Dubai beaches: public beaches, hotel beaches and the rules

Dubai has two kinds of beach: public beaches, free or nearly so, along Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim and JBR, and private hotel beaches, reserved for guests or open by day pass. Swimming comes with rules: patrolled areas, flags and dress. This guide goes through them beach by beach, then season by season.

Public beaches

Kite Beach, Umm Suqeim

Kite Beach is Dubai's busiest public beach, looking out to the Burj Al Arab. Entry is free with no booking needed, and the beach is open day and night. You can rent kitesurfing, wakeboarding and paddleboarding gear, join a game of beach volleyball, or use the 14 km seafront track for walking and running. Part of the beach is floodlit and patrolled around the clock, so you can swim there from sunset to sunrise. Shops and activities open from 10 am to 10 pm; cafés and food trucks stay open until midnight from Thursday to Saturday.

Getting there: metro Red Line to InsuranceMarket station, then bus 81, or a taxi. See our page on Jumeirah.

Night-swimming beaches

Since 2023, Dubai Municipality has run three night-swimming beaches, at Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1. Each stretches 800 m and is lit, fitted with safety screens and patrolled by lifeguards from sunset to sunrise. Night swimming is allowed only in these zones, never elsewhere. In summer, when the sand is scorching by day, this is the best time to enjoy the sea.

Al Mamzar Beach Park, Deira side

North of Deira, Al Mamzar Beach Park brings together five beaches, three pools, lawns and play areas across 106 hectares. It opens from 8 am to 10 pm, later at weekends, and entry costs AED 5 (UAE dirhams) per person. Air-conditioned chalets can be hired for the day. It is a family beach, further from the hotel districts: take a taxi, or the metro Green Line to Al Qiyadah and then a bus.

JBR, below the Marina towers

The beach at JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence) runs in front of The Walk promenade and the Bluewaters observation wheel. Lively and lined with restaurants and beach clubs, it is easy to reach by tram or on the metro Red Line. See our page on Dubai Marina.

Hotel beaches and beach clubs

Most large hotels in Jumeirah, on the Palm and in the Marina have their own private beach, reserved for guests, with loungers, parasols, beach service and sometimes a kids' club. A few examples from Sabaro's selection:

• Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach: a 270 m natural private beach in Jumeirah 2;
• Banyan Tree Dubai: a 500 m private beach facing the Gulf and the Bluewaters wheel;
• Jumeirah Zabeel Saray: nearly a kilometre of beach on the Palm's crescent;
• Anantara The Palm: a 400 m private beach.

Other hotels sell day passes for the beach and pools, sometimes with dining credit: Dubai's tourist board mentions the Ritz-Carlton at JBR and the Waldorf Astoria on the Palm, for example. Beach clubs, plentiful on the Palm and at JBR, combine loungers, a pool, a restaurant and music, from family-friendly to party. Crowds and prices vary by season and day: book ahead at weekends. Our beach page gathers our seaside stays.

Beach rules

Dubai is more relaxed than the rest of the Emirates, but the law applies everywhere:

• Swimwear, bikinis included, is for the beach and the poolside only. Cover up to walk to a café or along a promenade.
• Topless sunbathing and nudity are strictly banned.
• Photographing people requires their consent, particularly women and children. Men have been arrested for photographing women on beaches.
• Public displays of affection, kissing included, can lead to arrest.
• Images of the security situation (impact sites, debris, emergency operations) must not be photographed or shared: it is a criminal offence. Our guide to Dubai and the regional situation has the details.
• During Ramadan, avoid eating and drinking in public on public beaches during the day; see our guide to Ramadan in Dubai.

Our guide to alcohol, dress and rules of conduct covers the rest.

Swimming safely

The sea looks calm, but rip currents can form on any beach and carry even strong swimmers out to sea. A few habits:

• swim only on a patrolled beach, with lifeguards and flags; on the main public beaches, lifeguards are on duty from sunrise to sunset;
• obey the flags: red, swimming prohibited; yellow, swim with caution; purple, dangerous marine life has been spotted;
• at night, stay within the lit, patrolled zones;
• on a jet ski, choose a reputable operator: accidents have been reported.

Sea and sun, month by month

Sea temperatures are a ten-year average; air temperatures are the 1991-2020 normals for the Dubai airport weather station.

• November to March: mild air and pleasant beach days from morning to evening. The sea drops to 22 °C in January and February: refreshing, which is when a hotel with a pool comes into its own.
• April, May and October: the sea is between 25 and 31 °C, ideal, with hot afternoons already.
• June to September: the water is above 32 °C and no longer cools you down; go to the beach early in the morning or after dark, on the night-swimming beaches. Our guide to Dubai in summer covers the precautions.