How can I go on a cheap holiday in expensive Dubai? Easy! We share our budget travel experience in the Arab Emirates. Learn 10 money saving tips, including how to buy cheap tickets or tours, book a low cost hotel, eat delicious and cheap food, find free entertainment and attractions.
Winter Holidays
The best time to go on holiday in the UAE is October-November and March-April. At this time it’s not too hot and not too cold, you can swim without feeling hot. But hotel and tour prices have peaked. If you want to save money, go to Dubai in the winter: the temperature is +24°C and the water is +20°C. Winter is perfect for sightseeing and shopping and you can swim in the pool. In the summer it’s best to avoid the Emirates as the temperature is above +50°C.
How to Buy Cheap Tickets
There are very cheap charter flights to Dubai from Helsinki (100 euros return) but you have to buy tickets through the Finnish websites of local tour operators. There are also several European cities from which you can find cheap flights to Dubai. Why? It’s simple: if you have a Schengen visa (if required) you can visit multiple countries in one trip and save on flights. Here’s a list of cities from which you can fly to Dubai cheaply. Sofia, Istanbul, Stockholm, Prague, Bucharest, Katowice, Oslo, Budapest. For 2024 consider combining a trip to Dubai with a visit to Yerevan, Tbilisi, Tashkent or Istanbul.
How to Find a Cheap Hotel
Dubai has some of the most expensive hotels in the world so let’s talk about cheaper options. The cheapest hotels in Dubai start at $30 per day for two people and they have low ratings, bad location, and many other flaws mentioned in the reviews. Holidays in such hotels won’t be enjoyable. Hotels with 8 or higher rating on Booking start at $50 per night. That’s a good price for Dubai. I would book a hotel in this category. Don’t rely on ratings – they don’t tell you much. Instead read guest reviews carefully and check the location and breakfast availability. How to Book a Cheap But Good Hotel:
- Choose a hotel with 7 or higher rating;
- Read the reviews carefully – even 4-5 star hotels have flaws;
- Is there a free shuttle to the beach;
- Get a hotel with breakfast;
- Convenient if there are supermarkets and cheap cafes nearby.
One more important point is if there’s a metro nearby if you want ultra-economy. But our personal experience shows that the best solution is to strike a balance between economy and convenience is to rent a car. In Dubai there’s no problem with this as car rental services are available. There are cars for every taste and budget, even very cheap ones. With a car you won’t have any problems with sightseeing in Dubai as that’s what you came here for, isn’t it?
Where to Eat Cheap
Dubai is the place to try out cuisines of different Asian countries. Forget the fancy European restaurants; the prices are ridiculous. Choose cafes and restaurants run by immigrants for immigrants. 90% of the population of the Arab Emirates are migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and other countries. All of them need a cheap place to eat so they open budget restaurants serving national cuisine for their fellow countrymen. A multi-course lunch or dinner for two in a cheap cafe will cost between $13-$14. Trying out a new country’s cuisine every day for $6-7 per person is a good alternative to wasting money at mediocre and expensive restaurants.
Free Attractions
In Dubai you can easily blow your entire budget on attractions and entertainment! Here they are either expensive or very expensive. But there’s always a way out. For the most frugal we have compiled a list of free and interesting places in Dubai.
- Burj Khalifa and other skyscrapers – free to see from the side, entrance to the observation deck is paid;
- Dubai Mall;
- Jumeirah Mosque – free tours in English at 10 am daily except Friday;
- Aquarium – entrance fee but you can see part of the aquarium while walking around the Mall;
- Singing and dancing fountains in front of Dubai Mall;
- Beaches – many of which are free, like Jumeirah Open Beach, Jumeirah Beach Park, Kite Beach and others;
- Dubai Creek;
- Old Town – clean and restored;
- Markets: gold, fish and spice markets;
- Dubai Marina and Dubai Lake Towers;
- Dubai Museum at Al Fahidi Fort – see what Dubai was like in the time of the Bedouins and Emirs;
- Al Quoz Pond Park;
- Ras Al Khor Reserve is a huge park, a wintering place for migratory birds. Here you can see pink flamingos, herons, sea hawks and others. You can visit the reserve from Saturday to Thursday from 9:00 to 16:00, bird feeding – from 9:00 to 9:30. Free admission.
Now you know why you need a car, so you can get to all these places by your own car instead of taking public transportation forever. Plus with the low cost of renting a car https://drive.yango.com/p/cheap-monthly-car-hire-dubai it’s definitely worth it.
In addition
If you are in the Arab Emirates, never buy tours from your tour operator. Never buy tours from a tour operator; their prices are rarely higher. Tours are cheap and can be bought at local offices. We recommend you only take tours that you can’t organize yourself, like desert safari, night crab hunting, deep sea fishing, helicopter or hot air balloon flight, or boat tour. Everything else is cheaper if you organize it yourself. Check out our list of tours in Dubai.