Dubai
Flights to Dubai take you to a glitzy shopping-mad city with spot-lit mosques and aromatic souks, proud of its Arabic culture.
Things to do
An evening stroll at the busy Dhow Wharfrage shows off Dubai’s diverse charm. Feel the breeze in your hair while watching boatmen loading cargo into traditional wooden sailing boats, with the curvaceous National Bank gleaming in the night sky.
Shopping
Late afternoons at the traditional Gold Souk see everyone flock for exotic bargains. It’s an essential Dubai city break experience, with narrow covered walkways and windows piled high with jewel-studded tiaras and slender gold pendants, and smooth-talking salesmen.
Restaurants
On a Dubai holiday, dip into mezze like wara enab (stuffed vine leaves) and garlicky hummus before your machbous (spicy lamb). From top-floor restaurants in glamorous hotels, feast your eyes on the warm Arabian Sea lapping onto Jumeirah Beach.
Nightlife
Take flights to Dubai for a taste of desert life. After driving around ochre rolling dunes, dine on barbecued meat on the open fire, spotting stars in the inky-black sky. Indulge in an evening of silence, sand and sheesha pipes.
When to go
KLM has frequent flights to Dubai. Buy airlines tickets to the Dubai Shopping Festival in January for bargains galore, or the multi-million dollar Dubai World Cup horse racing in March.
