5 days · ages 4+ · theme parks, beach, city
Dubai rewards a short, well-planned trip rather than a long one. Five days is enough for two major attractions, a desert evening, a day in Abu Dhabi and time at the beach, before the ticket prices start outweighing what is left to see. Every day here is built around the heat: outdoors early and late, indoors or in water in between.
Families on a tight budget. Attraction tickets for four are the dominant cost here, and there is no low-cost version of this itinerary.
1
2Destinations on this trip
Dubai
Days 1–4
Abu Dhabi
Days 5
Drive · 1h 30m
Day 1 · Dubai
Transfer, check in, and the sea before sunset.
Airport to the Marina or JBR
30–40 minutes by taxi, or the metro along the main corridor.
The beach promenade
JBR and the Marina have a walkable strip of restaurants directly behind the sand — rare in a city where walking outdoors is otherwise impractical.
Day 2 · Dubai
A full day in the water.
One of the two big water parks
Both have dedicated toddler zones alongside the headline slides. Buy online — gate prices are the highest prices.
Good to know. Headline slides need roughly 110–120 cm. Check before buying if your youngest is close to the line.
Day 3 · Dubai
Aquarium and the tower by day, dunes in the evening.
Dubai Aquarium
Inside the Dubai Mall, with the fountain show outside in the evening.
Burj Khalifa observation deck
Timed slots; sunset costs roughly double and sells out weeks ahead.
Desert safari in the evening
Dune driving, camel rides and dinner at a camp, collected from the hotel.
Good to know. Standard safaris include aggressive dune-bashing, which causes motion sickness in many children. Calmer camp-only options are widely available.
Day 4 · Dubai
Nothing scheduled.
A day at the hotel
After two heavy ticketed days this is the one that makes the trip feel like a holiday.
Day 5 · Abu Dhabi
The Grand Mosque and the Louvre, then home.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Free entry by timed slot booked online. Dress code covers shoulders, arms and legs for everyone.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
A perforated dome that scatters daylight across the galleries, with a children's museum inside.
Good to know. If theme parks are the main purpose of your trip, stay on Yas Island for a night or two instead — the parks need more than a day.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.
Where to stay
A beach and a walkable restaurant promenade directly outside the hotel is the one thing that reduces taxi use in a city where walking is otherwise impractical.
Fitting a family in
Family rooms and suites are common; many properties allow two children to stay free in the parents' room.
Watch out. Rates swing enormously by season. The same room can be half price in July and August.
Apartment hotels give a kitchen and separate bedrooms at less than two hotel rooms, within walking distance of the mall, the aquarium and the fountains.
Fitting a family in
Two-bedroom apartments are widely available and usually cheaper than two beach-hotel rooms.
Watch out. No beach. Expect a 20–30 minute taxi ride each time you want the sea.
Several Yas hotels bundle theme-park entry into the room rate, which for a family frequently costs less than buying tickets separately.
Fitting a family in
Family rooms are standard, and children often stay free in the parents' room.
Watch out. Yas Island is 30–40 minutes from central Abu Dhabi and has little beyond the parks and the mall.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.
Dubai
Two large water parks, both with dedicated toddler zones, wave pools and a full range of slides graded by height.
Good to know. Headline slides need roughly 110–120 cm. Online tickets are meaningfully cheaper than gate prices.
Dubai
A large tank and walkthrough tunnel inside the Dubai Mall, with an underwater zoo above it. The default air-conditioned afternoon.
Dubai
Observation decks on the 124th and 148th floors of the world's tallest building, sold by timed slot with sunset at a premium.
Good to know. Sunset slots sell out weeks ahead and cost roughly double the daytime price.
Dubai
Afternoon and evening trips into the dunes, typically combining dune driving, camel rides and dinner at a desert camp.
Good to know. Dune-bashing causes motion sickness in many children. Calmer camp-only and sunset options are widely available.
Abu Dhabi
A cluster of parks on one island — a motoring-themed park, an indoor park based on animated characters, and a large water park.
Good to know. Multi-park tickets and hotel bundles usually cost less than separate entries for a family.
Abu Dhabi
One of the largest mosques in the world, in white marble with inlaid floral stonework. Free entry by timed slot booked online.
Good to know. Dress code covers shoulders, arms and legs for all visitors; women cover their hair. Abayas are lent free at the entrance.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.
Money & costs
Online prices, multi-park passes and combination deals routinely cut 20–30% off a family's ticket spend. Passes only pay off if you use most of what they cover.
When to go
Even in winter, midday sun is strong. From May to September, outdoors works before 10:00 and after 17:00 and nothing in between.
Culture & etiquette
Eating and drinking in public during daylight hours is restricted and some attractions run shorter hours. Hotels continue to serve guests as normal.
4 people · 5 days · EUR
€4,870
≈ €244 per person per day
| Category | Estimate |
|---|---|
| FlightsFour return fares from Europe in high season. | €1,400 |
| Accommodation4 nights in a mid-range beach hotel, winter rates. | €1,300 |
| TransportAirport transfers, taxis, metro and the Abu Dhabi day. | €320 |
| FoodAround €150 a day for four outside the hotel. | €600 |
| Activities & ticketsWater park, aquarium, Burj Khalifa and the desert safari for four. This is the dominant cost. | €1,100 |
| ExtrasData, tips, incidentals. | €150 |
| Total | €4,870 |
How to read this figure. Indicative planning figures for a family of four between November and March, based on published prices at the time of writing. Summer hotel rates are far lower but outdoor activity is limited.
Book this trip
How we make money
This page contains affiliate links. Booking through one costs you the same and may earn us a commission. It never changes what we recommend — every place is labelled either somewhere we actually stayed or something we researched but did not test. Read the full policy.
7 days€€CyprusOne hotel, one week, almost no planning
10 days€ThailandCity, elephants and a beach finish
14 days€€€JapanCities, culture and the classic route, at a pace that suits kids