Direct overnight or morning departure
11 airlines fly Moscow–Dubai. Direct flights from SVO, DME and VKO daily. Most convenient: Emirates EK 132 at 10:35 (arrives 15:55 Dubai time).
Not Bali, not Turkey. A genre of its own.
Best fares
Hotels in Dubai, verified by our guests
We've selected 3 options in each price segment — from Marina apartments to a villa on the Palm with its own beach.
Districts for every need
When to go to Dubai
Best season — November to March. Summer heat hits +44°C, but prices are lowest.
Ready-made tours to Dubai
What you need to know before you go
Visa on arrival
Russian citizens receive a free 90-day visa stamped in their passport. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months. Return ticket required.
Money and cards
Dirham (AED) best exchanged in malls, not at the airport. Mir card — at most 5★ hotels. UnionPay — everywhere. Cash needed for taxis and Old Souk.
Transport
Metro 4 AED, Careem taxi from 25 AED, car rental from 120 AED/day. Alcohol — hotels only. Drinking and driving strictly prohibited (even 0.01‰).
Connectivity and eSIM
WhatsApp and Telegram: calls blocked. Solution — VPN or Sales.Travel eSIM — from 4 € per week, QR activation. Current plans on the eSIM page. 4G/5G Etisalat — 100% coverage.
Must-try experiences
124th floor at 17:30 — catch day and night at once. Best spot — At the Top SKY.
The world's tallest skyscraper — 828 m, opened 2010. At the Top observation deck on floors 124–125 — 169 AED, floor 148 (SKY) — 379 AED, but SKY is worth every dirham: panoramic windows, private lift, champagne. Arrive at 17:30 an hour before sunset — you'll see Dubai by day, by night and as the city lights come on. Book tickets online at least a week ahead — slots on-site may be sold out.
Off-road, camels, dinner under the stars. Best tours — Platinum Heritage and Arabian Adventures.
Classic safari — 6 hours: hotel pick-up at 15:00, dune bashing in Land Cruiser, camel stop, camp with barbecue, belly dance, fire show, stargazing. Price 250–600 AED. Budget option — Arabian Adventures (from 250 AED). Premium — Platinum Heritage in vintage 1950s Land Rovers with falconry (from 1,500 AED). Book the overnight camp experience — stars without city light pollution are extraordinary.
At Atlantis hotel. Tip: arrive at 10:00 and head straight to Slitherine.
UAE's largest waterpark at Atlantis The Palm: 30+ slides, sharks in Shark Lagoon tunnel, high-speed Leap of Faith through a fish tank. Ticket 349 AED (adult), but via booking sites — from 250 AED. Tip: arrive at 10:00 opening, head straight to Slitherine and Aquaconda — after midday queues reach 40 minutes. Cabana with dinner at Nasimi Beach — essential finale.
Wooden boat from Bur Dubai to Deira. 1 AED, 5 minutes, feels like 100 years ago.
The wooden abra — only authentic transport of 'old Dubai'. Ferries between Bur Dubai and Deira stations across Dubai Creek, journey — 5 minutes, cost 1 dirham (cash to the captain). You're immersed among traders, near Deira's gold and spice souks. Best at 17:00 at sunset — old city lights reflect in the water, and you understand what Dubai was like before oil.
Local tradition — unlimited food and champagne 12:30–16:00. Hit — Bubbalicious at Westin.
Brunch — Dubai's main social tradition, Friday at major hotels. Bubbalicious at Westin Mina Seyahi — leader since the 1990s: 200+ dishes, unlimited Moët champagne, lobster, foie gras, sushi, dessert room. Price 595 AED with alcohol (12:30–16:00). Alternatives — Saffron at Atlantis (300+ Asian dishes) and The Royal Brunch at Mandarin Oriental. Book a week ahead — top tables sell out instantly.
Deira, Al Ras district. Buy saffron, dried mango — 30% cheaper than Souk Madinat.
Spice Souk and Gold Souk in Deira — the emirate's two oldest markets. Iranian and Spanish saffron from 30 AED/gram (tourist markets — 100+), dried lemon, cardamom, pink pepper. At the gold souk — 22-carat items at metal price + 5–10% labour. Haggle required: first price is double. Best time — weekdays 10:00–13:00, without cruise crowds.
World's most Instagrammable building, opened 2022. Tickets sell out a month in advance.
Opened 2022 — named by CNN the most beautiful building on earth. Curved 78-metre torus of glass with Arabic calligraphy, no visible columns. Inside — 7 floors of immersive exhibits on humanity in 2071, AI, bioengineering. Ticket 145 AED, book a month ahead via museumofthefuture.ae — slots sell out in minutes. Time in exhibition — 2–2.5 hours.
Open October–April. Pavilions from 90 countries, street food, rides. Budget must-see with kids.
Global Village — seasonal park-exhibition October to April: pavilions from 90+ countries, each with national food, crafts, shows. 17 dining zones, 200+ rides, fireworks at 21:00 every evening. Ticket 25 AED (children under 12 free on Wednesdays). Best time — weekdays 16:00–22:00. Budget alternative to expensive Emirati attractions, perfect with children.
Skydive Dubai — world's most beautiful drop zone. With instructor, no experience needed.
Skydive Dubai over Palm Jumeirah — world's best skydiving zone per Travel+Leisure. Altitude 4,000 m, freefall 60 seconds, canopy descent — 5 minutes with bird's-eye view of the palm island. Tandem with instructor — 2,199 AED, no experience, no training. Video and photos — 600 AED. Book 1–2 weeks ahead via skydivedubai.ae.