Travel
Best day trips from Dubai: drive times, routes and what to bring
The best day trips from Dubai are Hatta, Abu Dhabi, Jebel Jais, the Fujairah east coast and Al Ain, all 90 minutes to two hours by car. Hatta, Jais and Al Ain are for the cool months; Abu Dhabi and Fujairah can work in summer if you time it.
The best day trips from Dubai are Hatta, Abu Dhabi, Jebel Jais, the Fujairah east coast and Al Ain. All of them sit between 90 minutes and two hours from the city by car, with no border to cross. Which one you pick depends on the month: Hatta, Jais and Al Ain are cool-season trips, while Abu Dhabi and the east coast can be made to work in summer if you plan around the heat. Musandam in Oman is the sixth option, and the only one that needs a passport and a proper dawn start.
Which day trip from Dubai should you do first?
If you have one free Saturday and a car, do Hatta in winter or Abu Dhabi in summer. The drive times below assume you leave Dubai by 7.30 am on a weekend; add 30 to 45 minutes if you leave mid-morning.
| Destination | Drive from Dubai | Best months | Go for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatta | 90 min to 2 h | Oct to Apr | Dam, trails, heritage village |
| Jebel Jais | About 2 h | Oct to Apr, summit evenings in summer | Switchbacks, zipline, sunset |
| Abu Dhabi | About 90 min | Year round (indoors in summer) | Grand Mosque, Louvre, Qasr Al Watan |
| Fujairah, Al Aqah | About 2 h | Oct to May, early summer swims | Snorkelling, calmer sea |
| Al Ain | 90 min to 2 h | Nov to Mar | Oasis, forts, Jebel Hafeet |
| Musandam (Oman) | 2.5 to 3 h with border | Oct to Apr | Dhow cruise, fjords |
Hatta: the mountain trip I have done with my kids
Hatta is about 130 km from the city, roughly 90 minutes to two hours via the E611 and then the E44. The current E44 stays inside the UAE the whole way, so you do not need a passport. The road drops you into a bowl of the Hajar Mountains that feels nothing like Dubai.
We went as a family on the first weekend of January 2025, when the Dubai Winter Festival had Hatta full of things to do. The "new skills unlocked" in that post was mountain biking on the trails, which the kids picked up faster than I did. What I would plan a day around: the dam, where you hire a kayak or a pedal boat and paddle between the cliffs; the Heritage Village with its restored fort and mud houses; and Hatta Wadi Hub for the bikes, the rides and the cafes. Kayak hire is priced per boat, roughly AED 60 to 120 at the time of writing, and cash is easier.
One thing most lists leave out: the Hatta activity hubs and resorts shut for the summer and reopen when it cools, usually around October. Check the Visit Hatta site before you drive out between May and September.
Disclosure: I tagged Visit Hatta and Dubai Festivals in that weekend post, so treat it as brand-adjacent rather than a purely private trip. My opinion is my own.
Jebel Jais: the highest road in the country
Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah is about two hours from Dubai: 60 to 90 minutes on the E311 to RAK, then a 30 to 45 minute climb on switchbacks that are the reason people go. The summit area sits at about 1,934 m, the highest point in the UAE, and it is noticeably cooler than the coast, often by around 10°C.
At the top is Jais Flight, the world's longest zipline at 2.83 km, where you fly head first at over 150 km/h. There is also a gentler Sky Tour, the Jais Sledder toboggan, a viewing deck park and 1484 by Puro, the highest restaurant in the country. Book the zipline ahead; it sells out on winter weekends. Fill the tank at the petrol station at the base, because there is nothing on the climb, and do not count on phone signal once you are up.
The sunset from the viewing decks is the best free thing on this list. Go up mid-afternoon and take the bends slowly on the way down.
Abu Dhabi: the easy culture day
Abu Dhabi is about 140 km and 90 minutes straight down the E11. I treat it as a culture day, and it is the one trip here that works in August because the big three are indoors: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which is free to enter with a strict dress code (shoulders, arms and knees covered, loose clothing, women cover their hair); the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat; and Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace. Book Louvre and Qasr Al Watan tickets online before you leave; prices change, so check them. Mosque visiting hours pause for prayers.
