Five days in Dubai on a realistic budget

Dubai has a reputation for being expensive, which is fair for some of it and misleading for the rest. Here is where the money actually goes on a five-day trip.

The big three costs

Flights vary more than anything else. The same route can double between a quiet week and Eid. Booking six to eight weeks ahead and avoiding school holidays is worth more than every other saving on this page combined.

Hotels follow location closely. Deira and Bur Dubai are substantially cheaper than the Marina or Downtown, and both sit on the metro, which makes the difference in nightly rate far larger than the difference in convenience.

Transport is where budgets quietly fail. Taxis add up fast. A Nol card and the metro cover most of the city for a fraction of the cost — Deira to Downtown is a few dirhams.

Attractions: worth it and not

• Burj Khalifa levels 124/125 — worth it, but book the timed sunset slot online in advance. Walk-up prices are considerably higher.
• Desert safari — worth it, and one of the few things genuinely better in a group. Prices vary hugely for near-identical experiences; book through someone who knows which operators are decent.
• Dubai Frame — inexpensive and pleasant, but skip it if you are already doing the Burj Khalifa.
• Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — free to enter and, for many travellers, the highlight of the week. Budget only the transport.
• Old Dubai, the abra and the souks — the abra across the creek costs one dirham. It is the best value hour in the city.

Food

Hotel breakfasts are convenient but rarely good value. Karama, Deira and Al Rigga have excellent, inexpensive Pakistani, Indian and Filipino food, and halal options are effectively universal across the city. Eating one meal a day at a mall food court and the others locally is the usual sensible split.

Costs people forget

• Tourism Dirham — a per-room, per-night city tax collected at the hotel, not included in most package prices.
• Deposits — hotels block a refundable amount on your card at check-in.
• Water — buy from a supermarket, not the hotel minibar.
• Visa — budget for it separately; it is not included in a flight fare.

Seasons

November to March is the pleasant season and the expensive one. June to September is very hot — over 40°C — but hotel rates fall sharply, and if your plan is largely malls, aquariums and indoor attractions with a pool in the evening, the summer trade-off can be a good one for families.