Dubai 2025: the complete tourist guide

The flow of tourists to Dubai grows every year: back in 2023 the country welcomed 17.1 million visitors, and in the first half of 2024 alone the city recorded a record 9.31 million tourists. Russian speakers have been among the top visitors to the UAE for many years: in 2024 they made more than a million trips to the UAE, and in January 2025 Russian tourist flow to the Emirates grew 5.5-fold — the country entered the top 3 destinations for tourists from Russia. So what is there to do?

The complete Dubai guide with links — free

A detailed 80-page guide from the media Healthy Person's Dubai will help you learn how to survive in Dubai, how much accommodation costs, what to see in The Dubai Mall and how to prepare for your trip. Find out which bank cards work in 2025, choose the best hotels, find where to buy souvenirs and learn to save on shopping, and pick activities that suit the season and Dubai's weather — like a trip to the beach in Jumeirah or dinner in Dubai Marina.

Photo by Adam Le Sommer

The guide is divided into five main topics: preparing for the trip, a list of tried-and-tested hotels, recommendations for places to visit and things to do, restaurants (separately for breakfast, local flavour and seafood) and shopping tips. You'll learn how to get through passport control, which insurance to take out, how to rent a car or bikes, and where to buy a local SIM card or get a free eSIM in Dubai.

Here, for example, is just one page from the guide — a short note on using the Dubai metro:

The Dubai Metro

Nol Card

To use public transport you'll need a Nol Card. You can buy it at metro stations or at some bus stops. You can get a single-trip card or buy a reusable one and top it up at ticket offices or machines.

Note: if you plan to go up to the Burj Khalifa observation deck or visit Dubai Aquarium, you can buy a special Emaar Nol card. It gives discounts of up to 40% at various locations, including restaurants in The Dubai Mall.

The 'Gold Class' carriage

There are different types of cards, including 'gold' ones. Metro trips on Gold cards cost more, but they let you ride in premium carriages, which usually have more space. These carriages are easy to find by the signs — they are at the front or back of the train. Don't ride in the Gold Class carriage with a standard card: you'll be fined.

Food and drink

Eating and drinking is prohibited on the Dubai metro. If inspectors spot you with a snack, you may get away without a fine the first time, but you'll definitely be asked to put the food or drink away.

We put all the information into a single PDF so it's easy to download and use even offline. All the links in it work too: you can jump from the list of places straight into Yandex Maps or order a taxi in Yandex Go — which, by the way, sponsored our guide, so you can get it for free.

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