5 free best beaches in Dubai, UAE (suggested by Dubai expat)
While many countries have entered the freezing cold winter, in Dubai, UAE you will still get the temperature of 26 to 35 celsius in autumn and winter, which makes Dubai/UAE one of the best winter vacation destinations for so many tourists in the world. Plus, it is a diverse city where you can enjoy the beach life, have a swim in the clear ocean while going to desert trips or checking some of the world’s best buildings. In this article you will be guided to 5 free and the best beaches in Dubai, based on Dubai expat’s opinion. So you can start to plan your winter vacation in Dubai, UAE!
- Click below for other information about Dubai and UAE (written by Dubai Expat)
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- Don't do in Dubai: 10 things to avoid to steer clear of legal trouble when traveling to UAE
- Dubai Winter Itinerary: 9+ unique things to do in Dubai discover winter-exclusive gems
List of Contents
Free & Best Dubai Beach 1: La Mer Beach
Located in Dubai’s coastal district – Jumeirah 1, the artistic La Mer Beach offers various activities that are perfect for families, couples, or solo travellers. Access to the beach at La Mer is free, and visitors can immerse themselves in stunning murals, art, sunset views, as well as a view of the Burj Khalifa, one of the most iconic landmarks in Dubai. If you enjoy waterparks, you can also find one at La Mer Beach.
There are lots of great options for cafes and international restaurants at La Mer Beach, offering Argentine steak, Japanese sushi, Turkish and Lebanese cuisines, American burgers, and more. This makes it easy to spend a day enjoying the coastal side of Dubai.
If you’re looking for restaurants with alcohol at the La Mer Beach area, you’ll need to walk all the way down to the end of the right side. There, you’ll find Argentina Grill, OSH, and Stars N Bars, all of which have a great atmosphere, drinks, and food!
Personally, La Mer Beach is my second favourite beach in Dubai, and a great place to find inspiration.
Btw, do you see that fisherman with a fish? Because of this piece I learned that Dubai was once a fishing village where pearl diving and fishing were their usual activities. Surprising to know, right?!
Entrance fee for Dubai La Mer Beach: Free
Exact location of Dubai La Mer Beach: click here
Hotels near Dubai La Mer Beach: check availability here
Free & Best Dubai Beach 2: Palm West Beach
My favorite beach area in Dubai is definitely the Palm West Beach in Palm Jumeirah, where you can enjoy amazing sunset views and views of the Dubai Marina skyline.
Compared to other beaches in Dubai, Palm West Beach is very relaxing, relatively quieter, and has better quality due to the fact that the beaches here are mainly private beaches and only accessible by consuming at either one of the beach bars and restaurants in Palm West Beach.
As for the choice of beach bars and restaurants, there are more than eight aesthetic and beautifully designed options for you to choose from. Each of them provides different themes, vibes, and slightly different cuisines and music.
For me, I think Koko Bay (with Balinese-inspired design) has the best chill vibe, music, and Asian food options. So, I always visit this one when I need somewhere to relax and recharge.
February 30 has the most comfortable sunbeds, Surf Club has the best seafood, and Senor Pico has the best alcohol and Mexican food.
And yes, all of the beach bars and restaurants provide alcohol at Palm West Beach! Probably because they are all hotel-owned places. You can check here for more recommendation of aesthetic beach bars and restaurants in Dubai, UAE.
Entrance fee for Dubai Palm West Beach area: Free (but there is minimum spend at each beach bar if you want to go to these beach bars and swim at their private beach)
Easiest enter point for Dubai Palm West Beach: click here
Hotels near Dubai Palm West Beach: check availability here
Free & Best Dubai Beach 3: JBR Beach
JBR refers to Jumeirah Beach Residences, which is actually a beachfront residential area.
However, for tourists, JBR Beach is a popular white sand public beach where people love to go for dining, entertainment, and shopping. Here, you can find many fine hotels with ocean views, international restaurants, cafes, beach clubs, stores, water activities, and a cinema.
What’s more? You can see beautiful Bluewaters Island and the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, Ain Dubai (Dubai Eye), right in front of you. You might also have the chance to see drone shows and fireworks during the Dubai Shopping Festival (from December to January).
