Dubai Holidays 2026/2027
Find a Dubai holiday that fits your budget
A week on the beach, a few days exploring the city or a family trip built around the waterparks: Dubai holidays can look very different. Choosing where to stay matters as much as choosing the hotel. A lower room price can lose its appeal if you spend the saving on taxis every day.
Start with what you want to do most. Then compare flight-and-hotel packages, the meals included and the cost of getting around. Below you can check deals and work out which areas and holiday types suit your plans.
Planning to spend most of your time at the resort? Our Dubai all-inclusive holidays guide compares resorts and explains what the different meal plans cover.
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Compare Dubai holiday packages
Use the same dates, departure airport and number of travellers for each search. Check whether the total includes baggage, transfers and the board basis you want before deciding which deal is better value.
Etihad Holidays
Include Etihad Holidays in your comparison of Dubai packages. Check the actual arrival airport, airline and transfer arrangements on the selected offer, rather than assuming every Dubai holiday arrives at Dubai International.
See Dubai offers with Etihad Holidays
Emirates Holidays
Compare Emirates Holidays' Dubai packages for your preferred hotel and dates. Look closely at the room and dining plan: a board upgrade or included transfer can be more useful than a room upgrade you would not otherwise pay for.
Find Your Ideal Holiday With
Dubai holiday offers
Where to stay in Dubai
Pick two or three things you most want from the trip before choosing a base. Beach access, evenings out and sightseeing are different priorities, and Dubai is too spread out for one hotel to be close to everything.
JBR and Dubai Marina: beach days and evenings out
Start here if you want to combine the beach with restaurants and waterfront walks. JBR sits beside the beach, while neighbouring Dubai Marina surrounds the marina itself. Check the hotel's exact position: a marina address does not necessarily mean a beachfront room or a private beach.
Palm Jumeirah: for a resort-focused holiday
The Palm is worth considering when the hotel is a large part of the holiday. Compare beach access, pools, dining and room types, then allow for journeys off the island. If you want to head out every day, check those journeys before paying extra for the location. Explore our Palm Jumeirah hotel guide for more options.
Downtown Dubai: for Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall
Consider Downtown if these sights are high on your list. It is a city base rather than a beach resort area, so budget for trips to the coast. Compare the actual walking route to the attractions; a landmark view does not always mean a short walk to its entrance.
Al Barsha: a starting point for a tighter budget
Check hotels around Al Barsha if you are happy to stay inland. Mall of the Emirates and Metro connections can make the area useful for getting out and about. The neighbourhood is large, so check the distance to a station rather than relying on the area name. Add beach transport to your budget.
Deira and Bur Dubai: for the Creek and older neighbourhoods
These areas sit on opposite sides of Dubai Creek, with souks, local places to eat and traditional abra crossings. Include them in your price comparison if exploring the city matters more than a resort beach. Allow for longer trips when visiting the Marina and Palm end of Dubai.
Jebel Ali and Dubai Islands: compare the resort and the location
These are separate areas, not neighbouring resorts. Jebel Ali is towards the south-west of Dubai; Dubai Islands is on the Deira side. Both are worth checking for a beach-focused stay, but compare the exact hotel location with the airport and attractions you will use.
What kind of Dubai holiday are you planning?
A beach holiday with meals included
All-inclusive can make spending easier to plan when you expect to eat most meals at your hotel. Half board may suit you better if you will be out at lunchtime. Check the actual dining terms, including drinks and participating restaurants. Our all-inclusive Dubai guide helps you compare the options without paying for meals you will miss.
A family holiday
Compare the price for your whole family, using the children's ages on the travel dates. A standard room, family room and two connecting rooms can give very different totals. Confirm the sleeping arrangements and whether connecting rooms are guaranteed or only requested.
If a waterpark or kids' club is a deciding factor, check age and height restrictions, opening schedules and any charges. A hotel advertising attraction access may offer it only on particular rates or packages.
A short city break
For a few days of sightseeing, location and flight times can matter more than an extensive resort. Check how much usable time you have after arrival and before departure. Our Dubai city breaks guide focuses on shorter stays.
A Dubai stopover or twin-centre holiday
A few nights in Dubai can be combined with another destination, such as the Maldives. Compare a complete multi-centre quote with your original holiday, including the extra hotel nights, transfers and spending money. A longer stopover is not automatically cheaper than a straightforward connection.
How to find better-value Dubai holidays
The cheapest headline price is only a starting point. Use the same shortlist of hotels and dates, then compare the following before booking.
