With such a long holiday ahead, the city will begin to get quite crowded, as tourists from all over the GCC come to Dubai for a fun filled Eid. If you’re looking to escape the crowds, we’ve got some of our favorite activities at a few of Dubai’s hidden gems, located in areas with significantly less traffic than some of the Dubai hot spots.
This is your guide on how to escape the crowds during the Eid holidays; perfect for those who want to get out of the house without dealing with large masses of people.
1. An escape to the movies
The Grand Hyatt Vox Cinemas in Wafi City is a great movie theatre, in which tickets are rarely sold out. While most people will be heading towards new Dubai, filling up the areas around Dubai Mall and the Marina, you can sneak off to Wafi City, by using Al Khail road to head to Oud Metha and go right into Wafi Mall. The mall itself is generally a quiet escape from most others in Dubai, thus making it a perfect place to catch a movie.
Location Wafi City, Grand Hyatt Dubai, Oud Metha Timings daily from 10am Cost Dh35 for standard ticket Dh40 for VIP ticket Contact 600 599905
2. A delicious French dinner
JLT should be a great place to enjoy a quiet meal out, while most people will be on the other side of Sheikh Zayed Road in JBR and Dubai Marina. The recently opened French bistro, Couqley, will offer diners delectable French food in a very authentic and low key setting. The jazz music and the quiet buzz of chatter gives Coquely a nice and welcoming vibe that many would enjoy. French food connoisseurs would appreciate the entrecote and the steak tartare on the menu. JLT is easily accessible through Al Khail Road, which makes it a seamless and traffic free trip for a great meal and a fun night out.
Location Laguna Tower, Mövenpick Hotel, Cluster A, Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Dubai Timings daily from 12pm to 2am Cost varies Contact 04 5149339
3. A fab night out
Most of the time Dubai Media City is overrun by crowds and too many cars to count. The lounges and restaurants there are usually quite packed on weeknights as well. Since most people finish their work and head out for a bite to eat at a convenient location, Q43 ends up being one of many places to hang out after a long day at the office. However, if you’ve ever driven around Media City during a weekend or a public holiday, it’s usually pleasantly empty. In Eid, when most people are off work, Media City will be emptier than ever. Head down to Q43 for a cool night out of dining and dancing.
Location Level 43, Media One Hotel, Dubai Media city Cost varies Timing Daily from from 12pm to 2am, on weekends until 3am Contact 04 4435403
4. A relatively empty beach
Most people who live in Dubai, love the beach, which is why you can usually never find one that's empty enough. Now we aren’t promising you that this one will be empty, but we are promising you that it will be emptier than your usual Kite Beach and not-so-secret Secret Beach on Al Sufouh. The emptier beach we are talking about, is located directly opposite of Mercato Mall.
If you are heading towards the Union Flag and you've just passed Mercato Mall on your right, take the first U-turn followed by a right turn, which will take you into one of the Jumeirah beaches. This beach is emptier than most others you will find in Dubai, mainly because there are no facilities or beach side food shacks, thus appeals less to some people.
Location Jumeirah Beach road opposite Mercato Mall, Cost Free Timing No swimming after sunset
5. An action packed adventure
One of our favourite hidden gems of Dubai is the Laser Tag Arena in the Oasis Centre Thrill Zone. Laser Tag is a one of the most popular team games in the world and we still don’t understand why Dubai is not fully on board this amazingly fun and exciting game yet. The Thrill Zone Laser Tag Arena in Oasis, offers over 3,000 square feet of action packed fun with the latest laser tag equipment. The arena is designed as a volcanic rock jungle with a Jurassic Park theme.
Location 3rd Floor, Oasis Centre Mall Sheikh Zayed Road Cost 60 AED per person (15 minutes of game, 10-15 minutes of briefing and vesting) Timings Daily from 10 am to 10pm, until midnight on weekends
6. A day out with the family
The benefit of Reform Social & Grill is that it’s pretty out of the way from the Dubai crowd. Tucked deep inside The Lakes in the Emirates Living District, this kid friendly restaurant has a nice casual vibe and great British food!
Location The Lakes, Dubai Cost various Timings Daily Breakfast from 8am to 11.30am, Sat - Wed from 12pm to 12am, Thu - Fri from 12pm to 1am Contact 04 4542638
If you love the crowds
If you are the kind of person that loves big crowds, here are the places that tend to get very crowded during Eid.
- Downtown Dubai
- JBR
- City Walk
- Box Park
- Dubai Mall
- Mall of the Emirates
- Old Dubai (Deira, Bur Dubai)
- Kite Beach
- Sunset Beach
- Secret Beach
