Tourist Information UAE
Tourist Information
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When to visit UAE? | Food and Drink | Special Events | Immigration departments UAE
UAE - United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The seven states, termed Emirates, are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah and Umm al-Quwain.
The United Arab Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing tourist destinations, has all the right ingredients for an unforgettable holiday, sun, sand, sea, sports, unbeatable shopping, top-class hotels and restaurants, an intriguing traditional culture, and a safe and welcoming environment.
When to Visit UAE?
The best time to visit the UAE is from October up until May. In October the weather may still be quite hot (up to 35C), blue skies are the norm and the evenings are warm. At this stage the tourist season is well under way.
Daytime temperatures are ideal during November, December, January and February (around 24C) although the evenings may be a little cool (13C). North-westerly winds sometimes blow during these winter months, bringing choppy seas. Most of the annual rainfall occurs between December and March, but this tends to be in the form of short heavy downpours that rapidly clear away. Indeed some winters are totally dry.
By March–April, temperatures are beginning to rise during the day (early 30s) but humidity is still low and the evenings are warm. May can be quite hot again (late-30s).
June to September is to be avoided, especially the July–August period which is very hot (high 40s) and humid (100 per cent). However hotels and golf clubs and other facilities offer very good deals during the summer months and it is worth remembering that hotels, shops, in fact all buildings, cars, buses etc are air-conditioned.
FOOD AND DRINK
Visitors from many parts of the world along with a multi-ethnic resident community have ensured that a sophisticated and innovative food culture has developed in the UAE. Almost any type of food is available, from classic European to Pacific Rim. You can eat Mexican, Polynesian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Indian, Pakistani, Persian, Italian and French cooking, and more, at some of the finest restaurants in the Middle East. International fast-food chains, serving the standard fare of hamburgers, chips, pizzas etc (McDonalds’s, Pizza Hut, Pizza Inn, Hardee’s, Wimpy, Dunkin’ Donut) are also located in the larger cities. Kentucky Fried Chicken seems to be a particular favourite. International theme restaurants such as TGI Friday’s, Planet Hollywood, Fashion Café, Hard Rock Café and Henry J Bean’s are all represented in the Emirates. If you cannot find anything to suit in that list, small ethnic cafés and corner stalls are ubiquitous. Shisha cafés offer an opportunity to smoke a shisha (hubble-bubble pipe) and serve food, coffee, tea and fruit juices and corner stalls serve sharwarmas and other sandwiches.
Gulf and Middle Eastern food is also available in a wide variety of venues, from expensive restaurants to local cafés. Fresh fish from the Arabian Gulf is always good – try lobster, crab, shrimp, or grouper, tuna, kingfish, red snapper, grilled, stuffed, or fried with spices. But it is not just a question of variety, make no mistake the food is generally good and the standard of service is high.
Alcohol
Alcohol is generally only served in hotel restaurants and bars (but not in Sharjah). Exceptions are some clubs (e.g. golf clubs) and associations. Restaurants that are not associated with hotels are not permitted to serve alcohol.
SPECIAL EVENTS
You may like to time your trip to coincide with one of the many special events staged in the UAE each year. The following is a list of the more popular events but dates may change from year to year so check before you go.
| World Cup Indoor Trials | January |
| Abu Dhabi Golf Championship | January |
| Abu Dhabi Film Festival | February |
| Al Ain Air Show | February |
| Al Ain Classical Music Festival | February |
| Dubai Desert Classic (Golf) | February |
| ATP Men’s Tennis Open & WTA Tournament | February/March |
| Abu Dhabi Shopping Festival | March |
| Dubai World Cup (Horse racing) | March/April |
| Dubai to Muscat Sailing Race | March |
| Dubai Pro Beach Soccer Tournament | April |
| Dubai Summer Surprises | July/August |
| UAE Desert Challenge Motor Rally | November |
| Dubai Film Festival | December |
| UIM Formula One Power Boat Championships | December |
| UIM Class One Power Boat Championships | December |
| Dubai International Rugby Sevens | December |
| Dubai Shopping Festival | December/February |
IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENTS in the UAE
Abu Dhabi
Saeed bin Tahnoon St.
Abu Dhabi
Tel: 02 4462244
Al Ain
Aditaba Road, near Dubai Islamic Bank, opposite Carrefour supermarket.
Tel: 03 7625555
Dubai
Department of Naturalization and Residency, Trade Centre Road, near Bur Dubai Police Station
Tel: 04 3980000
Sharjah
Department for Naturalization and Residence, near General Post Office
Tel: 06 5726777
Umm al-Qaiwain
Tel: 06 7666419
Ajman
Tel: 06 7422255
Ra's as-Khaimah
Tel: 07 2273333