This is now in your Top Picks!

Login or create an account to save your favourites and receive personalised recommendations.

LoginRegister

Login to like

Sign in or register to like this content

LoginRegister

Experiences

The best roadtrips in Dubai

Tue 6 June 2023

Experience Dubai on four wheels (or two) and take in some of the city's most impressive sites with these spectacular driving routes.

Experience Dubai on four wheels (or two) and take in some of the city's most impressive sites with these spectacular driving routes.

A seaside cruise through Jumeirah

Start at: Burj Al Arab in Umm Suqeim
End at: Jumeirah Beach Residence via Palm Jumeirah
Duration: 1.5 hours | 46km

Places of interest: Burj Al Arab, Madinat Jumeirah, Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jumeirah Boardwalk, Jumeirah Beach Residence

Start your Dubai driving journey with a seaside sightseeing tour. Get a scenic view of Burj Al Arab – the famous sail-shaped luxury hotel located in Umm Suqeim – before making your way to Madinat Jumeirah. Shop, sip or spa in the Arabian wonderland before exploring the Palm Jumeirah archipelago. Undeniably the most impressive road in terms of human achievement, the Crescent is the huge three-quarter circle-shaped road that surrounds the fronds of the Palm Jumeirah island. Take a trip down the trunk of the Palm, passing luxury seaside apartments and five-star hotels.

Go through the undersea tunnel to discover the many luxurious hotels that can be found on the Crescent – most notably the iconic Atlantis, The Palm and its sister property Atlantis The Royal. While here, make sure to stop on the Palm Jumeirah Boardwalk for a few snaps – a pedestrian stretch running the length of the Crescent with a range of food trucks and souvenir stalls – before heading back into the mainland.

End your drive at The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence, a magnet for Dubai’s car-loving motorists and their high-end, high-performance machines. The area is pedestrian-friendly so you’re unlikely to get out of second gear, but joining the parade of supercars and SUVs makes this journey well worth the trip. Feeling hungry? There's a range of excellent alfresco dining options at The Beach mall nearby, with free underground parking for a few hours when you spend AED100 at any of the development’s restaurants (otherwise AED20 per hour).

Start exploring: Follow our seaside driving route on Google Maps

Skyscraper spotting on Sheikh Zayed Road

Go skyscraper-spotting with our Dubai roadtrip route.

Start at: Dubai World Trade Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road
End at: Pier 7 in Dubai Marina
Duration: 50 minutes | 32km

Places of interest: Emirates Towers, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, Dubai Water Canal, Dubai Marina, Pier 7

Dubai is king when it comes to skyscraper spotting and a trip down the emirate’s superhighway, Sheikh Zayed Road, is the perfect way to glimpse some of the most stunning high-rise buildings in the city.

This route starts in the bustling Dubai World Trade Centre area – famous for its wall-to-wall skyscrapers hemming the road. Take a U-turn around the Trade Centre roundabout, then head south on Sheikh Zayed Road and crane your neck as you pass lofty hotels such as Fairmont Dubai, voco Dubai, Four Points by Sheraton and Shangri-La hotel on your right, as well as Jumeirah Emirates Towers and the Dusit Thani Dubai on your left.

Burj Khalifa is visible from almost anywhere in the city, but the world’s tallest building is most imposing up close, so a brief detour around Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard is well worth it. Then head back onto Sheikh Zayed Road, continuing south over the Dubai Water Canal bridge, past Mall of the Emirates and into the only spot that might rival Downtown Dubai when it comes to high-rises: Dubai Marina.

After taking in the gleaming Marina skyscrapers – don't miss the jagged peaks of Marina 101, or the astonishing twists of the Cayan Tower – the perfect way to end the drive is with a bite to eat at popular dining hotspot Pier 7 – a purpose-built seven-storey tower with a different restaurant on each level. Simply drop the car keys with the valet and take your pick of world flavours.

Start exploring: Follow our skyscraper-themed driving route on Google Maps

Desert drive through the dunes

bab-al-shams-desert-resort-spa

Start at: Dubai Autodrome in Motor City
End at: Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa on Al Qudra Road
Duration: 50 minutes | 48km

Places of interest: Dubai Autodrome, Al Qudra Cycle Track, Al Qudra Lakes, Bab Al Shams

One of the many amazing things about Dubai is that you can move from an ultra-modern, skyscraper-filled city to a serene desert setting in under an hour. Simply wind your way past Dubai Autodrome – the place where the city’s petrolheads get their kicks – and then head east along Al Qudra Road, towards the desert.

Before long you’ll find yourself at Al Qudra Cycle Track, arguably one of the world’s most scenic spots for a ride, with almost 100km of dedicated bicycle paths, often frequented by native wildlife such as Arabian oryx and camels. After pedalling along this cyclist’s paradise for a change of pace, make a quick stop at Al Qudra Lakes to see yet more wildlife, including the hundreds of species of birds that live in the area.

Then head onward for a spot of rest and relaxation at the luxurious Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa – a hidden gem among Dubai’s desert dunes.

Start exploring: Follow our desert driving route on Google Map

On a highway to Hatta

Hatta Dam is just a couple of hours' drive from Dubai.

Start at: Meydan in Nad Al Sheba
End at: Hatta Wadi Hub in Hatta
Duration: 2 hours | 160km

Places of interest: Meydan bridge, Dubai-Al-Ain Road, Hatta Dam, Hatta Wadi Hub

This journey starts in the city, traversing green gardens and desert sands, and ends in the mountains – all in a couple of hours of driving time. Your destination is Hatta, an exclave of Dubai located high in the mountains.

The starting point for this miniature epic, Meydan Bridge beside Meydan Racecourse, may look familiar: it found fame after appearing as a backdrop in the filming of 2011’s Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. From these Hollywood-worthy surroundings, head east along the Dubai-Al Ain Road and take in the greenery of Nad Al Sheba Palace on your right, before turning onto Emirates Road and seeing the foliage replaced by orange desert dunes.

What follows is a serene journey through the desert, which sees you pass through parts of Dubai’s neighbouring emirates Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman (including some exclaves of their own) before culminating at one of the most outstanding and naturally beautiful vantage points on the Arabian Peninsula. Amid the stunning scenery of the Hajar Mountains lies the Hatta Dam, a blue-green oasis lying calmly at the base of steep, craggy mountains.

From here, you can venture over to Hatta Wadi Hub for a range of fun activities – think axe throwing and archery. Want to stay overnight? Tough it out and set up camp yourself, or book a stay at the Hatta Sedr Trailers or the Damani Lodges next-door for a local twist on ‘glamping’. You can even immerse yourself in nature with a rental from Hatta Caravans, although larger groups may prefer to book a holiday home – complete with barbecue areas and a pool – like Sunrise Farm, or head to JA Hatta Fort Hotel for a more conventional stay.

Start exploring: Follow our driving route to Hatta on Google Maps

Happiness Meter