Dubai

Public Transport

The car is the most popular method of transport in Dubai. In addition, the major tourist hotels provide shuttle bus services for guests. However, DubaiMunicipality (tel: (04) 221 5555 or 800 4848 (dedicated freephone information line); website: www.dm.gov.ae) operates a reasonable public bus service on over 50 routes, daily 0600-2300. Fares depend on destination and are paid to the driver upon boarding; it is useful for travellers to have the exact change ready.

‘Period Passes’ are useful for those staying more than a week in Dubai, allowing cheaper bus travel on a smart card. Passes, timetables and bus maps are available from the bus stations in Deira and Bur Dubai. Routes and bus numbers are posted in both Arabic and English.

Basic wooden boats, locally referred to as abras, cross the creek from Bur Dubai to the Al-Sabkha Station. These are operated by Dubai Municipality daily 0600-2400 (journey time - 5 minutes) and are excellent value. They were joined in 2007 by the air-conditioned Dubai Waterbus (tel: 800 9090; website: www.rta.ae), which runs across the Creek charging four times as much for the same ride.

A hugely expensive 300km (186-mile) metro system is currently under construction, which will have four lines: the Red Line running from Rashidiya Station to Jebel Ali Station; the Green Line running from the Dubai Airport Free Zone to Dubai Health Care City; the Purple Line running between the existing airport and the new one near Jebel Ali; and the Blue Line which will stretch from Emirates Road to the airports. The metro is slated to partially open in 2009 or 2010.

Taxis

Air-conditioned taxis can be hailed on the street or pre-booked by telephone. The DubaiTransportCorporation (tel: (04) 208 0808) operates metered taxis. Occasionally, drivers do not have detailed knowledge of the city and might ask passengers for directions.  Fixed fares are applied to journeys outside the city boundaries. It is also possible to hire a taxi for half a day or a full day for sightseeing. Tipping is not expected.

Driving in the City

Dubai has an excellent and well-signposted road network and the majority of roads have two to four lanes. A massive expansion to the emirate’s road network is currently underway which will see the number of lanes crossing the Creek increased to 100 by 2010.

Unfortunately, driving standards do not match the quality of the roads. Many local drivers travel at speed and change lanes with wild abandon. In addition, drivers are prone to make sudden and dangerous manoeuvres. Accidents occur frequently and visitors are advised to drive defensively. Outside the city centre a good road map is essential, to avoid heading aimlessly out into the desert.

Increasingly traffic congestion is also a problem, particularly in Deira and along Jumeirah Beach. Toll roads were introduced for the first time in 2007 to help alleviate the emirate’s worsening traffic congestion problems, with plans to extend the toll network. Drivers should note that there is a tax to pay for driving out of the UAE.

Car parks are operated by DubaiMunicipality (tel: 800 4848; website: www.dm.gov.ae). Two centrally located covered car parks are situated near the Spice Souk and Bani Yas Square in Deira.

Car Hire

A valid International Driving Permit, passport and credit card are required to hire a car in Dubai. Visitors from many European, North American and Asian countries can obtain a temporary local driving licence if they do not have an international licence. A valid national licence, passport and two passport-size photographs are required in order to do this. Fully comprehensive insurance is essential. In the event of an accident, the police must be informed and a written police report obtained, otherwise the hire company’s insurance might not cover any damage. Drivers must be at least 21 years old and have held a full licence for one year. The age limit is often raised to 25 years for more expensive models. Payment must be made by credit card. Collision damage waiver is sometimes additional.

Major providers include Avis (tel: (04) 224 5219; website: www.avis.com), Budget (tel: (04) 224 5192; website: www.budget.com) and FastRentaCar (tel: (04) 224 5040; website: www.fastuae.com).

Bicycle Hire

Considering the desert environment, Dubai is not a cyclist’s paradise and bicycle hire is not a roaring trade in the city. Nevertheless, some hotels hire out bicycles. Whether or not they will hire them to non-guests varies.

