Dubai is one of the most happening cities in the world. So, the list of things to do in Dubai is so long that we’ve created a separate detailed 7 Day Dubai itinerary for it. However, exploring the urban behemoth is a whole different task if you’re traveling to Dubai with kids like we did.
Therefore, we’ve created this thorough list of our favorite things to do in Dubai with kids. Please note, we haven’t included the most obvious things like going atop the Burj Khalifa or taking a 360 degree view of Dubai in Ain Dubai: The World’s Largest Observation wheel! These must be included in any Dubai Itinerary. This article is about the things you must do in Dubai with kids.
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But first, let’s answer two most important questions!
What is the best area to Stay in Dubai with family?
The best area to stay in Dubai with kids for a vacation is in Jumeirah Beach Residences (JBR) . It is a short cab ride away from most of the kid friendly locations mentioned in this article. Also, most of the hotels in JBR have children friendly amenities like a kids pool and a children’s playground!
It is close to a lot of great restaurants and eateries, while the whole area is connected by a tram that connects to the city metro. If you want more information on where to book your hotel, refer to our separate blog post on the best area to stay in Dubai.
How to Get Around Dubai?
The most cost-effective way to get around Dubai is by using the city metro. However, if you’re a party of four including children, a taxi is a more convenient and economical option. Download the Careem app – the Uber of Dubai. You can book a cab as well as order food too, which is an added convenience.
Now that we’ve cleared the basics, let’s explore all the things you need to do in Dubai with kids.
Here are some of our favorite things to do in Dubai with kids:
Aquaventure water park
Dolphin encounter
Lost Chambers aquarium
The Green planet
Miracle Garden
Motiongate Dubai
Legoland Dubai
Legoland Waterpark
Ski Dubai
Dubai Ice Rink
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo
Candylicius
Kidzania
IMG Worlds of Adventure
Dubai Dolphinarium
Dubai Chill Out lounge
VR park at Play DB
Infinity des Lumieres
Read on to know what to expect, where to buy tickets and how much to budget for a trip to Dubai with kids!
Things to Do in Dubai with kids: Aquaventure Water Park
Located inside the iconic Atlantis The Palm (which by the way, is the best place you can live in Dubai with kids), Aquaventure Water Park has something for each member of your family! The adults can chill on a tube in the wave pool, the kids can play in the Splasher’s kids area and teenagers can enjoy the 105 award winning slides and attractions! There are also a ton of group activities that you can indulge in for some guaranteed family fun!
Tickets to Aquaventure Water Park are free if you’re living in Atlantis. Otherwise, they need to be bought in advance as ticket counters were closed since the COVID 19 pandemic.
Dolphin meet and greet is another amazing offering in Aquaventure water park. You and your kids can meet and play with amicable and friendly dolphins under the guidance of experts. This activity might become the highlight of your trip to Dubai with kids.
Tickets to the Dolphin Experience need to be purchased separately. There are limited slots available per day, so make sure you pre-book them here!
Another highly recommended offering of Atlantis the Palm, is the Lost Chambers Aquarium. The aquarium has a total of 21 exhibits and the main ambassador lounge houses 65,000 species of marine life! If you’re staying in Atlantis, entry is free. If not, you need to buy the passes separately over here.
Also, if your kids are of the appropriate age, you can enroll them for a dive experience in the Lost Chambers! Instead of the unpredictable sea, this dive shall take place in the ambassador lagoon with the marine life. What’s more if you’re not joining them, you can see your children from outside the tank as they enjoy their first dive!
Your Dive ticket shall include one day pass to the Lost Chambers Aquarium as well! There are limited slots available per day, so it’s best to book your tickets in advance.
The green planet is an indoor tropical rainforest sustaining over 3000 plants and animals. The Dome houses toucans, squirrel monkeys, cockatoos and even Anacondas! All of this is in a sustainable and suitable environment under the guidance and vigilance of experts.
This activity shall not only be recreational but also educational for your kids as they learn the delicate balance of nature and value the world’s oldest living ecosystem. It is definitely one of our favorite family activities in Dubai. Book your ticket in Advance.
Another beautiful, man-made marvel of nature (ironic, right?) in Dubai, is the Dubai Miracle Garden. The garden is 72,000 square metre paradise with 150 million flowers arranged to create world class attractions!
Our favourite are the Emirates A380, the floral clock and the Smurf Village! There are also other attractions like the sunflower field, floral castles and the floating lady, to name a few.
The miracle garden is closed during the summer months and reopens in November, which is also the best time visit.
Part of the Dubai Parks and Resorts venture, Motiongate Dubai is the quintessential Dubai theme park if your kids love animated movies! They have rides themed as per Kung Fu Panda, the Smurfs, Hotel Transylvania, Madagascar, How To train your Dragon and Shrek!
The theme park is a lot similar to Universal Studios, however, we loved the Character meet and greet in Motiongate more. Do not miss this if you’re traveling to Dubai with kids!
It’s best to buy your tickets in advance to avoid queuing and the consequent child crankiness.
If your children are aged between 2 to 12 years, you must visit Legoland! What’s more, this might be the only theme park where a child needs to accompany an adult and not the other way round! Legoland has over 40 immersive rides, shows, building experiences and exhibits that are specifically designed for children. It is the perfect place for some immersive family fun.
You and your kids shall visit the lego factory, fly a plane, build cars, Go on an underwater submarine adventure and ride the dragon coaster through the King’s castle!
In the end, visit the Miniland where Dubai’s iconic skyline and key landmarks has been recreated using 20 million Lego bricks!
