United Arab Emirates

Summer is genuinely dangerous heat. Go between November and March

The UAE is seven emirates, though most visitors experience two. Dubai is the one that built itself into a global brand in about thirty years, all record-breaking towers, malls with ski slopes and a relentless commitment to being the biggest. Abu Dhabi, the capital, is wealthier, quieter and increasingly where the serious cultural investment goes.

The heat is the single most important planning factor. Between June and September temperatures regularly exceed 45 degrees with high humidity, and outdoor life essentially stops. Everything is air conditioned to compensate, but a summer trip means moving between cold boxes. From November to March it is genuinely lovely, which is why prices reflect it.

It is worth getting past the towers. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is one of the most beautiful modern religious buildings anywhere, and free to enter with appropriate dress. Sharjah has serious museums. The Hajar mountains in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah have wadis and hiking that almost no visitor sees. Alcohol is available in licensed venues, and public dress standards are more relaxed than neighbours but still worth respecting.

Annual events and festivals

• Ramadan (varies) — eating and drinking in public during daylight is restricted. Iftar buffets after sunset are a major social event.
• Eid al-Fitr (varies) — a multi-day holiday with fireworks and heavy discounting.
• Eid al-Adha (varies) — the second Eid, also a public holiday.
• Dubai Shopping Festival (Dec-Jan) — a month of sales, concerts and fireworks running since 1996.
• Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Nov-Dec) — the season finale, run partly at dusk at Yas Marina.
• UAE National Day (2 Dec) — marks the 1971 union, with flags, air displays and fireworks.
• Al Dhafra Camel Festival (Dec) — a camel beauty contest with enormous prize money in the western desert.
• Sharjah Light Festival (Feb) — projections onto mosques and heritage buildings.
• Dubai World Cup (Mar) — one of the richest horse races in the world.
• Abu Dhabi Art (Nov) — the main contemporary art fair, alongside the Louvre Abu Dhabi programme.