Travel
Weekend getaways from Dubai, by season
The best weekend getaways from Dubai by car are Ras Al Khaimah, Hatta, Fujairah, Liwa and Musandam, all one to three and a half hours away and best from October to April. In summer, book a city staycation or fly to Salalah.
The best weekend getaways from Dubai by car are Ras Al Khaimah for mountains and a beach in the same day, Hatta for the dam and the trails, the Fujairah east coast for calmer sea, Liwa for the big desert, and Musandam in Oman for the fjords. All of them are between one and three and a half hours away. From October to April, pick any of them. From June to September the honest answer is a resident-rate staycation in the city, or a short flight to Salalah, where it is green and around 25°C while we sit in 45°C.
When is the best time for a weekend getaway from Dubai?
October to April, and the narrower window of November to March if you want to sit outside at lunch. Desert and mountain nights get properly cool in December and January, which is the whole pleasure of it. May and September are shoulder months: the sea still works, the dunes do not. June to August, stay indoors or fly. I keep the day-trip versions of these places, with routes and a car rental checklist, in my day trips from Dubai guide; this one is for when you want to stay the night.
Ras Al Khaimah: mountains in the morning, beach by lunch
RAK is 60 to 90 minutes up the E311 and gives you two weekends in one. The resort strip along Al Marjan Island and Al Hamra faces the sea; Jebel Jais, about 45 minutes further, is the highest point in the UAE at around 1,934 m. The plan that works: drive up the mountain early, do the viewing decks or the Jais Flight zipline (2.83 km, over 150 km/h, book ahead), and be back on a sun lounger by early afternoon. I have not stayed in RAK for a weekend yet, which is slightly embarrassing given how close it is; it is top of my winter list.
Hatta: the easiest overnight
Hatta is part of Dubai but sits 90 minutes to two hours away in the Hajar Mountains, and it is the only one on this list I have done recently as a family weekend. We went on the first weekend of January 2025, when the Dubai Winter Festival had the place buzzing, and the "new skill" my kids unlocked was mountain biking on the trails. Kayaks on the turquoise dam, the Heritage Village, the cafes at Wadi Hub: it is an easy, outdoorsy two days with children.
Two honest notes. It is busy on winter weekends, so book the night early. And the resorts and activity hubs close over summer, reopening around October, so check Visit Hatta before a May to September plan.
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.
Fujairah: the east coast resorts
Fujairah is roughly two hours away on the Gulf of Oman. The water is calmer and clearer than on our side, and the Al Aqah strip is proper resort territory, so it suits couples and families who want a pool, a beach and nothing to organise. Snorkelling around Snoopy Island is the thing to do, and Al Bidyah Mosque, thought to be the oldest in the UAE, is a short drive. Because the sea is the point, Fujairah works in the shoulder months when the desert is already too warm. Go early in the day for the water and treat afternoons as pool time.
Liwa and Qasr Al Sarab: the real desert
If you want the cinematic Empty Quarter dunes, Liwa is the one, and it earns two nights. Qasr Al Sarab, the best known resort out there, is about three to three and a half hours from Dubai, deep in Abu Dhabi emirate. Moreeb Dune, one of the tallest in the country, is nearby. You go for stargazing, a dune drive and silence. October to April only; days sit around 20 to 30°C and nights are cool. From June to September it pushes towards 50°C, and you would not leave the room. A 4x4 is only needed if you plan to drive on sand; the road to the resort is sealed.
Musandam: what the border needs
Musandam in Oman is the one that surprises people: fjords, still turquoise water, dolphins alongside a wooden dhow. Khasab is roughly two and a half to three hours from Dubai including the Al Dara border crossing near Ras Al Khaimah. The paperwork is where weekends go wrong, so here it is in one place.
- Passport for everyone, including children.
- An Oman visa. Rules differ by nationality and change; check before you book the hotel.
- Oman car insurance, bought at the border.
- The original car registration card (Mulkiya). A rented or financed car needs a no objection letter from the rental company or the bank, and many rental companies simply refuse cross-border trips.
Some resorts will help with the visa in advance. A dhow cruise with a swim stop is the classic day; book it for the morning after you arrive.
Too hot to drive? Staycation or Salalah
In peak summer I keep it easy. A city staycation skips the drive entirely and hotel rates drop for residents. We did this as a family at Sheraton Mall of the Emirates, with the mall and a cinema a short walk away, and it was one of the most restful weekends of the year. My picks by vibe, and how to get the resident rate, are in best staycations in Dubai.
When I want to leave in summer, the answer is Salalah in southern Oman. It is a flight of under two hours, and during the Khareef, the monsoon season from roughly late June to early September, the hills turn green and misty and sit around 22 to 25°C. Book early; everyone in the Gulf has the same idea. The Maldives is the other classic short flight, a little over four hours, but that is a splurge rather than a weekend.
Disclosure: Sheraton Mall of the Emirates is a brand I have worked with. My opinion is my own.
What I would skip
Liwa as a one-night trip; you spend more time driving than looking at dunes. Any desert or mountain weekend from June to August, however good the deal. Musandam without checking the rental company's cross-border policy first. And trying to do RAK beach and Hatta in one weekend; they are in different directions and you will spend Sunday on the E311.
If the weather has you stuck in town, my things to do in Dubai in summer list is the fallback.
When the getaway is a proper summer trip out of the region rather than a weekend, the packing problem changes completely. Here is what I packed for London in summer after years of dressing for 40 degrees.
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