Dubai sits along the shores of the Arabian Gulf. It naturally has many beaches because of that. There are a number of artificial islands that create even more beaches. Considering its size, the number of beaches in Dubai is staggering. Public beaches in Dubai are accessible to anyone for free anytime of the day, whereas private beaches charge entry fees.
Best free beaches to visit in Dubai
So, which beach should you go to? Why not all of them? OK, which one should you visit first? Here is a list of public beaches in Dubai ranked from bottom to top.
7. Sunset beach (Umm Suqeim Beach)
This beach offers a fantastic view of the Burj al Arab. Umm Suqueim beach is a place to enjoy the sunset with the iconic luxury hotel in the background. The beach is in front of the Umm Suqeim park
Sunset beach is called so because there are two large light posts on the beach which lets you swim even after sunset. These lamp posts powered by solar panels turn on automatically with the nightfall. This is the only beach in Dubai where you can swim after sunset until midnight.
But night swimming is not allowed everywhere at the beach. 125 meters long area along the sea is lit 30 meters into the sea. You are only allowed to swim in this illuminated part. When the time for swimming is over, lamps switch off on their own, which signals that everyone should get out of the water.
Sunset is the best time to visit the beach. But despite the location, it does not get too crowded.
Facilities on the beach
There are some other facilities on the beach as well. There are restaurants, toilets, shower rooms, changing rooms, and toilets on the beach. Another cool thing about the beach is that it has a beach library. You don’t have to bring your own book if you want to sunbath while reading. Instead, you can choose from the collection of books in the library. You don’t have to pay a penny to read them. If you don’t want to read on the beach beds, that’s fine too. Get one of those bean bag chairs near the library.
It is easy to find the Sunset beach because of its location near the Burj al Arab hotel and Wild Wadi water theme park. You need not bring water or snacks to the beach because you have shops all over the beach to buy them. Though the parking lots are scarce near the beach, you can easily get to the beach on public transport or taxi.
6.Black Palace beach
The Black Palace beach is known by other names, including the secret beach and Al Sufouh beach. The main attraction of the beach is that it is never busy. During some times of the day, you may find yourself and only a few others on the beach.
The beach sits between a cluster of royal palaces and a line of date palms that only leaves a small entrance to the beach. The entrance to the beach is something that’s easily missed if you are not looking for it. There are no large sign boards to show the way.
The downside is that there aren’t any facilities on the beach. No restaurants, no shops, no toilets. That’s also the reason why tourists do not frequent here as they do in other places. There is a lifeguard post, though.
Black palace beach offers a great escape for a romantic evening. You can easily find a spot where you will have privacy and can enjoy the sunset with your partner.
Facilities on the beach
Nor are there any water sports options on the beach. The water here is shallow, which makes it unsuitable for water sports. But that has another advantage. You can bathe in the water even if you don’t know how to swim. Even kids can go a little into the sea.
When you come to spend time at the secret beach, be sure to bring your own snacks and water. Also, there are no changing rooms. So if you plan to swim, then bring a large towel with you. Al Sufouh Beach is a great place to spend time with family. Even though facilities on the beach are less, it’s the privacy that attracts the people
One more excellent thing about the beach is that you can enjoy the views of many landmarks of Dubai at once. The beach is in the middle of the Burj al Arab and the palm island. That means no matter which direction you look, the view is great. You can even see Ain Dubai, which is on the Bluewaters island near the horizon, although tiny.
Getting to this beach, but is not easy. You will still have to walk more than a kilometer even if you take the public bus to the nearest stop. There is no metro access, either. So you will be better off if you come in your own car or a taxi.
5. Jumeirah beach
The water sports capital in Dubai. Because Jumeirah beach is 7 kilometers long, there is enough space for all kinds of entertainment to exist side by side. From jet skiing, kite surfing and parasailing, whatever sports you are into, Jumeirah has it. There are spaces allocated for beach volleyball and football.
This is the most visited beach in Dubai. Jumeirah Beach is popular among both the residents of Dubai and the tourists. But during the tourist season in Dubai, it will be mostly tourists. The Jumeirah beach is also next to Burj Al Arab but on the opposite side of the Umm Suqeim beach. The beach extends from the iconic hotel to the Palm Jumeirah island.
Facilities on the beach
There are some world-class restaurants and resorts along the beach. These restaurants bring cuisines from different parts of the world to one neighborhood. There is a rubberized jogging track, to excite the runners.
Apart from the fun, there are places near the beach to learn about the heritage and history of Dubai. Jumeirah Mosque, famed for its beauty, offers guided tour of the mosque for Muslims and non-Muslims. The guided tours are conducted by Sheikh Muhammad Center for Cultural Understanding, which aims at bringing an open conversation between different cultures.
Jumeirah Beach Park is an excellent place for children to spend time. The park has undergone renovations in the past year, making it even better than before for families. Furthermore, Wild Wadi water theme park is right next to the beach.
Jumeirah beach, being right in the middle of the old and new Dubai, has great accessibility from both sides. The area near Jumeirah beach is surrounded by upscale residences, hotels, and resorts. The beach is just walking distance away from Burj Al Arab.
If you are looking for some quiet time on the beach, Jumeirah is not the place because of the crowd. But even then, if you come here early in the morning, you will find it nearly empty. But the crowd grows steadily over the day until sunset, after which people are not allowed to be in the sea.
4. Mamzar beach
The most popular beach among the expats in the UAE. Mamzar beach is, in fact, five beaches joined together; Nouras, Sadaf, Murjan, Flamingo, and Danah.
