Why visit
Why visit United Arab Emirates?
Most people arrive in the United Arab Emirates knowing two cities and none of the country. The two cities are worth the reputation and they have a guide of their own here. What this page is for is the other four fifths: a mountain wadi on the east coast, oases in Al Ain still watered the way they were three thousand years ago, a ridge in Sharjah holding one of the longest records of human occupation in Arabia, and dune country that runs south until it stops being anywhere.
The heritage picture changed twice in two years and a great deal of published material has not caught up. The Cultural Sites of Al Ain were inscribed in 2011, the Faya Palaeolandscape in Sharjah in 2025 and Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah in 2026. Anything that tells you this country has one World Heritage site was written before 2025.
There is no territorial travel advisory here. The British government does not advise against travel to any part of the country and publishes no regional risks page for it. What varies is the law, and it varies by emirate: drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal in Sharjah, thirty kilometres north of Dubai and crossed on almost any drive north. Elsewhere alcohol is served in licensed venues, overwhelmingly hotels, and it is expensive.
Practically the barrier to entry is low and the things that catch people are specific. A great many nationalities are issued a visitor visa free of charge on arrival. Your passport must be valid six months from the day you land, or three months if you are only transiting. Working on a visit visa carries a fine, a prison sentence and deportation, and it catches people who think of what they are doing as a favour. It is set out on visa and entry requirements and the travel safety guide.
Top places to visit
Popular Attractions
in the United Arab Emirates
-
Dubai
The tallest building in the world at one end of a shallow creek where the city began at the other, and both are a short abra ride apart. Dubai and Abu Dhabi share a guide of their own on this site: see Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
-
Abu Dhabi
The capital, and the emirate that holds four fifths of the country's land. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre and the corniche are all in the city guide: see Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
-
The desert and the dune country
Red sand within an hour of either city, and the long empty run south towards the Liwa oases. This is open ground with no shade, which is what makes the season decide the trip: see best time to visit and the packing list.
-
The Cultural Sites of Al Ain
Inscribed in 2011: oases still watered by falaj channels, Bronze Age tombs at Hili and on the slopes of Jebel Hafit, and the forts that went with them. See the Al Ain guide.
-
The Faya Palaeolandscape
Inscribed in 2025, in Sharjah: a low rocky ridge in open gravel desert holding one of the longest records of human occupation anywhere in Arabia. See the Faya guide.
-
Wadi Wurayah
Inscribed in 2026, in Fujairah on the east coast: a mountain wadi and the country's first protected area of its kind. See the Wadi Wurayah guide.
The guide
Explore United Arab Emirates by Interest
Planning
Food and Culture
Heritage and History
Traveler Resources
Before you go
Planning
a trip to the United Arab Emirates
-
Best Time to Visit the United Arab Emirates
November to March for the outdoor half of a trip, and that is an editorial window rather than a sourced figure. Outside it the country works extremely well indoors and a summer visit is a genuine trip at a much lower price rather than a ruined one. See best time to visit and the weather guide.
-
Entry, Money and Getting Around
A great many nationalities are issued a visitor visa free of charge on arrival, and your passport must be valid six months from the day you land, or three months if you are only transiting. See visa and entry requirements, currency and money and getting around.
-
Before You Book
Seven emirates, and the law is not the same in all of them: drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal in Sharjah, which is half an hour north of Dubai with no visible frontier. Working on a visit visa risks a fine, a prison sentence and deportation, and controlled medication needs approval before you fly. It is on the travel safety guide.
Signature experiences
Signature
United Arab Emirates experiences
-
Eating out, and the creek it started on
A country where most residents were born elsewhere eats like one: Emirati, Iranian, Indian, Levantine and Filipino within a few streets of each other, and the oldest of it along the creek and around the souks. Start with the food guide.
-
A calendar that turns at sunset
Ramadan and the two Eids run on the lunar year and arrive about eleven days earlier against your own calendar each year. During Ramadan the day turns at sunset and the evening is when the country is out. National Day in December does not move. See festivals and celebrations.
