There are plenty of free activities in Dubai that you can go for! It is often thought that Dubai is a city for the very richest of the earth. Of course, you can make it as crazy as you want, but there are plenty of ways to arrange a cheap vacation to Dubai. Thus, you have plenty of activities you can do in Dubai that cost virtually nothing. We list nine free activities in Dubai in this blog.
Free activities in Dubai
#1 The beaches of Dubai
First on our list of free activities in Dubai is a visit to Dubai’s beaches. Dubai has some beautiful beaches and admission is completely free. For example, you have the famous beaches of Kite Beach and Jumeirah Beach, where you can spend a wonderful day with your family without spending a lot of money.
Buy lunch for the family in one of the large Carrefour supermarkets and eat it cozily on the beach. This way, you will totally have an affordable day in the sun. We went to these beaches several times in Dubai with our daughter and it was a very nice family activity in Dubai.
#2 Dubai Marine and the Walk
The second activity you can do for free in Dubai is to visit the Dubai Marine and Walk. This activity can again be combined well with a day at Jumeirah beach. On this 1.7-kilometer-long boulevard, it is fun to look at the huge boats moored in the harbor. This is really a section where you can see that Dubai is also a place where the jet set goes on vacation.
In addition, there are several activities here that are also very suitable for families with kids such as a splash pad and an inflatable water park, but of course there are costs involved. So if you don’t want to spend too much money go to the beach, eat a lunch you brought yourself on the beach and then walk around the harbor afterwards.
#3 Dubai’s many souks
The third activity in our list of free activities in Dubai is visiting one of the city’s many souks. The city’s many traditional markets are fun to walk around. At the famous Gold and Spice souks, you also have many stalls with lots and lots of cheap stuff, including toys.
Of course, most of the stuff is fake. We really enjoyed ourselves for a couple of hours at these markets and our daughter was looking her eyes out. In addition, you can use wooden boats for 1 Dirham (20 cents) to sail around on the water. In this way you can have a great time here for little money for half a day and in the meantime soak up some culture.
#4 The malls of Dubai
As long as you don’t go shopping in Dubai’s malls, you can have quite a few hours here with the family. For example, the Dubai Mall, the largest aquarium in the world with lots and lots of different big fish. You can see this spectacular aquarium for free in this mall. You will also find a large waterfall, a store with Ferraris and a large original dino skeleton.
You also have plenty of free things to do in other malls. For example, in Mall of the Emirates the ski run with penguins. There is also a food court here, where you can eat relatively cheaply. This is also where we had some food with our family for very little money. This way you can easily combine, for example, a day at the beach with the malls of Dubai.
#5 Souk Madinat
Near Jumeirah beach is the Venice of Dubai, Souk Madinat. It’s fun to walk around here from 11 a.m. along the water, the little bridges and the many stores with all kinds of Arabic goods. From here you also have one of the best views of the Burj al Arab, the luxury seven-star hotel. Of course, you don’t have to pay an entrance fee to walk around this area.
#6 Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa is perhaps Dubai’s most famous building and the city’s main landmark. If you do go to the Dubai Mall, you can take a closer look at this building outside the mall.
If you do want to buy a ticket to see the city from these platforms after seeing the tallest building in the world, it is best to do so online rather than at the ticket office on site. That saves standing in line again for a while.
#7 Fountain show Dubai
If you are at the Dubai Mall anyway for the free sights you can see in the mall itself and have already been outside to admire the Burj Khalifa on the waterfront, you can admire a free fountain show every half hour starting at 6 p.m. The fountain is 275 meters long and the water reaches a length of as much as 150 meters.
#8 The playgrounds in the public parks
If you are in Dubai with the kids, you can also do great free activities with the kids in the city. In Dubai, you have several large public parks (with playgrounds), where your kids can enjoy themselves for a few hours. We went to a park with playground almost every day with our daughter to let her play.
From the Mall of the Emirates, it is only a short cab ride (you could possibly walk if it is not too hot from the shopping mall) to the All Barsha Pond Parc, where they have a fun playground. For a small fee, you can also ride a solar boat in the lake with your kids.
Buy lunch for your family at the Mall of the Emirates’ large supermarket and eat it in the park on the large sunbathing lawn. There are also barbecues on which you can prepare your food, if necessary.
In addition, as far as we are concerned, the Zabeel park is highly recommended, where for a small amount of money (5 dirhams, 1.25 euros) you have a huge number of playgrounds, where the kids can really enjoy themselves for many hours. You can also easily picnic with the family here on the many grassy areas.
#9 Sunset viewing in the desert
A 20-minute drive from Dubai is Al Qudra, which is something of an oasis in the desert. Here, if you have a car at your disposal, you can easily grab a bite to eat. For example, buy a disposable BBQ at the supermarket and enjoy the sunset with the whole family by evening.
If you don’t feel like arranging this yourself, there are of course plenty of Desert Tours In Dubai for a fee. Of course, these tours are often pricey.
Budget hotel in Dubai
We slept at the Rose Garden Hotel Dubai which we were very satisfied with. The apartment had a room for us and our daughter, a kitchen and living room and it was close to the metro and shopping mall.
This shopping mall had a large supermarket and a food court, so we could always get something to eat quickly. It is also centrally located. We had an excellent week here and always started the day in the pool. Breakfast was included in the price. Take a look online for more information about the Rose Garden Hotel Dubai.
Of course, you have quite a variety of budget accommodations in Dubai. You can even sleep in the city here for as little as a few euros a night. However, you will often sleep in a dormitory. Still, there really are some better budget accommodations. We list below some of the budget accommodations in Dubai that you can book.
Also check out the entire list of budget accommodations in Dubai.
Want more budget tips about Dubai? Then read another family’s blog Dubai on a small budget as well.
