Whenever the majority of people consider summer in Dubai, they imagine the heat. Nevertheless, the thing is that summer is one of the most favourable periods to visit the city. Dubai has everything required to make the season fun; its indoor attractions are world-class, evenings are lively, water parks to cool down, and shopping deals cannot be beaten.
Hotels and resorts have also launched unbelievable summer deals, such that it is easy to enjoy a luxurious life at a reduced cost. There are lots of summer activities in Dubai, whether you want to have some family time in the city, explore its culture, or simply enjoy a fresh breeze out of the sun and get entertained, despite the force of summer.
Top Summer Activities in Dubai
What to do in Dubai in summer? The following are a few best things to enjoy in summer. Let's dig in.
1. Dubai Underwater Zoo and Aquarium
Enter the Dubai Mall, and you will hit the largest suspended aquarium in the world. There are over 30,000 sea creatures in the Dubai aquarium, i.e., sharks, rays, colourful fish that other people can see through a huge glass panel.
Passing the 48 metres tunnel, it seems that this is the ocean itself. It has an oceanarium named the Underwater Zoo adjacent to the aquarium, where you will find fun-loving otters, penguins, and the crowd puller King Croc, who is one of the largest reptiles on earth. It is an ideal place to escape the sun, especially for those with inquisitive kiddies.
- Location: Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai
- Timings: Mon – Fri: 10 am–10:15 pm, Sat & Sun: 10 am–11:15 pm
2. Smash Room Dubai
Got some pent-up energy? You release it in the Smash Room. This indoor attraction, in Al Quoz, will provide you with a room packed with old TVs, printers, and plates, a bat or a hammer, and a safety outfit. Your mission? Smash everything in sight. It is half treatment and half adrenal burst.
It is a normal part of a hangout since parties of friends make reservations together and make the activity more relaxed. You can even carry your own things in case you have something personal that you would like smashing. It is sloppy, noisy, and very gratifying.
- Location: Umm Suqeim St - Al Quoz
- Timings: 1–10 pm
3. Dubai Kartdrome
One of the best karting tracks can be found in the Dubai Autodrome. Kartdrome also has its indoor and outdoor circuits, and as such, you could choose which one to use depending on your mood. The circuits will span a 1.2 km outdoor circuit with 17 corners that will provide you with a challenge in steering abilities.
The indoor track with conditioning is ideal in families with young drivers as young as seven years old. The entire infrastructure is professional, with lap timing systems and safety officials, hence you are thinking that you are having a mini Formula One race.
- Location: Motor City
- Timings: 9 am–5 pm
4. Ski Dubai
Taking a stroll out of the desert mall in the hot season, and the next minute, you are in a winter wonderland. That's Ski Dubai. One of the best places to visit in Dubai in summer, which you can experience in the Mall of the Emirates, is this indoor ski resort occupying 22,500 square metres, where you feel like being cooler than cool.
When it's time to ski, snowboard, toboggan, or simply create a snowman, the temperature is always at a chilly -1 to -2°C (30-28°F). You can localise penguin faces, and there you play with gentoo, king penguins. Desert and snow make for a surreal mix that cannot resist a summer escape.
- Location: Mall of the Emirates, Al Barsha
- Timings: Mon – Fri: 10 am–11 pm, Sat & Sun: 9 am–12 am
5. Dubai Ice Rink
In case snow is not your hobby, you can try some skating on smooth ice instead. Dubai Ice Rink, an Olympic-sized indoor rink in Dubai Mall, is perfect for cooling down. It provides environmentally friendly programmes such as public skating, ice disco with music and lights, and even beginner skating lessons.
Skates and safety gear are provided to both children and adults, and it is a safe, yet exhilarating, afternoon outing. During breaks, you are able to have a bite at one of the rink-side cafes or go to the mall.
- Location: Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai
- Timings: 10 am–12 pm
6. iFly Dubai
Have you ever wanted to experience skydiving, but aren't quite as bold as to jump out of the airplane? iFly Dubai can create the experience without the fear. Within a vertical novel wind tunnel at City Centre Mirdif, you will be floating a few metres off the ground as the strong blasts of air support you.