-
Dress, greeting and how to be a guest
Loose clothing covering the shoulders and knees in public, for men as well as women, and noticeably more conservative expectations in Sharjah and the northern emirates than in central Dubai. Greet before anything else happens. See culture and etiquette.
Why choose LABUSA Travel for the United Arab Emirates
Seven emirates, and we tell you where the law changes
An itinerary that runs north from Dubai crosses into Sharjah, where drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal, and there is nothing at the boundary to tell you. A guide that answers "can I drink here" with a flat yes is not being relaxed, it is being wrong. We name the emirate.
Two of the three World Heritage sites are newer than most guidebooks
Faya was inscribed in 2025 and Wadi Wurayah in 2026, and a great deal of otherwise good material still says this country has one inscription. We read the list rather than remembering it, and each of the three has a page here with its year on it.
The country and the cities are separate guides
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have seventeen pages of their own covering the airports, the neighbourhoods, city prices and city transport. This guide carries the entry rules, the national law, the money and the calendar, so you never read the same fact twice and find it worded two ways.
Common questions
United Arab Emirates Travel FAQs
- Do I need a visa for the United Arab Emirates?
- For a great many nationalities, no visa in advance. You can get a visitor or tourist visa issued free of charge when you arrive, and your passport is stamped with it as you pass through immigration. Entry terms differ by passport, so confirm your own rather than assuming this transfers.
- How long does my passport need to be valid?
- Your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after the date you arrive. If you are only transiting, the requirement is three months instead. Two different numbers for two different journeys, and the airline applies whichever fits your ticket.
- Can I drink alcohol in the UAE?
- It depends which emirate you are standing in, and this is the question most worth asking. Drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal in the Emirate of Sharjah, which is thirty kilometres north of Dubai and has no visible frontier. Elsewhere alcohol is served in licensed venues, overwhelmingly hotels and their restaurants and bars, and it is expensive.
- Is the UAE safe to visit?
- There is no territorial travel advisory for the UAE. The British government does not advise against travel to any part of it, and there is no regional risks page. The things that catch visitors out are laws rather than places, and several of them differ between the seven emirates.
- What happens if I work while on a visit visa?
- It is treated seriously. If you are caught working on a visit visa you could get a fine or a prison sentence, and you risk deportation. To work you need a probationary work permit first. This catches people who consider what they are doing to be a favour, a trial, or remote work for a foreign employer.
- What about my prescription medication?
- Sort it out before you fly. There are strict rules on what you may bring in, and you need approval from the UAE authorities for anything classed as narcotic, psychotropic, controlled or semi-controlled, which is a broader list than most visitors expect. Carry everything in its original packaging with the prescription.
- How many World Heritage Sites does the UAE have?
- Three, and two of them are very recent. The Cultural Sites of Al Ain were inscribed in 2011, the Faya Palaeolandscape in Sharjah in 2025, and Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah in 2026. A great deal of published material still says the country has one, so it is worth checking the date on anything you read.
- When is the best time to visit?
- November to March for the outdoor half of a trip. Outside that window the country works extremely well indoors, and a summer visit is a genuine trip at a much lower price rather than a ruined one. The mountains and the east coast are cooler than the coast year round.
- What should I wear?
- Loose, light clothing covering shoulders and knees in public, for men as well as women. Swimming attire only on beaches and at pools; some venues set stricter codes of their own. Expectations are noticeably more conservative in Sharjah and the northern emirates than in central Dubai. Bring a light layer, because the air conditioning is fierce.
- Is this the same as your Dubai and Abu Dhabi guide?
- No, and they are meant to be read together. This guide is the country: entry rules, national law, money, the calendar and the three World Heritage sites, none of which is in either city. The Dubai and Abu Dhabi guide is the city experience: the airports, the neighbourhoods, city prices, city transport and city food.