Travel
Best beaches in Dubai: free beaches, night swimming and where to watch the sunset
The best beaches in Dubai are free: Kite Beach for a full day, JBR for cafes, Sunset Beach for the Burj Al Arab at golden hour. Night swimming is official at floodlit zones in Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1. Beach clubs are for occasions.
The best beach in Dubai for most days is a free one. Kite Beach for a full day with food trucks and sport, JBR for cafes and people, Sunset Beach for the Burj Al Arab at golden hour, and Palm West Beach for the Marina skyline after dark. Night swimming is official at three floodlit zones, Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1 (the Kite Beach stretch), from sunset to sunrise with lifeguards. Beach clubs are for occasions, not Saturdays.
Which beaches in Dubai are free?
Almost all the good ones. You only pay for a sunbed, a parking spot or a beach club.
- Kite Beach, Umm Suqeim. The everyday pick: a running track, food trucks, volleyball, kitesurfing and paddleboard hire, showers and clean sand. Sunbeds are roughly AED 20 to 30. Busy on weekends.
- JBR, The Beach. Sand with a promenade of restaurants and shops behind it. More of a day out than a quiet swim. The tram stops at JBR 1 and JBR 2.
- Sunset Beach, Umm Suqeim 3. The Burj Al Arab view, smaller crowds and the only stretch with surfable waves in winter.
- Palm West Beach. Faces the Marina and JBR skyline, lined with cafes, reachable by the Palm Monorail. Better in the evening than at noon.
- Black Palace Beach, Al Sufouh. No facilities at all, which is why it is quiet. Bring water and a view of the Palm.
- Jumeirah Open Beach. A long, simple public stretch near Jumeirah 1 with a walking track.
- La Mer. The southern side became J1 Beach, a row of paid beach clubs; the northern side still had public sand at the time of writing.
- Al Mamzar Beach Park, Deira. The exception: a small entry fee, around AED 5 a person at the time of writing, for lawns, barbecue pits and pools. It has ladies-only days on certain weekdays; confirm the days before you plan around them.
Where can you swim at night in Dubai?
Three official night swimming zones: Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1, which is the Kite Beach stretch. Each is an 800 m section of beach with floodlights that light the water, lifeguards on duty after dark and screens showing sea conditions. Swimming is allowed from sunset to sunrise, and only inside the lit zone; do not wander into the dark water either side, because that is where the lifeguards are not. Older articles that say night swimming is only allowed at Sunset Beach are wrong. In July and August it is the only sane way to be in the sea.
Which beach in Dubai has the best sunset?
Sunset Beach, if you want the Burj Al Arab in the frame. Palm West Beach, if you want the Marina towers lighting up behind the water. Sunset is roughly 5.30 to 6 pm in midwinter and just after 7 pm in midsummer, so arrive 30 to 45 minutes before and stay until the sky goes fully dark. Tuesday to Thursday is quieter; Friday and Saturday evenings at Sunset Beach mean parking two streets away.
My own golden hour, if you look at my Instagram, tends to be the dressed-up kind. Last July I spent an evening at Gigi at J1 Beach, the Italian beach house with the garden and the pool, in an Alexis dress, watching the light go orange over the water. It is a beach club rather than a beach, and it costs accordingly, but for a birthday or an anniversary it is the prettiest sunset table I know in the city.
Which beach is best for families and kids?
Kite Beach, for the showers, the food, the shallow entry and the space to run. Al Mamzar Beach Park if you want a gate, lawns and somewhere to barbecue. JBR if the grown-ups want a proper lunch afterwards; Pavilion at the Beach there has six restaurants in one spot, and I was at its third birthday party, balloon drop and all. For small children the water at the calmer bays near La Mer and Jumeirah 1 is gentler than Sunset Beach, where the waves are the attraction.
Disclosure: I was invited to the Pavilion at the Beach anniversary. My opinion is my own.
Which beach is best for couples?
For a free evening, Sunset Beach or Black Palace Beach, and the walk along Palm West after dark. For a date that costs money, a beach club: Nikki Beach on Pearl Jumeirah, Drift at One&Only Royal Mirage, Zero Gravity in the Marina, or Gigi at J1 Beach. Day passes and minimum spends run roughly AED 250 to 500 a person depending on the day, often redeemable against food. Check the current rate and the dress code.
Are Dubai beach clubs worth the money?
For an occasion, yes. For a normal weekend, no. A free beach and a good coffee gives you the same sea for nothing. If you want the resort feeling, a resident-rate staycation is often better value than two day passes, and you get the pool the next morning; my picks are in best staycations in Dubai.
When should you go to the beach in Dubai?
November to April is the season: air in the 20s, sea around 22 to 26°C. May and October are hot but workable before 10 am. June to September the air sits at 40 to 45°C and the sea warms to 33 to 35°C, so you go before 9 am or after sunset and you do not lie on a lounger at 2 pm. More on surviving those months in things to do in Dubai in summer.
Quick comparison
| Beach | Entry | Best for | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kite Beach | Free | Full day, sport, night swim | Car, paid parking |
| JBR | Free | Cafes, families, tram access | Tram to JBR 1 or 2 |
| Sunset Beach | Free | Burj Al Arab sunset, surf | Car, street parking |
| Palm West Beach | Free | Skyline evenings | Palm Monorail or car |
| Black Palace Beach | Free | Quiet, no facilities | Car only |
| Al Mamzar Beach Park | Small fee | Families, barbecue, pools | Car, Deira side |
Mistakes I see every weekend
- Speakers. Loud music on a public beach gets you a fine and makes everyone around you hate you. Headphones.
- Swimwear on the promenade. Fine on the sand; put a cover-up on before you walk to the cafe. Topless sunbathing is not allowed anywhere.
- Turning up at 1 pm in July. The sand burns feet. Go at 7 am or 8 pm.
- Swimming outside the lit zone at night, or when the red flag is up. The current off Sunset Beach is real.
- Forgetting that parking at Kite Beach and JBR is paid, and full by 10 am on a winter Saturday.
What to pack and what to wear for a day on the sand, including what passes on the walk back through the cafes, is in what to wear in Dubai.
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