If you are a night owl, then visiting Dubai during Ramadan is your ideal time to go. During Ramadan, Dubai is quiet & peaceful during the day and comes alive at night! Once night falls, you can enjoy all the many delicious culinary options Dubai has to offer.
Ramadan is a month of fasting for muslims, from sunrise to sunset they can’t eat or drink. As a tourist, you can’t eat or drink in public during the day time or you will be subject to a fine. Most restaurants will be closed during the day and will open after sunset. I suggest eating a large breakfast at your hotel before leaving to sightsee for the day. However, the food court and most restaurants in the Dubai Mall will remain open during the day. The food court and restaurants will just be covered by long, black curtains. The Dubai Mall will be your oasis during Ramadan. It is a place to keep cool from the extreme heat and a place to eat & drink during the day when everything else is closed.
Burj Khalifa
Our first night we ate something quick at the Dubai Mall food court before heading up to the top of the Burj Khalifa. We scheduled our time At The Top for 6pm, which worked out perfectly. We were able to see the city in the daytime, for sunset and at night all lit up. I highly suggest buying the SKY tickets, in my opinion they are totally worth the money. SKY tickets take you even higher, to level 148, instead of only 125. You also will not have to wait in lines or deal with crowds. They even gave us drinks and sweets after sunset.
After leaving our At The Top experience, we took a stroll around the Dubai Fountain. We watched the fountain dance around in unison to the music playing several times. For dinner we ate outside at Baker & Spice with a view of the fountain. Our beet pasta & falafels were super fresh.
Old Dubai
The next day we wanted to get breakfast at the Arabian Tea House, but it was closed. Unfortunately, when we looked online it said it was open. There was no sign on the door saying they were closed or the hours changed for Ramadan. So we skipped breakfast and took a stroll around Old Dubai, which was deserted.
The Al Fahidi Historical district gives you an idea of what Dubai used to look like, hence “Old Dubai.” Next we went to the Dubai museum and learned a lot about the history of Dubai. I learned that camels can go without water for three months in the winter and three weeks in the summer, I was shocked! After the museum we wanted to check out the beach and try one more time to get some food. We hopped in a cab to Bu Qtair, a fish market, which said it was open, it was not open. Instead we walked around kite beach and got to see the famous 7 star resort Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.
Desert Safari
Later in the day we ventured on a desert safari tour, which started with dune bashing in the desert in a Land Cruiser. It was a wild ride and definitely got the adrenaline going. Next we hopped on a dune buggy to get the adrenaline flowing even more. This is how locals like to let loose on the weekends and I can understand why. After these two activities the tour became very “touristy.” You could ride a camel, get your picture taken with a falcon, and get a henna tattoo. At the desert camp you could smoke hookah, eat dinner on cushions and watch performers dance on stage. Next time I would definitely choose a private tour.
Hotel
We stayed at the Rove Downtown and I could not be more happy with it. The location is great, a quick walk to the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and the fountain. Our room even had a view of the Burj Khalifa! The decor was simple and the room was clean. This is a great hotel to stay at if you are on a budget.
And remember, practice kindness. All day, every day.
Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly. If you liked this post about visiting Dubai during Ramadan, check out my post Honeymoon in the Maldives!
