Nol and the Metro. Buy a Silver Nol card at any station for AED 25, which includes AED 19 of credit; the AED 2 Red paper ticket suits one trip. Fares go by zone, from around AED 4 to AED 8.50 a trip on Silver and double in Gold. The fines: eating or drinking, AED 100; a man in the pink women and children car, AED 100; the Gold cabin at the front on a Silver card, AED 100; no valid card, AED 200. Trains run 5 a.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday, until 1 a.m. on Friday, and from 8 a.m. on Sunday.
The week. The weekend has been Saturday and Sunday since 2022. Friday noon prayers quieten the streets for an hour; malls open mid-morning and run past midnight on weekends.
Dress. In malls and old Dubai the posted rule is shoulders and knees covered, loosely enforced for men and less loosely for women. Visitor tours at Jumeirah Mosque lend abayas and headscarves. Beaches and hotel pools take ordinary swimwear; topless is illegal. Cover up on the Metro.
Alcohol and affection. Alcohol is served in licensed hotels, clubs and a growing list of licensed restaurants, at 21 and over; the shop license for tourists is free with a passport. Being drunk in public is an offense. Holding hands is fine, kissing in public is not, and unmarried couples sharing a room is no longer an issue.
Ramadan. Expected February 8 to about March 9, 2027. Since 2021 restaurants serve through the day without screens, malls stay open and hotels pour alcohol after sunset. Eating or smoking in the street is still rude; offices and attractions shorten their hours; an iftar at sunset is worth planning a day around.
Hotels and taxis. Bills add a Tourism Dirham of AED 10 to 20 per room per night by star rating, for up to 30 nights. Taxis are metered and cheap; Careem and Uber book the same cars at a small premium. Pink-roofed taxis are driven by women for women.
Heat, drones and medicines. June to September sits at 104 to 113°F (40 to 45°C); do outdoor things before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Photographing people without consent, and government or military buildings, is an offense; a drone needs a permit first. Codeine, tramadol, diazepam, pregabalin and many ADHD drugs are controlled: carry the prescription and apply to MOHAP online for a personal-use permit for no more than a few months’ supply.
On the day. Tap the Silver card in and out every time and check the balance before the last ride. Save the mosque tour and the desert pick-up in Waystop’s Documents so they open without signal.