Entrance fee for Dubai JBR Beach: Free
Enter points for Dubai JBR Beach: you can go from here(right side) or here(left side)
Hotels near Dubai JBR Beach: check availability here
Free & Best Dubai Beach 4: Kite Beach
This is another famous beach located in the Jumeirah area of Dubai where people enjoy kitesurfing, stand-up paddleboarding, playing beach volleyball, running, and relaxing on the beach.
One of the best things about Kite Beach Dubai is that the famous Dubai iconic landmark, Burj Al Arab, is right next to it, making it one of the best places to enjoy the view and take photos of this building.
While there are also some food trucks here, there aren’t many choices compared to La Mer and JBR beaches. Therefore, I would suggest bringing some snacks when visiting Kite Beach.
Entrance fee for Dubai UAE Kite Beach: Free
Exact location of Dubai UAE Kite Beach: click here
Hotels near Dubai Kite Beach: check availability here
Free & Best Dubai Beach 5: Secret Beach Al Sufouh Beach
Locals in Dubai call Al Sufouh Beach the Secret Beach because it is less crowded than other main beaches in Dubai, mostly known by locals only, makes it a less touristy spot.
What made this beach special in Dubai is that it is a wide hidden beach located between The Palace Of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and it is a perfect spot to take photos of Burj Al Arab with beach view.
Additionally, due to the fact that Al Sufouh Beach is not well developed (yet), there are not much lights at night, allowing for clearer stargazing opportunities. I have even seen blue plankton (bioluminescence) in the water here.
If you are looking for a quieter and less light-polluted beach to visit at night, this could be a good option.
Please note that the road can be quite bumpy when driving towards it, and there are no retail stores or toilets here. You can bring your own snacks when visiting this Dubai beach.
Entrance fee for Dubai Al Sufouh Beach: Free
Exact location of Dubai Secret beach Al Sufouh Beach: click here
Hotels near Dubai Al Sufouh Beach: check availability here
In my opinion, these are the best beaches in Dubai, UAE based on my personal experience exploring the city when I worked there. I hope this helps you plan your trip to Dubai and you will enjoy your vacation! Let me know which ones you like the most when you visit 🙂
Have a great winter vacation!
Samantha xx
Frequently asked questions about Dubai UAE
When is the best time to travel to Dubai UAE?
Due to the weather conditions, the best time to travel to Dubai is definitely from October to the end of March, with temperatures ranging from 26-35 degrees Celsius most of the time. This is when outdoor activity-related businesses start operating again and you can truly enjoy outdoor activities such as desert safari trips, visiting the best beach bars in Dubai, kite surfing, exploring themed parks, and more. It is also the time when locals and expats finally feel willing to step out of their air-conditioned rooms for a while.
Why don’t people go out much during the summer in Dubai and the UAE? Because temperatures can rise up to 50 degrees Celsius. It is way too hot and uncomfortable to be outdoors without AC for more than 10 minutes, the air is so thick that sometimes I couldn’t even breathe outside while walking.
When is the best time to go to beaches in Dubai UAE?
As summer in Dubai UAE is extremely hot, with temperatures sometimes reaching 50 degrees Celsius, it is recommended to visit the beaches during mid-autumn until early spring (October to March) for the best experience.
I have personally tried visiting Dubai’s beaches during the summer, but the water was so hot that it felt like I was taking a hot bath. Even after 9 pm, the sea remained very warm. Therefore, I highly recommend visiting between October and March.
Beach rules in Dubai (if bikini and alcohol are allowed?)
Wondering if it is illegal to wear a bikini or shorts at the beaches in Dubai?
Don’t worry, you can wear a bikini, swimwear, or shorts at the beaches in Dubai, but only in the designated beach areas. You cannot wear them on the way to the beach, which means you still need to cover yourselves properly before entering the beach area.
As for alcohol, you are not allowed to bring your own alcohol to the beaches.
However, you can consume alcohol at licensed bars, hotels, and restaurants like these aesthetic ones.
