Dubai is recognized as one of the most comfortable places on Earth to relax by the sea: the sun is gentle all year round, the sand is fluffy and soft, the water is very clean, and the entrance to the sea is shallow and gentle.
Dubai’s beaches – and there are a lot of them – are divided into free city and private hotels.
General characteristics of Dubai’s beaches
Many public beaches have special “women’s days” when men are not allowed to rest there – in most cases, such days are Wednesday or Saturday. When vacationing on public beaches in Dubai, you must follow certain rules adopted by the local municipality – otherwise you can not avoid a fine. So, it is forbidden to drink alcohol (including beer), smoke hookah, litter and sunbathe topless. And if there is also an announcement on the beach that it is forbidden to take photos – do not ignore it!
If you really want to have a photo in a bathing suit against the background of the sea in Dubai, go to the free beaches – you can take photos there. And you don’t have to pay for admission to the free beaches, there are no “women’s days”, and there are no buoys for which you can not swim.
Private beaches are available at any hotel standing on the first line. Vacationers staying in a city hotel can choose between a free beach or a city public beach.
And now – some important information about the most popular paid and free beaches in Dubai. To make it easier for you to navigate and organize your vacation, we have marked these beaches on the map of Dubai and placed it on the same page.
Free beaches
Kite beach
Kite Beach is a free round-the-clock outdoor beach, which is ideal for lovers of active entertainment on the seashore.
The beach is sandy, clean and spacious, with a good smooth entry into the water. In recent years, the beach has been improved: there are several changing booths, toilets (more often people change there), free showers with warm water and separate taps for rinsing their feet on the street. There is a Wi-fi zone where you can also charge your phone. The safety of beachgoers is monitored by lifeguards. By the way, swimming is allowed only until 18: 00.
Sunbed and towel rental – 120 dirhams + 50 dirhams deposit for the towel. There is practically no shade and nowhere to hide from the scorching sun. You can also sit on your towel under your own umbrella. Many eateries and cafes have sprung up along Kite Beach. A wooden boardwalk runs along the waterfront – which is a great place for hiking and recreational jogging.
This beach is famous for the constant and strongest winds in Dubai. Thanks to the winds, kitesurfers often gather here, as well as parents with children to fly kites. Near the beach, there is a surf club and a diving school where you can learn many of the secrets of scuba diving. Kite Beach is the only beach in Dubai where you can rent a kite. Everything you need for kitesurfing can be rented for 150-200 dirhams, and you can rent a surfboard for 100 dirhams.
One of the most important advantages of this beach is a small number of tourists, but only on weekdays, on weekends there are much more people, in high season it becomes crowded.
Location of the free Kite Beach: Jumeirah 3, Dubai. It is most convenient to go to it by bus number 81, departing from the metro stations “Dubai Mall” or “Mall of the Emirates”. The bus stop is easy to determine: you need to get off as soon as the Burj Al Arab Hotel is visible from the bus window – the sea is only 5 minutes away.
Marina (Marina beach)
Marina Beach in Dubai is located in the marina area of Dubai Marina-a prestigious area with many high-rises and skyscrapers. You need to visit Marina beach at least for familiarization, especially since it is one of the free beaches in the city of Dubai.
Marina Beach is open from 8 am to sunset, equipped with free changing booths and toilets, and showers can be taken for 5 dirhams (1.5 minutes). When leaving the beach, special washbasins are installed so that you can wash the sand off your feet. Umbrellas and sun beds are expensive-they will cost 110 dirhams per person or 195 dirhams for two people (with an umbrella).
On the beach there is an outdoor gym, conditions for playing beach soccer (200 dirhams/hour). There are rental points where you can rent them out:
- kayaks (for 30 minutes – single person — 70 dirhams, for two people-100 dirhams),
- bicycles (half an hour – 20 dirhams, then 10 dirhams for every 30 minutes),
- standboards (70 dirhams in 30 minutes).
Marina Beach has a beautiful children’s playground with slides facing directly into the sea. There is also a water park for children, ticket prices:
- 65 dirhams per hour,
- 95 dirhams for the whole day.
Children from the age of 6 can be left alone in this water park, and younger children are only allowed with their parents.
