Country of the month: 5 reasons to visit UAE this winter

CAIRO – 22 September 2017: There are countless reasons to recommend this country for Egyptian travelers; here are the top five reasons to visit this beautiful country:

1- You will shop till you drop
The United Arab Emirates is the perfect destination for shopaholics. This country has the largest shopping mall in the world in terms of total area, The Dubai Mall, besides many other attractive malls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Speaking of Dubai mall, it has 1,200 shops, the world’s largest aquarium, and views Dubai’s famous dancing fountain. It also has a room for book-shopping. Kinokuniya, the famous worldwide bookshop series has a huge 38,000 square feet wide store which encloses more than half a million books and about a thousand magazines in different languages.


1: Dubai Mall indoor by Shahroozporia. Courtesy: Creative Commons via Wikimedia


2: Dubai Fountain at Dubai Mall by dusk by: Donaldytong. Courtesy: Creative Commons via Wikimedia


3: Kinokuniya bookstore Dubai Mall. Source: Official Facebook page

2- Louvre Abu Dhabi & Dubai Opera
Planned to open on November 11, Louvre Abu Dhabi will display more than 600 artworks from around the world spanning from pre-history to the contemporary era. In addition to Middle Eastern artifacts and paintings, it will include works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, and Cy Twombly. It will also exhibit works of Islamic and Christian arts as well as representations of Asian deities.


4: Louvre Abu Dhabi. Source: Official Facebook page

Dubai Opera
As for Dubai Opera, it is the city’s first purpose built multi-format performing arts theatre that was opened in August 2016. It has an acoustic concert hall and a 2,000 square meters flat floor event space, the configuration will allow for approximately 2,000 seats for a concert and up to 1,000 for a gala dinner.

Both are wonderful destinations for culture and entertainment experiences.


5: Dubai Opera. Source: Official Facebook page

3- Safari
One cannot visit the inherent desert country without experiencing one of the world’s best safari trips in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. You can go either in a 4x4 vehicle, bike, or a camel, during the day or the night.


6: Safari in a 4x4 vehicle. Source: Safari in UAE website

4- Underwater Yoga
If you are a Yoga lover, you have to seriously consider visiting this country. Every now and then, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo organize yoga classes; an amazing experience you should never miss.


7: Underwater yoga. Source: Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo official Facebook page


8: Underwater yoga. Source: Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo official Facebook page

5- It is an important destination for photographers
If you are a professional or amateur photographer, the UAE will offer you a wide array of sights that are worth capturing. It has the top-rated Dubai airport, one of the world’s best skylines, beautiful mosques, parks, museums, art galleries, and vast deserts.



9: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi by Junhan Foong. Source: Unsplash


10: Dubai. Source: Pixabay

When you book your ticket to the UAE, check flights of different airlines and to different emirates, regardless where your hotel might be.
The best time to visit this country is in the winter, during which the Dubai shopping festival usually takes place.
Non-extendable tourist short term single entry visa of 30 days from arrival date costs 330 AED. But if the visa is of multiple entries, it will cost 650 AED.


11: Dubai at night. Source: Unsplash

Five tips before going to the UAE
- One Arab Emirati Dirham is equivalent to around LE 4.8.
- The 2018 shopping festival will be held from December 26 to January 28.
- When you are in Dubai, use the metro as your main means of transportation instead of taxi, this will save you loads of money.
- The UAE is a very safe country where you can stay out till midnight without worrying at all.
- The Emirati police officers are very helpful. If you lose something, do not hesitate to seek their help.