- Flights: arrival times, connections, checked baggage and any seat costs that matter to your party.
- Room: occupancy, beds, view and any upgrade you actually need.
- Meals: breakfast, half board or all-inclusive, plus the food and drink you will still buy.
- Transfers: the arrival airport, private or shared transport, and the return journey.
- Days out: attraction tickets and transport, allowing for any confirmed hotel inclusions.
- Other costs: local charges payable at the hotel, cancellation terms and the final balance date.
Put a price on the location
Imagine a hotel saves your party £200 over the week, but you expect to spend £30 more each day getting around. Over seven days that is £210, so the cheaper room would not save money overall. Those figures are an example, not a taxi quote, but the calculation is useful when comparing areas.
If you can be flexible, compare nearby departure dates and airports, and price five nights as well as seven. Try direct and connecting flights, but weigh any saving against the extra travel time. Neither is always cheaper.
Prefer to book your hotel separately?
The hotel links below are for comparing accommodation, not complete flight-and-hotel packages. Check each property's location, facilities and current price; they are not ranked by price. Add flights, baggage and transfers before comparing the total with a package above.
Hotel-only options to compare
When to go to Dubai
For a trip built around beach days and outdoor sightseeing, start by comparing the cooler months, roughly November to March. If you are looking for winter sun, this is a sensible period to consider, though school holidays and popular dates can affect the price.
Summer is much hotter, with daytime temperatures sometimes reaching the mid-40s. A lower-priced summer stay needs to suit how you will spend the day: think indoor activities, shaded facilities and shorter periods outdoors, especially with children. Compare live prices rather than assuming every summer departure will be a bargain.
October and April are also worth checking if your dates are flexible. Look at typical conditions for your travel month and the forecast nearer departure, rather than relying on the promise of year-round sunshine.
Things to do between beach and pool days
Burj Khalifa
Compare observation-deck tickets by time slot and what is included. Book the experience you want, then group nearby sightseeing into the same day to reduce journeys across the city.
A desert trip
Compare the itinerary, pickup arrangements and activities rather than price alone. Ask whether a gentler option is available if dune driving is not what your group wants.
A waterpark day
Check whether your chosen hotel rate includes admission before buying separate tickets. Look at height restrictions, opening dates and extras such as lockers when budgeting.
Dubai Creek and the souks
Explore the Creek, browse the souks and look into a traditional abra crossing between Deira and Bur Dubai. It makes a different sort of day from the beach resorts and modern malls.
Getting to Dubai and getting around
Check the airport on the actual booking
Look at the airport code on your flight details: DXB is Dubai International, DWC is Al Maktoum International and AUH is Abu Dhabi's Zayed International. The arrival airport affects the transfer, so compare the whole journey to your hotel. For regional departures, see our Dubai holidays from Glasgow guide.
Metro, taxis and walking
Dubai Metro has Red and Green lines. Use the RTA journey information to check routes and current ticket options. The Metro does not serve every hotel or beach directly; allow for the last part of the journey too.
Check a walking route rather than the straight-line distance on a map. Large roads, long entrances and the heat can make a seemingly nearby destination less convenient. Taxis can fill the gaps, but repeated journeys should be part of your holiday budget.
Dubai holiday questions
Yes, if you choose a hotel, area and itinerary that work together. Compare inland and city hotels alongside beach resorts, use public transport where practical and budget for the attractions you actually want. A low room price alone does not tell you the total cost.
For a first holiday combining sightseeing and time by the pool, five to seven nights gives you room to spread things out. Three or four nights can work for a focused city break. These are planning suggestions: check the flight times before deciding how much you can fit in.
Sometimes, but compare both using the same flights, room and meals. Include baggage, transfers and booking conditions. A package with useful extras may cost less overall even when the initial price is higher.
All-inclusive is worth comparing if you plan to eat most meals at the resort. Half board can suit a mix of sightseeing and hotel time. Check the meals and drinks included, then use our Dubai all-inclusive guide to assess the difference.
You may arrive in the morning, but your room might not be ready until normal check-in. Ask about confirmed early check-in and when any meals or facilities become available. Do not assume an early arrival includes an extra hotel night.
Use the FCDO entry requirements for the UAE and check the rules for your own nationality and passport. Confirm requirements before booking and again before departure.
Before you book
Read the latest FCDO travel advice for the UAE, including local laws and entry information. Check your provider's cancellation terms and save the details of any inclusions that helped you choose the holiday.
Still weighing up destinations? Compare Abu Dhabi holidays or explore our wider UAE holiday guide.