With easy flight accessibility, ample local travel options, a wide variety of food availability and a never-ending list of things to do, Dubai effortlessly tops the list of the best international holiday destinations for families from India. This emirate boasts gigantic theme parks, intriguing aquariums, well-manicured gardens and unmatched cinematic experiences that will make your child (and even you, maybe!) feel that they have entered an enchanted land where every corner is exciting. Planning a trip to Dubai with your family? Here are the top things to do.
Dubai theme parks
Over the last few years, Dubai has become synonymous with theme and water parks. Let us start with the most famous one, The Aquaventure Waterpark, located at the renowned Atlantis the Palm. This waterpark not only comes with 30 slides and attractions, but also a sparkling slice of white-sand beach to relax on after the adrenaline rush. Children will love interacting with dolphins, stingrays and seals. The park is open from 10am-6pm and entry will cost you around INR6,500.
The other place to head straight to if you are seeking adventure is Dubai Parks and Resorts. This massive complex houses Legoland Dubai and Legoland Waterpark (LEGO themed rides and attractions perfect for younger children), Motiongate Dubai (experiences based on famous Hollywood motion picture studios) and Bollywood Parks Dubai (attractions inspired by Bollywood blockbusters). Motiongate is open from 11am-8pm everyday with an hour’s extension on Thursdays and Fridays. Bollywood Parks opens at 1pm and closes at 10pm with an hour extra on Fridays. Legoland is open from 10am-6pm and works two hours extra on Thursdays and Fridays and Legoland Waterpark is open from 10am-6pm with two hours extra on Thursdays and Fridays. Park tickets vary; they start from around INR3,500.
Other parks worth exploring when in Dubai are Wild Wadi Waterpark, Laguna Waterpark, IMG Worlds of Adventure, Aquafun and Children’s City. Go ahead, bring out the child within you at these!
Dubai wildlife
There is something special about a child’s excitement when they see animals, and vacations are the best time to max it up. Dubai might look all glitzy and modern on its surface, but it has a special place for nature and animals. Located around 30 minutes away from central Dubai, The Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is every bird-lover’s paradise. This wetland serves as a staging ground for a variety of wintering birds, mainly flamingos. The sanctuary is open from 9am-4pm (Saturday-Thursday) and entrance is free.
A tour of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve will also satiate the nature and wildlife lover in you. Drive down in a 4×4 with a guide through golden sand dunes and spot desert animals, such as the Arabian Oryx, sand fox and gazelles. Sounds worth trying out, right?
Other places where your kids can have close encounters withwildlife include Green Planet (anindoor tropical forest), Dubai Aquariumand Ski Dubai.
Dubai gardens
If you want your child to explore the outdoors, roll around in sand and mud, run barefoot on grass and chase butterflies, Dubai is the perfect place to do so. It is home to some specialty parks and many clean, public parks that will give your kid plentiful chances to interact with nature. How about visiting a garden that has over 150 million flowers arranged in various shapes and forms? The Dubai Miracle Garden, with its colourful landscapes and numerous scents, is a complete treat for the senses. The main attractions in this flower garden include a 15-metre floral clock, an underground floral cascade called the Lost Paradise, an 18-metre-high Mickey Mouse structure and a life-size version of an Emirates A380. The park is open from 9am-9pm on weekdays, 9am-11pm on Fridays and 9am-10pm on Saturdays. The ticket cost for adults is around INR1,000 and for children (3 years-12 years) is around INR800; kids under 3 enter free.
When you visit the Dubai Miracle Garden, you can also choose to visit the Dubai Butterfly Garden. This exciting place is home to over 15,000 butterflies of over 25 kinds. This indoor garden is not only a great place for you and your children to view these beauties really closely, but also learn in detail about their lifecycle. It is time to bring your child’s favourite book The Very Hungry Caterpillar alive! The park is open from 9am-6pm and costs around INR1,000 (children under 3 years enter free).
Another place to head to for a fun day out with kids is the Dubai Garden Glow. Consisting of a glow park, dinosaur park, ice park and magic park, this 4-in-1 destination is a complete family-fun package. The park timings are Saturday to Thursday 4:00pm-11:00pm with an extra hour on Friday before closing. Tickets for Dinosaur Park + Glow Park are priced at around INR1,250.
Other gardens that can give you a break from Dubai’s unendingexpanses of skyscrapers include SafaPark, Creekside Park and Zabeel Park.
Dubai cinemas
Just like everything else, Dubai takes its cinema viewing experience seriously too. From watching movies under the stars to enjoying them in VIP settings, you can do it all in Dubai. If you are planning to treat you child (and yourself!) with an ultra-luxurious movie watching experience, head to Vox Gold (five outlets across Dubai) or Reel Cinemas (Dubai Marina Mall) to watch your movie relaxing on plush recliners and relishing gourmet delights. Of course, Dubai also offers 4DX movie experiences (at Deira City Centre and Midriff City Centre) for those craving to really ‘live’ a movie. During winter months, you can enjoy open-air movie watching experiences at Jumeirah Lakes Towers Park.
Gourmet delights in Dubai
Most toddlers look forward to having a scoop (or two!) of their favourite ice-cream every day on a vacation more than most times. It’s fair too, right? Delicious treats form an important part of a kid’s vacation and Dubai is a candy land! For delicious ice creams, head to one of the multiple outlets of Dri Dri, Grom, Ice Cream Lab, Amorino and Booza. Those looking to indulge kids in heavenly chocolate dessert experiences, dive nose-first into the tempting offerings of Molten Me, Godiva, Sugaholic and Spoon & Glaze. Looking to buy candies to take back home? Candylicious and Papabubble will spoil you for choice.
Other things to do with kids in Dubai
- KidZania
- Oli Oli
- Bounce
- Magic Planet
- iFly Dubai
Withso many activities and more, a Dubai vacation with kids sounds like so muchfun! Don’t wait too long to plan that trip. Book your flights, hotel or rent acar with Skyscanner today. You can do all of these on our award-winning mobileapp too.
