Best Time to Visit United Arab Emirates

December to March: the sweet spot

If you want to be outside, this is when to come. All three cities, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, are at their best from December to March. Days are warm and dry, and evenings are pleasant enough for dinner on a terrace.

This is also high season, and you'll feel it. Hotels fill up, and rooms around Dubai Marina and Downtown cost the most. Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks, with crowds along the Corniche in Abu Dhabi and fireworks near the Burj Khalifa. Dubai Shopping Festival usually runs from late December into January. The Dubai Marathon is also in January, which can close roads.

January is the wettest month in all three cities, but it's still light. Sharjah gets the most at 27 mm, Dubai 21 mm and Abu Dhabi 14 mm. Expect the odd grey day, not a ruined trip.

April to October: hot and quiet

Summer is long and hard. August is the hottest month in Dubai (40°C) and Abu Dhabi (39°C). In Sharjah, July is the hottest at 41°C. Humidity near the coast makes it feel heavier than the numbers suggest.

Life moves indoors. You'll spend your days in the Dubai Mall, the Louvre Abu Dhabi or Sharjah's museums, then step out after sunset. Hotel prices drop a lot, so this is the budget season. Beaches are fine early in the morning or at night, but midday sand can be too hot to walk on.

April, May and October are in-between months. They're hot but manageable, and you'll find fewer people.

Holidays that change your plans

Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month, moves about ten days earlier each year. Daytime eating and drinking in public is discouraged, and some cafés close until sunset. Evenings are lively, though, with iftar (the sunset meal) and late-night gatherings. Eid al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha bring a few days of closures and busy hotels. National Day on 2 December is celebrated with parades and fireworks, and it falls right as high season starts.

Check the Islamic calendar before you book, because Ramadan can land in any season.