My own Abu Dhabi days tend to land in early December, for the Grand Prix. In 2025 we walked the Yas Marina pit lane with the kids, three days of noise and late nights, and the easiest way I know to make my children think I am cool. If you go for the race, stay over.
Fujairah and Al Aqah: the other coast
Al Aqah beach in Fujairah is about 180 km and two hours from Dubai, on the Gulf of Oman, and the sea on that side is calmer and clearer than ours. The draw is Snoopy Island, a rocky outcrop a short swim or boat ride off the beach, with coral, reef fish and the odd turtle. The dive centres on the strip hire out snorkel kits and run short boat trips for much less than a Dubai beach club day. Al Bidyah Mosque, thought to be the oldest in the country, is a ten minute detour.
In summer the east coast is still hot and very humid, but the water is the point, so go for an early swim and be back in the car by 11 am.
Al Ain: the garden city
Al Ain is about 160 km and 90 minutes to two hours inland on the E66. It is a slow, green day: the Al Ain Oasis, a UNESCO site of date palms and the old falaj irrigation channels, Al Jahili Fort, and the road up Jebel Hafeet for the view at the end. This is a November to March trip; the oasis is shaded but everything else is outdoors.
Can you do Musandam as a day trip?
Yes, but only just. Khasab, on Oman's Musandam peninsula, is roughly two and a half to three hours from Dubai including the Al Dara border crossing near Ras Al Khaimah. The thing to do is a dhow cruise through the fjords with a swim stop, and dolphins often turn up. Everyone needs a passport, an Oman visa (check the current rules for your nationality) and Oman car insurance, which is sold at the border. You also need the original registration card (the Mulkiya), and a rented or financed car needs a no objection letter from the rental company or the bank. It is better as an overnight; see my weekend getaways from Dubai guide.
Which day trips from Dubai work in summer?
Abu Dhabi first, because the whole day can be indoors. Fujairah second, if you go for the water and leave by late morning. Jebel Jais is cooler at the top and pleasant in the evening, but the zipline in August is a sweat. Hatta and Al Ain are off the list from May to September; the hubs close and the trails are dangerous in that heat. If you are stuck in the city, my list of things to do in Dubai in summer is the plan B.
Renting a car for the day: the checklist
A one day rental is far cheaper than a taxi to Jais, which runs roughly AED 300 to 400 one way. The paperwork is simple if you know it in advance.
- Residents: UAE driving licence and Emirates ID. Visitors: passport, entry stamp and your home licence. If the licence is not in English or Arabic you need an International Driving Permit, and you must get it at home before you fly.
- Minimum age is usually 21, and 25 for anything fast or expensive, with a young driver surcharge under 25.
- A credit card in the main driver's name. The deposit hold is often AED 1,500 to 5,000 depending on the car, and debit cards are regularly refused.
- Salik is already fitted. At the time of writing each gate charges AED 6 at peak times and AED 4 off peak, with nothing between 1 am and 6 am. The company bills you afterwards, so ask how.
- Ask about the daily mileage cap before an Abu Dhabi or Fujairah run, and what zero-excess damage cover costs. It is usually worth it.
- Photograph every panel and the fuel gauge before you leave the lot. Fines follow the car, and they find you.
- Going to Musandam? Tell the rental company. Most will not allow it, and the ones that do have to give you the letter.
What to bring, and what I would skip
Water, more than you think. Cash for kayaks, car parks and roadside fruit. A topped up Salik account if it is your own car. Downloaded maps, because signal vanishes in the mountains. Sunscreen, a hat and a long sleeve layer; what I wear for a mountain or desert day is in what to wear in Dubai.
What I would skip: any mountain road after dark if you have not driven it in daylight; a "quick" Liwa run, which is four hours each way and a weekend, not a day; and stacking two of these into one Saturday. Pick one, leave early, be home for dinner.
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