure destination rather than one attraction behind a single entrance.
Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort located within the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It represents one of the world's largest indoor snow parks, offering winter sports experiences in a desert climate.
دبي مول
Dubai Mall stands on Financial Centre Road in Downtown Dubai, at the foot of Burj Khalifa, and its operator Emaar describes it as the most visited retail and lifestyle destination in the world, welcoming over 100 million visitors a year.
متحف المستقبل
The Museum of the Future is a steel torus standing on a planted green mound beside Jumeirah Emirates Towers on Sheikh Zayed Road, with an oval void cut through its centre.
محمية دبي الصحراوية
The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve is a 225-square-kilometre protected area in the emirate's inland desert, which the reserve describes as 4.7 per cent of Dubai's total land area and as the UAE's first national park.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Six to eight days is enough for roughly four days in Dubai and two or three in Abu Dhabi. Sharjah can be a separate museum day, while Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah requires dedicated road time rather than being treated as a quick urban extension.
UAE entry permission depends on nationality and may be arranged in advance or granted under a nationality-specific rule. Confirm the current position through the federal ICP service or the responsible UAE embassy, especially for a stopover itinerary.
Dubai combines metro, tram, buses, and marine transport; Abu Dhabi relies more heavily on buses and taxis. Travel between emirates remains road-based, so allow for an intercity bus, taxi, or rental car rather than expecting a passenger train.
November through March gives the most practical outdoor hours for this Dubai-Abu Dhabi route. In hotter months, schedule waterfront and heritage districts early or late and reserve the middle of the day for indoor museums.
The United Arab Emirates uses the dirham (AED). Cards are widely useful in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but retain an AED backup for smaller fares or deposits and check which currency a card terminal proposes.
Police in the UAE can be reached on 999 and ambulance services on 998. Type G sockets supply 230 V; tap-water guidance is not recorded here, so ask the accommodation for the building-specific position.
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