Well-trained instructors lead you through the experience, and your safety is ensured even for beginners. Due to a whim, it is possible to use the virtual reality flight simulator to fly through the most renowned landscapes. It is one of the best places to visit in the city in summer.
- Location: City Centre Mirdif, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road
- Timings: 12–10 pm
7. Dubai Dolphinarium
The Dubai Dolphinarium is both an entertainment and learning center in a single air-conditioned establishment. At this park, dolphins and sea lions can perform amazing tricks, which include jumping through rings, painting, and dancing with trainers.
Children like the interactive parts, and the grown-ups are often amazed at how entertaining the shows can become. Beyond the performance, the Dolphinarium has swimming with dolphins as well as a mirror maze going on, which makes it more than a one-stop shop show. It is family-friendly and an ideal way of exposing children to ocean life.
- Location: Dubai Dolphinarium Building, Inside the Creek Park Gate 1
- Timings: 9 am–7 pm
8. Escape Rooms
Escape rooms are a sensation in Dubai summer activities, and the summer season is the best time to experience one. It is an easy, yet enticing idea: you and your friends are in a locked room with a theme and must sort out puzzles, crack the codes, and discover secrets until the clock runs out.
Popular concepts are haunted houses, prison escapes, and treasure hunts. It is a highly interactive game that makes your intellect active as it keeps you warm and cosy.
Locations:
- Hysteria Dubai at Financial Centre Rd, Downtown Dubai
- Escape Reality Dubai at Indigo Sky, Sheikh Zayed Road
- Escape Hunt Dubai at The Galleria Mall, Al Wasl
- No Way Out Dubai at HDS Business Centre, JLT
- Hint Hunt Dubai at Times Square Center, Al Quoz
9. The Green Planet
There is a tropical rainforest in the centre of City Walk, but within the biosphere is a giant glass biodome. More than 3000 plants and animals (toucans and sloths, snakes and exotic insects) call the Green Planet their home.
Strolling along the damp tropical terrain is as if you have entered the Amazon - even without leaving Dubai. The highlight is a large indoor tree that surrounds the four storeys of both levels. It is a relaxing, informative experience that inculcates fun and conservation awareness.
- Location:City Walk - Al Wasl
- Timings: 10 am–6 pm
10. Flyboarding
Flyboarding is the summer activity of choice for lovers of water sports. Securely strap a jet board powered by water energy, and within a few seconds, the jet can launch you several metres above the sea. According to the instructors, those who are beginners should understand the skills to balance and maneuver, whereas more advanced riders get a chance to execute flips and spins.
The majority of the sessions that occur are on beaches such as the Jumeirah or the Palm Jumeirah, the scenery with the skyscrapers in the background and the Burj Al Arab, makes the situation even more surreal. It is fun, water, and pure adrenaline.
- Locations: SeaWake Water Sports at Dubai Marina and Water Adventure Dubai at Jumeirah Beach Residences (JBR)
Other Things to Do in Summer
Aquaventure Waterpark: It is among the biggest waterparks in the world, located in Atlantis The Palm. Funky predictions: giant slides, a lazy river, the infamous "Leap of Faith" slide across a shark tank, and a marine life interaction.
Wild Wadi Waterpark: The other well-known water park that provides attractions and rides friendly to the family. Categorised as open all year long, and a fun water escape in the hot months.
Museum of Illusions: Exhibition, museum of optical illusions, museum of changing minds, virtual interaction - great venue to have fun and take creative selfies.
Closing In
Summer in Dubai does not need to be avoided, but needs to be approached in different ways. The city has perfected the art of overcoming the heat with international indoor spots, adrenaline-charged water parks, and cultural landmarks.
Flown around the desert skiing at Ski Dubai or venturing inside a rainforest at The Green Planet or chilling in an ice lounge, something suits all travellers. Dubai confirms that adventure, relaxing, and exploration do not take breaks due to the weather and just shift to the indoors or to the water.
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