Dubai practical information: SIM cards, plugs, money and tipping

Connectivity: SIM, eSIM and Wi-Fi

Tourist SIM packages are sold in the arrivals halls and in every mall, and they include a generous data allowance for a short trip. An eSIM arranged before travelling is usually cheaper if your phone supports one.

Wi-Fi is everywhere (hotels, malls, cafés, the metro) and generally fast. Note that some voice-over-IP calling is restricted on local networks, so a video call that works at home may not work here; a data-based messaging app is the reliable fallback.

Power, money and cards

Plugs are the UK-style three-pin Type G at 220 volts, so British visitors need nothing and most others need an adapter. Hotels usually have a couple of universal sockets but do not count on it.

The dirham is pegged to the US dollar, which makes the exchange rate stable and easy to estimate. Cards are accepted nearly everywhere; keep cash for taxis, the souks and the abra.

Health, pharmacies and emergencies

Pharmacies are plentiful, well stocked and often open late or around the clock, and pharmacists are qualified to advise on minor problems. Private hospitals and clinics are of a high standard and expect payment or insurance details up front, so travel insurance is not optional in practice.

Emergency numbers: 999 for police, 998 for ambulance and 997 for fire. Tap water is desalinated and safe, though most people drink bottled water by habit.

Money, tipping and what still needs cash

Cards work almost everywhere: malls, restaurants, hotels, the airport, most taxis. The exceptions are consistent and worth planning for: the souks, the abra across the creek, the smaller cafeterias in Deira and Bur Dubai, and the occasional taxi whose terminal is out of action. A modest amount of cash covers all of it.

Tipping is customary rather than obligatory. A service charge often appears on restaurant bills already; rounding up a taxi fare and leaving a small amount for hotel staff is the normal practice. Nothing here is expected at American levels.

ATMs are everywhere and generally give a better rate than an exchange desk. The dirham is pegged to the US dollar, which makes mental arithmetic easy and the rate stable across the length of a trip.

Air quality, dust and the haze

The haze that sits over the skyline in most photographs is worth understanding before a trip, particularly if anyone travelling is asthmatic or very young. The Dubai air quality page sets out what actually drives it (desert dust lifted by wind and heat, plus construction and traffic) and why that changes the advice.

The short version: it peaks on windy days, not at rush hour, winter is markedly clearer than summer, and the day or two after one of the rare rain events is the clearest air of the year. Checking a current reading is more use than checking the season.

The working week and public holidays

The UAE works Monday to Friday, with a half day on Friday for the midday prayer, and the weekend falls on Saturday and Sunday. That changed relatively recently and older guidance still describes a Friday-Saturday weekend, so it is worth checking the date on anything you read about opening hours.

What it means in practice: government offices and banks keep short hours on Fridays, many restaurants close for a couple of hours around midday prayers, and the malls and attractions run normally throughout. Weekend crowds fall on Saturday and Sunday, as they would in Europe.

The public holidays that actually affect a visit are the two Eids, which move each year with the lunar calendar, and National Day at the start of December. All of them mean crowds and full hotels rather than closures, since the attractions stay open and get busier.

Everything in this section changes slowly, but it does change. Check anything date-sensitive against an official source before travelling.