Travel
Things to do in Dubai in summer (that are actually fun when it is 45°C)
The best things to do in Dubai in summer: water parks at opening time, indoor padel, the new indoor playgrounds with kids, night swimming at floodlit beaches and resident-rate staycations. Outdoors before 8 am or after 7 pm, indoors in between.
The things to do in Dubai in summer that I actually enjoy, in order: a water park at opening time, a padel game before the sun is up, the newer indoor playgrounds with the kids (Museum of Candy, House of Hype, Rodeo Drive), a night swim at a floodlit beach, and a cheap resident-rate staycation. The trick is timing, not willpower. Outdoors before 8 am or after 7 pm, indoors in between, and nothing at all at 2 pm.
Indoor things to do in Dubai in summer with kids
These three are the ones my own children have dragged me to, so I can tell you how they landed.
- Museum of Candy, Oud Metha. Sugar-coloured rooms built for photos, with tastings along the way. About an hour, which is the right length. The kids loved it and, fine, so did I. Tickets are sold through the Fever app and were around AED 100 a person at the time of writing, with weekday discounts; book ahead, it sells out.
- House of Hype, Chinatown at Dubai Mall. A loud, neon, 100-plus-experiences indoor playground. Best for teens and older kids; small children get overwhelmed. Go on a weekday morning.
- Rodeo Drive, Ibn Battuta Gate. An arcade with a mechanical bull and ping pong for adults and a separate zone for small kids with play areas, balloon bending and hat making. Good for a mixed-age family afternoon.
The older standbys still work: Ski Dubai at Mall of the Emirates for a genuinely cold hour, IMG Worlds of Adventure for a full day of rides, The Green Planet at City Walk for an indoor rainforest, and the Museum of the Future, which needs two to three hours and a booked slot.
Disclosure: I was invited to House of Hype and Rodeo Drive. My opinion is my own.
Are the water parks worth it in summer?
Yes, if you go at opening or after 4 pm. Being in water makes 42°C bearable in a way that sitting beside it does not. Aquaventure at Atlantis is the big one, with more than a hundred slides and a long day in it; Wild Wadi next to the Burj Al Arab is smaller and easier with young children. Tickets are roughly AED 300 a person and residents often get a cheaper rate, so check the current offers. Sunscreen between every ride, water bottles, and leave when the queues get long in the middle of the day.
How do you stay active when it is 45°C?
You move the workout. In June this year I played padel at ISD, the kind of booking I only agreed to because the outfit was cute, and we were done and drinking coffee at Caffelini before the heat arrived. Indoor or covered courts are the whole game from June to September; where to book is in where to play padel in Dubai. Gyms are the other answer, and summer is when they run their best membership deals; see best gyms in Dubai. Dubai Ice Rink at Dubai Mall and the indoor climbing walls cover the kids.
For a night out that does not involve a terrace, Replay at The Beach, JBR, is a karaoke place with private themed rooms and a song list in twenty-odd languages. Loud, air conditioned, and exactly what August needs.
Disclosure: I was invited to Replay. My opinion is my own.
Can you still go to the beach in summer?
Yes, after dark. Dubai has three official floodlit night swimming zones, at Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1 (the Kite Beach stretch), with lifeguards from sunset to sunrise. The sea is bath-warm, the air finally drops below 35°C and families arrive at 9 pm with dinner. Which beach suits which kind of evening is in best beaches in Dubai.
Are summer staycation deals worth it?
This is the best-value thing on the page. Hotels empty out from June to September and resident rates, with breakfast and a late checkout thrown in, can be a fraction of the winter price. We did a family stay at Sheraton Mall of the Emirates at the tail end of the hot season, with the mall and a cinema a two minute walk away, and nobody got in a car all weekend. How to get the resident rate and which hotels to look at is in best staycations in Dubai.
Disclosure: Sheraton Mall of the Emirates is a brand I have worked with. My opinion is my own.
Summer brunch and afternoon tea offers
Restaurants fight for residents in summer, so this is when the brunch packages, the kids-eat-free deals and the afternoon tea for two offers appear. Look for indoor venues with a view rather than terraces, book the earliest sitting, and check whether the advertised price includes tax and service. Summer is also the easiest time of year to get a table at the places that need a month's notice in December.
Free and cheap things to do in Dubai in summer
Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz is a warehouse district of galleries you can wander for free, all air conditioned. The Dubai Fountain at Dubai Mall runs in the evening and costs nothing to watch. Mall walking is a legitimate sport here; Dubai Mall before the shops open is a quiet three kilometre loop. Dubai Summer Surprises runs for several weeks across July and August with sales and mall events; the dates move each year, so check Dubai Festivals rather than trusting a blog.
What I would skip in July
A desert safari, unless it is the late evening version. Any outdoor brunch terrace. The beach at midday, whatever the sunbed costs. A full day of outdoor theme park; do the water park instead. And fighting the heat out of stubbornness. The city is built for summer indoors. Use it.
All my Travel guides · Brands: work with me on travel.
