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Travelling to Dubai |
A relatively new tourist destination, Dubai has gained in popularity in the recent years. It is essentially a desert city with superb infrastructure, liberal policies and excellent tourist amenities.
Visitors to Dubai will find a land of startling contrasts, from endless stretches of desert to rugged mountains and ultra - modern towns. The city of Dubai is situated on the banks of a creek, a natural inlet from the Persian Golf that divides the city neatly in two. Just 5 hrs from Europe and 3 hrs from most parts of Asia, Dubai makes a great short break for shopping, partying, sunbathing, fine dining and sporting events. It is a city of superlatives: for the fastest, biggest, tallest, largest and highest, Dubai is the destination.
By Plane
Dubai International Airport
This, the largest airport in the Middle East, is the home of the Emirates airline. Famous for its duty free shopping, there is also an alcohol store although the allowance is limited to four bottles of spirits or four six packs of beer per person.Frequent visitors from countries granted automatic visa on entry may wish to purchase an e-gate card to speed up immigration formalities and save passport pages. The e-gate card office is situated in the upstairs food court area of the departures concourse at Dubai International.
Note: If you intend to buy an e-gate card in Dubai, you must have entered UAE via Dubai airport and not Sharjah.
Sharjah International Airport
This expanding airport in the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah is just a half and hour drive from Dubai. A taxi will cost approximately Dhs 50. Sharjah is taking an increasing number of international flights as Dubai International struggles to keep up with the booming tourist trade.
By Car
There is only one international road border with Dubai and that is with Oman at Al Wajajah. An official permit is required for expatriate residents of Oman but ordinary visitors do not need the permit. The charge to exit Oman is OMR 3,000 per vehicle and the receipt is needed to re-enter the country. It is important that the vehicle insurance is valid for the UEA although temporary insurance can be arranged at the border although this option can prove to be expensive.
Exiting Oman is fairly organised and orderly although entry into the UEA at the border is often chaotic with long queues so travellers should be prepared for a long wait.
By Boat
As Dubai is a central hub for the many dhows that ply their trade on the Indian Ocean, travellers will probably find that their best option is to make their own arrangements with the individual captains. Be prepared to haggle over prices.