If we talk about the disadvantages of the free Marina Beach, then there is always a very large number of people here, especially on weekends (Thursday and Friday). The sand is warm and clean enough, but sometimes there are still cigarette butts in it. Not far from the beach, construction works are underway and pipes go out into the sea – it is better to stay away from them. As far as possible, it is desirable to be located from the entrance, because there the water is muddy and dirty, with incomprehensible and very unpleasant spots.
Dubai’s public Marina beach is open around the clock, and lanterns are lit on the waterfront after dark. Along the entire beach there are many kiosks with souvenirs, ice cream, food, but the prices are very high. There are cafes and restaurants with different cuisines of the world, some are open around the clock, most close at 23: 00, and on weekends-at midnight.
Jumeirah Public Beach (Jumeirah Open beach)
Jumeirah is the name of an area that stretches for many kilometers along the coast of the Emirate of Dubai. Part of the beach, known as Jumeirah Open beach, is located directly opposite the world-famous Burj Al Arab Hotel (Parus). Open beach Jumeirah beach in Dubai does not occupy too large an area – its length is only 800 m. This place is very popular among Russian tourists, for which it was given another name: “Russian Beach”.
In 2023, the new ultra-modern Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab hotel is being completed here, which somewhat obscures the view of the Sail. Now photos on the beach have a different background.
Jumeirah Open beach is a free beach, but it is always very clean and safe – you can easily leave your belongings unattended and go swimming. The water is very warm, waves are rare, you can swim far.
The infrastructure of the open beach of Jumeirah is limited to one or more toilets, showers and urns. For renting an umbrella and 1 sunbed with a towel, you need to pay a lot-100 dirhams, for a set of 2 sun beds + 2 towels + 1 umbrella-180 dirhams. There is no entertainment here, but a modest park with excellent playgrounds is located opposite.
There are cafes and fast food outlets on site. Vacationers are allowed to take food with them to the beach, but alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
Mondays on Jumeirah Beach are “women’s” days.
You can get to Jumeirah Beach in Dubai by almost any bus, and direct flights are provided from the airport (the road takes 20 minutes). Those who arrived in a rented car can park it for free along the beach line, there are no problems with places.
More information about the Palm Jumeirah can be found in this article.
Umm Suqeim Night Swimming Beach
Umm Suqeim is a free beach in Dubai next to Kite Beach. Its main feature is that you can swim here after sunset and until midnight. Safety is monitored by a large number of rescuers, the water is illuminated.
During the day, the beach offers views of the surrounding area and one of the most unusual architectural structures in Dubai-the Burj Al Arab. There are always enough people on this beach: it is popular with beach lovers, and it is also included in the sightseeing tour of Dubai and tourists are brought here to take photos against the background of the “Sail”.
Umm Suqeim beach can easily be attributed to the best beaches in Dubai: clean white sand, beautiful large shells, clear water, convenient gentle entrance to the buoys.
Among the main amenities available to vacationers are several free showers and changing rooms, one toilet. The only food available is fast food. Opposite the beach there is a children’s park, which is equipped with playgrounds for games and sports activities, there are good cafes.
There are a lot of taxis along the beach area, there are no problems with transport. Those who arrive by car can use paid parking.
Sufouh (Al Sufouh beach)
The free Sufouh Beach (also called Sunset) is located in Al Sufouh Road. Like other beaches in Dubai, you can see its location on the map at the end of the article.
This beach is a real godsend for those who travel around Dubai by car. There is a huge free Parking lot and a very convenient entrance, and it is impossible to confuse it, since only this one exit from the road is not closed by a barrier.
You can also get to Sufukh Beach by public transport, for example, by metro you need to go to the Dubai Internet City Metro Station 2. From the metro station on foot to the beach go 25 -30 minutes, faster you can take the bus number 88.
The beach is clean – this applies to both water and sand. Very good entry into the water. If the days are windy, then there are excellent conditions for windsurfing.
As for the infrastructure, it is completely absent. There is nothing: changing rooms, showers, cafes, sun loungers and umbrellas for rent. Only lifeguards and trash cans are present.
On weekdays, Al Sufouh beach is deserted, you can relax in complete silence. And on weekends, usually on Friday, it is quite crowded, trailers/camping come.
Paid beaches
La Mer
The map of Dubai shows that La Mer beach is located in the coastal area of Jumeirah. In Dubai, this is a relatively new place for a beach holiday. La Mer is a free beach, so everyone can relax here.
