Best Time to Visit Dubai (and How Many Days You Need)

The best time to visit Dubai is November through March, when days are sunny and warm rather than scorching and the whole city, from beach clubs to the desert, is open and comfortable. Four to five days is the right length for a first visit; three is workable as a stopover and seven lets you add Abu Dhabi and a desert night. Here is the season-by-season picture, and how to plan your days.

November to March: peak season and the reason to go

This is Dubai's winter, and it feels like a perfect early-summer day almost every day: warm afternoons, mild evenings you can sit outside in, and very little rain. Everything outdoors is at its best: beach days at JBR and Kite Beach, rooftop dinners, desert safaris that end with a cool night around a fire, and long walks through the Marina or the souks of Old Dubai. Late December and early January are the busiest weeks, driven by holiday travel, the New Year's Eve fireworks at the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Shopping Festival that runs from late December into January. Book well ahead for those weeks. February and early March are our favorite: the same weather without the holiday surge.

April and October: the shoulder months

These are the transition months and they can be excellent value. April starts warm and ends hot; mornings and evenings are still pleasant, but by late in the month midday is for the pool or the mall. October runs in reverse, starting hot and humid and settling into comfortable warmth by the end. In both months you get softer hotel rates than the winter peak, fewer crowds at the top attractions, and a sea that is warm for swimming. If your dates land here, plan outdoor activities for early and late in the day.

May to September: the hot season

Dubai's summer is intense. Daytime temperatures routinely exceed 100°F, humidity climbs through July and August, and the sea itself turns bathwater-warm. This is not the time for desert hikes or afternoon beach days. That said, Dubai may be the most air-conditioned city on earth: the malls, the indoor ski slope, the aquarium, the museums and the hotel pools were built for exactly this. Summer brings the deepest hotel discounts of the year, and luxury resorts become far more attainable. If you go, treat it as an indoor-and-pool trip with sunrise and post-sunset outings, and skip the midday sun entirely.