An extension of Legoland, the Legoland water park is the only waterpark in the region designed specifically for kids aged 2-12 years old! Our favourite was the “Build your Own Raft” activity where you can float around the lazy river in your own design! It has 20 water slides and attractions and can be combined very easily to your trip to Legoland next door!
Ski Dubai is an indoor snow park and ski resort for adults as well as kids, located in the Mall of the Emirates. You can buy a Snow Park Classic pass online and enjoy all the amazing activities with your kids. These activities include Bobsledding, Tubing, Snow Bumpers, Giant Snow Ball Zorbing and many more! This Classic pass allows you access to all the rides including the chairlifts and Mountain Thriller!
The ticket includes snow gear, i.e. winter jackets, winter trousers, snow boots, fleece gloves and helmets that are compulsory for children under 13 years of age.
If you and your children enjoy skiing, we recommend booking the 2 hour or full day slope session here. You will also be able to get lessons from qualified instructors. The ticket includes equipment rental and ski gear. Take this option if you and your kids are experienced skiers. Otherwise, the snow park is a lot more popular among children.
Things to Do in Dubai with kids: Dubai Ice Rink
The Dubai ice rink is a wonderful activity that your entire family shall enjoy in Dubai. The ice rink is located on the top floor of the Dubai Mall and is the biggest ice rink in Dubai. This activity is one of our favorite things to do in Dubai with kids as it not only provides refuge from Dubai’s heat, but is also a super-fun family activity!
The general ticket includes ice skates rental and access to the public area of the ice rink. If you or your child is a beginner, you shall also get a free fun skating aid. These skating aids are in the form of cute penguins and a re a great confidence booster for first time skaters.
We recommend booking a DJ ticket that involves music, lights and SNOWFALL!! Your kids will definitely love this experience!
The Dubai Aquarium and Underwater zoo is one of the best things to do in Dubai Mall. It holds the largest suspended tank in the world with 10 million litres of water and 33,000 marine creatures!
The tank can be viewed from the mall itself and is one of the free things to do in Dubai.
However, for the complete experience for your family, we recommend getting the tickets to the underwater zoo. The zoo includes a 48-meter-long, 270-degree glass tunnel where you can see various aquatic species including sharks, manta-rays, sting-rays and hundreds of others!
Ever seen how happy kids are in a Candy store? Well, Candylicious is another of our favorite things to do in Dubai Mall, if you have kids. It is situated right across the Dubai aquarium and underwater zoo.
This is one of the biggest candy stores in the world displaying over 5,500 varieties of sweetmeats! You shall find yourself surrounded by gigantic bars of chocolate, trees with gigantic lollipops hanging over your heads and a whole wall of candy jars you can mix and match for that perfect bag of candy!
Kidzania Dubai is located in the Dubai Mall and is a one of our highly recommended things to do in Dubai Mall for kids! Here, your children get to role-play various professions, like a baker, doctor, firefighter and many more. They will be doing this under the guidance of experts who shall take care of them like their own.
This is a very convenient activity in Dubai Mall, where you can drop your kids and spend some time shopping in Dubai Mall. Once you’re done, you’ll return to happy kids, who would’ve learnt something new and with great pictures that the staff clicks for them. A win-win!
You can’t go to Dubai with kids and not visit the World’s largest indoor theme park! Your children can choose from 5 adventure zones including Marvel, Cartoon Network and the Lost Valley! It is a must visit place for everyone who is visiting Dubai with the entire family!
If you don’t get a chance to experience the Dolphin encounter in Aquaventure Water Park, catch the energetic Dolphin show in the Dubai Dolphinarium. The show lasts for about 45 minutes and showcases the performance of seals and bottle nose dolphins! Kids love this activity as they see the dolphins dancing, singing, juggling and painting!
💡Pro Tip: If you chose the afternoon show at 2: 00 PM, it includes a bonus illusion performance not included in any other shows.
The chill out lounge is probably the only place in the middle east that features ice sculptures! The place is entirely made up of ice including the décor and the furniture! When we visited, it instantly became a super unique experience for the kids and the adults as well!
Your entry ticket will include sub-zero temperature appropriate clothing, an hour in the beautiful lounge and a complimentary drink like a hot chocolate!
If you want your kids to experience something completely unique and out of this world, take them to the VR Park in the Play DXB. Virtual reality is a very recent concept and the possibilities for entertainment are endless!
It’s a first of its kind VR theme park in Dubai and the set up of the whole place is futuristic.
Kids and their parents can indulge in the countless number of VR games and rides that add an entirely new dimension to their Dubai trip. Our favorites was the Dubai Drone where you fly over Dubai like a drone and see the entire city from a bird’s eye point of view.
Infinity de Lumieres is Dubai’s first digital art museum. The displays are interactive and an absolute hit among children. In their own words “Art allows children to explore different realities, which in turn will boost their creativity and widen their imagination.” It is not only an educational but also a fun activity for children in Dubai.
So, these were our favorite things to do in Dubai with kids. If you are visiting with kids who are above 12 years of age, you can take them skydiving in Dubai. Kindly, refer our Dubai skydiving guide for details. If your children are interested in history and grandeur, take them to witness the gold and spice souks. They’re not only some of the free things to do in Dubai but are also a treat to their senses!
We hope that this article puts your worries at ease and illustrates that Dubai is not just a place for executives and expats but also kids! There is something for everyone in Dubai. Read our other blogs on Dubai like our detailed Dubai Itinerary and the best things to do in the Dubai mall to plan your trip to Dubai better!
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