The beach is very well maintained and clean, with snow-white sand and clear water. The entrance to the water is comfortable.
There are many free toilets, changing rooms and showers on the territory – all of them are arranged in original colorful houses and are regularly cleaned. You can sit in a hammock directly in the sea, you can rent sun loungers with umbrellas, or you can lie down on the sand and hide from the sun under one of the many palm trees. There are many shops, cafes and fast food vans on the beach. Security guards monitor the order on land, and rescuers watch those swimming in the sea from the shore.
La Mer Beach in Dubai is a creative and positive area with a lot of entertainment. Those who like to actively relax, have the opportunity to engage in a variety of sports, can rent a boat. Special play areas are available for children. A water park is located nearby.
On the territory of La Mer there are also such “requisites” as cells for storing personal property, ATMs, a Wi-fi zone and places for recharging mobile gadgets. Large-scale parking is available for cars.
Come to La Mer beach in Dubai preferably in the morning, when it is easier to find a good “place in the sun” for yourself and a convenient place to park your car. By the way, it is better to be located on the left side of the beach strip, where even on weekends, with a large number of tourists, there are fewer people.
Al Mamzar beach Park
Al Mamzar Public Beach Park is located on a peninsula between Dubai and Sharjah.
Getting to it is more difficult than to all the other beaches in Dubai. Buses leave from the Golden Bazaar and from the Union metro station at intervals of half an hour. You can also take a taxi.
Al Mamzar Park covers an area of 7.5 hectares. It is very beautiful, with lush green vegetation. On its territory there is a cute steam train-riding on it, you can see playgrounds for children, comfortable recreation areas. On the territory of the park there are 28 barbecue areas with barbecue grills and benches.
Not far from the entrance to the park is a large summer arena – if you go through it, you can go to the 1st and 2nd beaches. There are almost always quite a lot of people on them, so it makes sense to go further. For example, if you follow the alley to the right of the main entrance, you can reach the 3rd beach, which is almost always deserted. Keep in mind that the park is much more crowded on weekends at the expense of local residents. In total, there are 5 beaches in Al Mamzar – they cover 1,700 m out of 3,600 m of the entire coastal strip of the park.
All the beaches of Al Mamzar in Dubai are almost identical: clear water, a well-groomed wide strip of white sand, a convenient gentle entrance to the water. Each beach has fungi with a circular bench and showers, as well as showers and toilets in separate buildings. Sun beds and umbrellas are available for an additional fee.
The main feature of the beach area is a large indoor swimming pool and air-conditioned beach bungalows (it is better to reserve them in advance). On weekdays, there are few people in Al Mamzar Park, and on weekends the influx of tourists is quite large.
An entrance ticket to the park-beach costs 5 dirhams (you need a NOL transport card) – this is a symbolic fee, given that gardeners work there all the time, cleaners vacuum the stone paths and water the lawns, and the sand on the beaches is sifted with a special machine (but there is still enough small garbage). Please note that the pool fee is 10 dirhams, and a sunbed rental fee is 10 dirhams.
Mamzar Public Beach Park is open from Sunday to Wednesday from 8: 00 to 22: 00, and from Thursday to Saturday it is open an hour longer.
RIVA beach club
RIVA is Dubai’s first self-contained beach club (i.e., not owned by a hotel). RIVA is a paid beach in Dubai, where you can swim not only in the sea, but also in the pool. The beach is clean with a very gentle and convenient entrance to the sea, and the pools (large for adults and children) are located in the shade of trees and look like a paradise.
The club has changing rooms, shower cabins with shampoos and shower gel, toilets. It offers visitors more than 200 sun loungers, including double ones.
There is a bar and an a-la carte restaurant. To eat and drink, you will have to spend about$ 300 for two.
Entrance fee: Sunday-Wednesday 95 dirhams per person, Friday and Saturday 125 dirhams, for children 5-12 years-50 and 65 dirhams, respectively.
When is the best time to go on a beach holiday in Dubai?
After reading our article about the most famous beaches in Dubai, you only need to decide where exactly your holiday will be held with maximum comfort. All these beaches with names are on the map of Dubai-explore it and plan your vacation.
Although the beaches of Dubai are suitable for swimming and sunbathing throughout the year, the best time to relax is from September to May. At this time, the air warms up to a temperature of no more than 30 °C.
