Seven small emirates at the entrance of the Persian Gulf have, since 1971, been united in the common state of the United Arab Emirates. That the emirates are relatively independent becomes clear when travelling from one emirate to another, as you may have to do in a rental Find your travel arrangement to United Arab Emirates here
Region and City Guides
Region:
City:
Facts
Local name
Ittihad al-Imirat al-Arabiyah
Capital
Abu Dhabi
Size
83,600 sq km
Principal Languages
Arabic
Principal Religion
Islam
Inhabitants
2,400,000
Government
Republic
Geography
In general, the United Arab Emirates is flat and yellow as a pancake. When going into detail, we see that the Emirates also includes a small part of the mountain range of Hajar, which is otherwise mainly situated in Oman. The country has a number of fertile areas, but is in fact very flat and filled with desert.
Travel preparation
Best time to visit
From the end of spring until the beginning of autumn the average temperature in the United Arab Emirates is just above 40°C. Some places along the coast are a bit cooler, but inland and particularly in the desert it is often even warmer. If you like such temperatures the summer is an excellent time to go there, but if you prefer temperatures around 25°C, winter will be better for you.
Literature
Lonely Planet Oman & the United Arab Emirates
Local conditions
Weight and Measures
The following units of measurement are used in the United Arab Emirates:
Length: metre.
Weight: kilogram
Length: metre.
Weight: kilogram
Photography
As in everywhere else, when religion is important to the inhabitants, photographing people practising their religion is a tender subject, so be discrete. Photographing military installations is of course prohibited, and you also should not take photos of women you do not know.
Drinking water
The tapwater in the United Arab Emirates is not good for drinking for the sole reason that it tastes foul. You will not put your intestines in any danger by drinking the water, but you certainly will your tastebuds.
Electricity
The following current is used in the United Arab Emirates:
220/240V AC, 50Hz. The points are three-legged.
220/240V AC, 50Hz. The points are three-legged.
Behaviour
As with everywhere else - good manners are appreciated - and that is that. Common respect and consideration regarding the Emirate's religion is quite sufficient.
Business Hours
Shops are open 8.00-13.00 and 16.00-20.00 (Saturday to Thursday). Some shops, however, close at midday on Thursday.
Offices are open 8.00-13.00 and 16.00-19.30 (Saturday to Wednesday), and 8.00-12.00 on Thursdays.
Offices are open 8.00-13.00 and 16.00-19.30 (Saturday to Wednesday), and 8.00-12.00 on Thursdays.
Food and drink
Except alcohol, food and drink in the United Arab Emirates are quite inexpensive. Immigrants from China, Lebanon, Pakistan and India still make a number of sublime dishes from their home countries, and these are naturally supplemented by traditional Arabic restaurants and eating places which serve falafels and shawarmas.
Disabled travellers
Generally speaking, the United Arab Emirates is well equipped to receive disabled tourists. You can reserve special arrangements for disabled people at several of the major travel agencies.
Holidays
The United Arab Emirates celebrate the usual Arabic holidays. In addition to this, the Emirates have the common holidays:
New Year's Day, 1 January.
National Day, 2 December.
Additionally, each emirate has a few of it's own holidays.
New Year's Day, 1 January.
National Day, 2 December.
Additionally, each emirate has a few of it's own holidays.
Accommodation / Hotel
The United Arab Emirates has several different kinds of accommodation, such as hotels, which you'll find in all price ranges, from the very expensive luxury hotels, the smaller hotels in the middle of the price range, to the cheap ones. You'll also find hostels in the larger cities, but unfortunately, many of them only allow men.
Book your Hotel in United Arab Emirates here
Book your Hotel in United Arab Emirates here
Camping
There are no organised and official camping sites in the United Arab Emirates, but if you're up to it, the desert represents one big and legal camping site.
There are many hotels in the country, most of which are quite expensive. It is possible, however, to find both middle class and cheap hotels.
Hostels
In the major cities you'll find acceptable and relatively cheap hostels, but unfortunately several of them only allow men. Some do allow women, but only if the number of other guests permits the separation of the sexes. If not, the women get the worst of it.
Local transport
The transport situation in the United Arab Emirates makes it preferable for tourists to rent their own car. It's cheap, you rent it for a couple of days, and then go where and when you want. The same cannot be said of any other transport in the country - as there are no domestic Flights, mostly no buses between the Emirates, and the shared taxis are not very reliable outside their regular routes.
Planes
Domestic Flights within the United Arab Emirates are not an option at the moment.
Bus
There are buses between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but bus transport between the other Emirates is very irregular. The bus networks within the individual Emirates are quite good in several cases .
Taxi
Shared taxis are the most common taxi in the United Arab Emirates, and on the route between Abu Dhabi and Dubai they fill up pretty fast. On other routes, waiting for the taxi to fill can be very testing, and in case of an emergency you can pay for all the seats yourself.
car rental
For once, car rental is not only a flexible alternative, but also an inexpensive alternative to other means of transport. Naturally, it is more expensive than a shared taxi, but if you want to see the Emirates outside of the major cities, it is a timesaver and also cheaper than organised trips.