There is an amazing park on the beach that covers an area of over one hundred hectares. Because the park is so vast, you will need to get on the park train if you want to see inside.
Facilities on the beach
Although the beach is free, the park has a nominal entry fee. The park is pretty green replete with play area and arcade games center for kids and green grass for grown ups to laze. There is also a virtual learning center aimed at children.
There is a small skate park, ample toilets, showers, shade umbrellas, eateries and upscale beach cabins. To increase the quality of the air, the buildings on the beach uses special paints that reduce air pollution and absorb carbon dioxide.
Snorkeling and swimming are great activities to consider when you visit Mamzar. You can even swim in the pool inside the park. The areas where kids can swim are marked separately.
Mamzar beach park is a nice place to picnic. There are barbecue spots and charging stations that harvest energy from the sun. You can charge your phone wirelessly on the smart park benches.
The beach is located near Sharjah. Therefore, a lot of Sharjah residents come here during weekends. You won’t see many tourists here. One downside of Mamzar is that there are no metro stations nearby. The closest one to the beach is Al Qiyadah, from where you can take a bus. It can be quite crowded in the evening, especially on weekends.
3. Kite Beach
Another beach located just off of Jumeirah street. Kite beach offers a slew of water sports facilities. This beach is particularly famed for kitesurfing and hence the name. Besides that, there are many other attractions on the beach. Food trucks are a big thing on the beach. You can see a whole bunch of them with enough varieties to satiate your taste buds.
Facilities on the beach
Kite beach is a wheelchair friendly place. It was the first beach to be made easier for people of determination to come and visit. There are fitness areas on the beach with some basic work out machines by Magnum. They offer training sessions in martial arts which is not free.
There is a small beach library that stands solitary near the boardwalk. You can borrow a book from here for free. On weekends, the sky is dotted with bright colors of kites, and you can see people dangling beneath it on their boards. There is a special area only for kitesurfing.
This beach is a nice place to visit every now and then if you are a fitness enthusiast. Apart from the work out machine, there are separate tracks for joggers and cyclists with distance markers. The tracks stretch for fourteen kilometers along the beach.
The uniquely-Meraas Instagram worthy locations are present here as well, although, not so abundant as in La Mer. There is a small yet pretty water theme park on the beach called Splash n Pretty. The skate park, but is more suitable for beginner skateboarders. Adventurous minds will like the obstacle course on the beach.
Kite beach is right in the middle of being busy or quiet. Even though a lot of people come here, you will be able to find a comfortable place for yourself.
A fun thing to try if you have a flair for overtly adventurous things is bungee swing. It is totally safe for anyone who is above the age of 10 and does not have any severe physical ailments. Xpark Jr is a safe and fun play area for kids where they can climb over things and explore on their own.
2. La Mer
In french, la Mer means ‘the beach’. But in reality, it’s so much more than a beach. It can be better described as an entertainment and shopping district by the sea. It is also a fairly new addition to the list of attractive beaches in Dubai.
Facilities on the beach
There is an innovative inflatable bounce park Hawa Hawa for younger kids. The design of this park ensures safety without compromising fun.
As the Jumeirah beach has Wild Wadi, La Mer has Laguna water park. The water park, like the rest of La Mer is fairly new and a bit smaller in comparison to other water parks in Dubai. The park is still expanding. Usually, wave simulators in parks are in just one direction. But Laguna water park has taken it to the next level with a 180-degree wave simulator, which is one of the only three in the world. The park also has some cool slides and rivers worth checking out.
La Mer is a place for shopping and eating out. There are all kinds of branded shops and retail outlets. La Mer has two parts — North and South. Though that doesn’t mean much, that’s a thing. Other sections of the beach have names as well. Because the beach is so large and full of shops that look almost similar, these names help you navigate through the beach.
The beach and everything in it are so modern. There are murals on the walls, and modern art sculptures sprinkled throughout the beach for the younger generation who love social media. That makes La Mer a hip spot to visit even if you are not so much into shopping. You can rent the cabanas near the beaches or simply do sunbathing under a beach umbrella. There are wide walkways and boulevards. La Mer beach is also a water sports center.
1. The Beach at JBR
Finally, the winner and one of the best beaches to visit in Dubai. There is a slew of things that make The Beach, the best beach in Dubai. One of the things is that it is the closest beach to Dubai Marina. Another thing is that it is the beach with most facilities and the most beautiful landscaping in Dubai. There is everything here that you will need to have fun.
Although the design of the buildings may look like La Mer at first sight, you will understand that JBR has its own unique signature. Interestingly, Both The Beach and La Mer are by the same company — Meraas — known for its radical approach to design.
Facilities on the beach
You can enjoy a delicious dinner while enjoying the panoramic view of the sea and Dubai cityscape while being tens of meters up in the air. Dine in the sky has dinner packages that only costs 80 dirhams. That’s a steal considering the experience.
You will see yachts left and right sailing to the sea and back to Marina all the time. Marina is where most of the yachts in Dubai are. You can easily hire a yacht from here.
While other beaches have water theme parks, JBR took it one notch above by building a park in the water. The inflatable water park in JBR is the largest in the world. The waterpark is open from morning 9 to sunset. After sunset, don’t dabble in the water.
Apart from that, there are innumerable eateries, cafes, multi-cuisine restaurants, open-air gyms, cinema houses, numerous parks and play areas, and whatnot. Al these together combine together to make it a chic place to hang out.
JBR beach offers a great view of Buewaters island and the magnificent Dubai Eye Ferris Wheel. There is a kilometer long footbridge from The Beach to Bluewaters island. You can take a ferry ride if you don’t want to walk.