Introduction

Dubai’s cultural life comes in a distant third to making money and having fun, with cultural activities (where they are available at all) limited in scale. Dubai has always suffered from not having a major venue for cultural performances, although the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, Level 2, Mall of the Emirates (tel: (04) 341 4777; website: www.dubaitheatre.org), is a welcome new addition. With such a small population, there are no major indigenous orchestras or dance companies, although it is possible to find localised groups who occasionally put on public performances.

A relative hive of cultural activity is the Creative Art Centre, Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 344 4394), which runs from Saturday to Wednesday. Mornings are reserved for young children, afternoons for older children and, during winter, evenings are set aside for adult classes. A wide range of cultural and handicraft activities are covered. The Dubai International Art Centre, off Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 344 4398; website: www.artdubai.com) offers a similar range, as well as art displays, with works for sale. Visiting international acts occasionally spice up the music scene.

The TimeOutTicketLine sells tickets for events (tel: 800 4669; website: www.itp.net/tickets).

Music: Opportunities to hear classical music performed in Dubai are extremely limited. The Dubai International Convention Centre, Dubai World Trade Centre, Bur Dubai (tel: (04) 332 1000; website: www.dicc.ae) and The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 331 1111; website: www.dubaihotels.crowneplaza.com) are the main venues that host visiting orchestras and musicians from around the world, although performances are far from regular. Many hotels employ a pianist to spice up the lobby, which is often as near to classical music as Dubai gets. Arabic nightclubs (see Dance) are the main venues for traditional Arabian music.

Theatre: Dubai Drama Group (tel: (04) 333 1155; website: www.dubaidramagroup.org) is an amateur theatrical company with over 100 members. Dubai’s first purpose-built community theatre, Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, has opened at the Mall of the Emirates. The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 331 1111; website: www.dubaihotels.crowneplaza.com) also hosts regular theatrical performances.

Dance: There are no real dance companies in Dubai, although there are a number of dance schools, including the renowned Ballet Centre, behind Jumeirah Plaza (tel: (04) 344 9776), with ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance on offer. In addition, belly dancing and traditional dance are a mainstay in Arabic nightclubs, such as Al-Diwan, Metropolitan Palace Hotel (tel: (04) 227 0000), and Escoba, Al-Khaleej Palace Hotel (tel: (04) 223 1000).

Film: Going to the cinema is a very popular pastime in Dubai with around a dozen cinemas to choose from. These include Cinestar at the Mall of the Emirates (tel: (04) 341 4222), Grand Cineplex next to Wafi City (tel: (04) 324 2000) and Grand Mercato in Jumeirahat the Mercato Mall  (tel: (04) 349 8765), which show English-language films. The programmes are currently full of big-budget Hollywood films with little arthouse content.

Literary Notes: To get right to the heart of Dubai, Graeme Wilson’s FatherofDubai: SheikRashidBinSaeedalMaktoum (1999) is a detailed tribute to the founder of Dubai. ArabiaThroughtheLookingGlass (1979), by Jonathan Raban, covers the region as a whole but also has an illuminating section on Dubai.

A local perspective comes from the English translation of Muhammad al-Murr’s DubaiTales (1991), with his famed short stories fleshing a bit of colour into the place. Muhammed al-Murr is one of the most revered local writers and it is worthwhile trying to get a copy of his other famous book, TheWinkoftheMonaLisa (1994).

A good pictorial look at Dubai is Ronald Codrai’s mid-20th-century Dubai - AnArabianAlbum (1992). Kevin Higgins’TheEmirates (1995) is a look at all of the United Arab Emirates and puts Dubai in clear context, while William Facey and Gillian Grant’s TheEmiratesbytheFirstPhotographers (2002) shows the sheer scale of change in Dubai and the other emirates over the last century.

An insight into the machinations and ambitions of Dubai’s ruling family comes through Jason Levin’s FromtheDeserttotheDerby (2002), a look at their attempt to train a horse to win America’s richest horse race. David Saunders’TheArabianDream (2003) is a beautifully photographed look at the development of the city, though given the pace of change, it is rapidly being dated. Rachel Pagones’Dubai Millennium: A Vision Realised; a Dream Lost (2007) is the compelling story of Sheikh Mohammed’s horse ‘millennium’ and offers an insight into the inner workings of the emirate.

© Columbus Travel Media Ltd.