The short answer
From November to March the days are warm and dry, the sea is good for swimming and the evenings are cool enough to eat outside. That is when we would come.
April and October are hot by lunchtime but still good for the beach and the pool. From May to September it is hot, often above 40°C in the afternoon, and life moves indoors. It is also when homes are easiest to find and cost least.
Winter, November to March
Days in the mid-twenties, nights in the high teens. This is the season for the desert, for walking the Marina and the Boulevard in the middle of the day, and for dinner on a terrace.
It is also the busy season. The weeks around Christmas and New Year are the busiest of the year, and the New Year fireworks at the Burj Khalifa fill Downtown from the afternoon. If those are your dates, ask us early: by October the best homes for those weeks are often gone.
The Dubai Shopping Festival runs from mid-December into January. The Dubai Airshow comes in November in odd-numbered years, so expect a full city in November 2027.
Ramadan
The dates move about eleven days earlier each year. In 2027 Ramadan is expected to begin around 8 February; the exact day depends on the moon.
Daytime is quieter, some restaurants open later, and it is polite not to eat or drink in public during fasting hours. The evenings are the reward: iftar at sunset, long tables, and a city that stays up late. Some of our guests choose these weeks on purpose.
April and October
The shoulder months. Mornings and evenings are pleasant; the middle of the day is for the pool. Prices are lower than in winter and the beaches are quieter.
Gitex, the technology fair, fills the city for a week in October. Check its dates before you book that month.
Summer, May to September
Hot and humid, above 40°C in July and August, and the sea is as warm as a bath. Mornings by the pool, afternoons indoors, evenings in the restaurants or on a terrace with fans.
It is the least expensive time of year to stay in a large home. If you want a villa with a private pool, this is when it costs least.
The year at a glance
- JanuaryAbout 24°C by day, the coolest month
- FebruaryCool nights, Ramadan from about 8 February 2027
- MarchWarm and busy, good for the desert
- AprilHot by midday, the beach at its best
- MayHot, quieter, lower prices
- JuneHot, the start of summer rates
- JulyAbove 40°C, the quietest month
- AugustThe hottest month, the warmest sea
- SeptemberStill hot, the city back from holiday
- OctoberWarm, Gitex week, the season starts
- NovemberPleasant and busy, the Airshow in 2027
- DecemberCool evenings, the busiest weeks
Next in the journal
Holiday homes in Dubai: how renting one works. What a licensed holiday home is, what you pay beyond the nightly rate, which area suits which trip, and how booking and check-in work.
All the guides