The best area to stay and find hotels in Dubai
In Dubai, there are plenty of options for hotels throughout the city. However, if you’re only planning to travel to Dubai for a few days, it’s important to find areas that are most convenient for getting around and close to the main attractions and must-see destinations in the city.
For hotels with good views and convenient locations, I would recommend staying in places around La Mer Beach (Dubai Jumeirah 1), Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Palm West Beach, Dubai Marina, and JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence) Beach. See below links to find available hotels at your prefer area:
- Palm Jumeirah: a palm shaped artificial islands on the Persian Gulf with many luxury, international 5-starts hotels, aesthetic beach bars, restaurants and is an awesome and high end place for the beach holiday.
- Jumeirah Beach Residence: right at the beach area where you can see Ain Dubai (biggest ferris wheel in the world) and magical Bluewaters Island right in front of you. There are a great amount of restaurants, cafes, shops and some bars for you to enjoy!
- Dubai Marina: is a nice canal city where you can find many restaurants along the canal and with stunning skyline view. It is close to the popular JBR beach, Bluewaters Island, Ain Dubai (biggest ferris wheel in the world), as well as Dubai Mall, Pier 7 (where you get to find 7 decent restaurants that provide alcohol). So yes, it is certainly an energetic, convenient place to live or stay when you travel to Dubai.
- Downtown Dubai: a vivid trendy area where Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) and the Dubai Mall located. If you love the vivid city life and seeing amazing skyscrapers from your hotels, you will love this area.
But if you’re planning on staying longer and would like to control your budget while still finding places that are near the Dubai Metro, there are hotels or Airbnbs available in the Al Barsha, JLT (Jumeirah Lake Towers) cluster C, Barsha Heights, and Bur Dubai areas as well.
How to get around in Dubai?
Dubai has a good public transport network within the city, which means you can easily get around in Dubai by Dubai Metro, buses, trams (sometimes still requires a taxi to reach to the destinations).
However if you want to save time, explore Dubai deeper, experience desert activities, and see other beautiful UAE cities near Dubai, then by car is the best way to travel in Dubai.
You can rent a car, book a driver, take a taxi, or join guided tours for amazing desert safari trip, see my review and detailed guide here.
Is taxi expensive in Dubai UAE?
The taxi fare in Dubai is about AED 1.82 (= $0.5 = £ 0.42)/Kilometer, and it starts from AED 7, with the minimum fare for each ride at AED 12.
Compare to London (£ 1.71 – 2.30/Kilometer), New York City ($1.56/Kilometer), the taxi fare in Dubai is actually way cheaper (1 AED = $0.27= £0.23 approximately).
If you do not plan to drive by yourselves or get a driver in Dubai, then taking taxi is one of the easiest way to explore Dubai and it can save you a lot of time.
You can download Careem App to book the taxi, it is similar to Uber but Careem is more widely used and cheaper in Dubai UAE compares to Uber.
One thing to know is that, you have high possibility to get in traffic on the main roads from 3pm to 6pm on the weekdays, since it is the time residents getting off work, which means sometimes it is faster to reach the destination by metro.
When is the cheapest way to get around in Dubai UAE?
Taking the Dubai metro, buses, and trams is the cheapest way to travel in Dubai. Compared to taxis, public transportation only costs approximately 1/10 of the price you pay for a taxi in Dubai. You can purchase a one-way, round-trip, day-pass ticket or get a rechargeable top-up card called Nol card at Dubai Metro stations or bus stations and use it for metro, trams, and buses in Dubai.
With a Silver Nol card, which only costs AED 25 (AED 19 can be used on metro rides), you can get around Dubai city with AED 3 to AED 7.5 for one ride, which is an even cheaper price than a one-way ticket that usually costs AED 10 per ride. I personally have one. (1 AED = 0.27 USD approximately)
However, public transportation doesn’t always directly reach the exact destinations you are going to; sometimes, you might still need to take a long walk or transfer to other public transportation.
A good trick is to take the metro to the nearest metro station to your destination and then take a taxi from there to reach the places you are going.
I like to take the metro sometimes because it allows me to see the majority of the residents’ lives and discover unpopular perspectives and stories that I don’t normally see or hear from the mass media. It’s interesting to explore the different sides, and I hope you will like it too.
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