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Opinion

Dubai: Visa, Weather, Currency, Festivals and More

Aparna Shandilya 1 Stories

Wednesday August 28, 2019 , 6 min Read

Dubai is the largest city in the UAE and invites millions of tourists from across the oceans. To keep your travelling to this innovative and cosmopolitan city streamlined, here we list down details that could come handy to you.

• Dubai Visa

If you are looking to travel to Dubai, or stay there for a short period, a valid Dubai Visa is required. Depending on the number of days and kind of travel, you could get travel, transit and visit visa.

• Do I need a Dubai visa from India?

Yes, the citizens of India require a valid visa to enter the city.

• What are the types of Dubai Visa?

Starting from 48 hours vacation to a 3-month long holiday, Dubai Visa is based on your interests.

- 30 Days Tourist Visa

- 96 Hour Transit Visa

- 14 days Transit Visa

- 30 days tourist visa

- Single Entry Short Term Visa 90 Days

- Multi-Entry Long Term Visa 90 Days

- Multi-Entry Short Term Visa 30 Days

• How to apply?

- Contact a genuine and verified travel company and fill their online visa application form, including name, birth year, nationality, contact address, travel date etc.

- Submit necessary documents, well-scanned and clear for the processing.

- Complete the form payment through a secured gateway using your debit/ credit card.

• What are the supporting documents required?

In the processing of Dubai visa, you would need the following documents:

- Passport valid for at least 6 months

- Scanned colour copy of your pan card

- Scanned colour copy of the first and last page of your passport

- Scanned colour copy of your passport-size photograph taken against a white background

- Original and photocopy of Income Tax Returns

- A solo female traveller needs NOC from father or husband.

- For transit visa, confirmed return air tickets

- In case, the spouse name is not endorsed on passport, then submit Marriage Certificate / Notarized Affidavit on an INR 100/- stamp paper.

• Dubai Time

While we are working in India at 10.30 am, Dubai’s time runs behind by 1.30 hours and strikes at 9.00 am. The time zone of Dubai and UAE is UAE standard time. It is four hours in front of Coordinated Universal Time.

So, the best time to call Dubai from India for meetings or conferences is between 10.30 am and 6.00 pm (in Dubai it would be the daily working hours of 9.00 am- 4.30 pm).

• Dubai Currency

The currency of UAE is dirham, officially abbreviated as “AED”.

1 AED = 19.33 INR

1 AED = 0.27 USD

• Dubai Weather

It is a country born and brought up from a desert and is located near the Tropic of Cancer. And this has a great impact on the current climate situation. You would find most days are sunny and the evenings are comparatively pleasant. Consider the winter months as the best time to visit Dubai, from late October to April.

• Summer Season

It is characterised by scorching rays of the sun, humid climate and warm winds during the day, while the night has a milder climate. The temperature can rise to 45 °C (113 °F) for many days, especially in July and August. It is also the time when there are lesser tourists in the territory and all hotels, attractions and restaurants drop their prices with a larger margin. So, if you are on a tight budget and can sustain the prickling heat with sunblock and energy drinks, the summer season is your go-to weather. The malls are air-conditioned and water parks are opened to beat the heat.

• Winter Season

The climate from November to April is beautiful and satisfying, making it suitable for long day sightseeing and experiencing all kinds of adventurous and outdoor activities. Unwind at beaches, go camping in the desert and celebrate festivals. The rates can soar and to avoid queues and enjoy discounts, book well in advance. At this time, the city is brimming with people from all over the world, the average temperature at day is 25 °C (77 °F), while in the night it scales from 12 °C (54 °F) to 15 °C (59 °F).

• Other weather facts:

- Most of the rains are showered in February with an average of 35 millimetres. It is the wettest month of the year.

- June has dry weather with almost no rain throughout the month.

- The months of January, April, July, October and November have average rainfall while May, August and September witnesses lower rains.

• Dubai Festivals

• Ramadan

This is the holiest month in the entire UAE. The Muslims seek spiritual closeness to God, involve in more peaceful and giving acts, do not consume food or water between dawn and sunset and spend more time in reading the Quran. So, during this period, you can see a un-chaotic and patient Dubai. To pay respect to the locals who are part of this festival, the non-Muslims are asked not to eat, drink or smoke in public. You can find the open restaurants serving behind the screens until sunset, shops run for lesser working hours, and supermarkets remain open throughout the day. The nightclubs with a license will be opened but only some will serve alcohol after sunset.

• Dubai Shopping Festival

Get yourself on a shopping spree as the world's biggest shopping event, DSF runs in January, every year. This festival has massive deals and discounts on high-end brands to expand your wardrobe. The entire city is participating in this bonanza, which hosts millions of people from all over the world. Dubai Mall, The Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta Mall, Bur Juman are few popular destinations where you can buy everything from clothing to furniture. There are daily raffles where you can win a Nissan car, 32 kg gold or huge cashback.

• Dubai Food Festival

Are you a food connoisseur? Feel heaven in your mouth as you try the best gastronomical delights, all under one roof. Food festivals in Dubai introduce amazing food events and promotions. It highlights the hospitality, delicious food scenes, and deluxe dining experiences of the city. You realise it is a grand culinary fest when you know over 1000 restaurants and 30 renowned chefs are involved. Relish and savour the unique offerings from Dubai’s cuisine.

• Dubai Hotels

While the Citymax Hotel Bur Dubai is dirt cheap- at 1708 INR, the sail-shaped 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab skyrockets at 1,18,688 INR. That only sums up that the city has rooms for all kinds of budget travellers- either you are a backpacker or a luxury traveller.

• Affluent Hotels

- Atlantis The Palm

- Raffles Dubai

- Park Hyatt Dubai

- Armani Hotel

- Jumeirah Al Qasar

• Mid budget Hotels

- JA Ocean View Hotel

- Rover Downtown Dubai

- Radisson Blu Dubai Marina

- JA Jebel Ali Beach Hotel

- Fraser Suites