Driving in Dubai

How is driving in Dubai? Easy or difficult? Is language a problem? Do rental car companies provide us with good maps in English?

Thanks for your comments.

About 50% of Dubai's population is from India, and driving there is like driving in India--except they do stop at the lights. There are no useful maps, and those in GPS devices are not accurate. The road signs are very hard to read as they provide too much information (in two languages) and the one item you need to know (the route number) is in a small box with faint text. That said, driving the main highways is not particularly difficult. Getting to a specific off-the-main-road location is very hard.

If you want to visit the other cities and Emirates, then a rental car is good. For getting around Dubai itself, take a taxi.

Hi

Dubai itself is relatively easy to drive around ,good roads and layout .However if you are just there for a day or two and not going to Abu Dhabi or further afield just grab a taxi or use the excellent metro light rail both are cost effective options.

If you want to go to Abu Dhabi I would recommend a private tour they will drive you to the sights and look after you .

Our family love travelling to the UAE its one of our favourite destinations

We rented a car in Dubai and drove to Abu Dhabi for the day. Had a bit of trouble finding the main highway but it was a snap after that. No problems at all. And they brought the car to the ship.

Cheers, Dee

It can be very congested.

I wouldn't do it.

Keith

The main highways in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (E11 & E10) are multi lane highways that are in excellent shape and signed in both English and Arabic. Lane discipline is good but speed and changing lanes without signaling are common, reflecting the diverse driving styles of the population. If you will be staying for more than a couple of days and perhaps want to drive to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain or Sharjah there is a Thrifty car rental in "The Village" area of Dubai Mall. Explorer road maps are available at the large Kinokuniya Book store in the mall. However, if you are only there for a day or two just take advantage of the metered taxis to get around and avoid the stress. Within the city, street addresses are sometimes non-existent or changing with the continuous new developments. The Dubai metro runs along Sheik Zayed Road and easily takes you between Dubai Mall/Downtown/Burj Khalifa and Mall of the Emirates or Ibn Batuta Mall.

Not to forget an ABSOLUT ZERO alcohol limit when driving! Not only in Dubai, but all the other Emirates, Oman and Bahrain etc as well.

And if anything happens that involves an Arabic local, the accident will be assumed your fault.

You stop at an intersection and Mr. Dubai rear-ends you? Well, you shouldn't have stoped there....

Mr. Dubai runs straight into the side of your car? Well, you were too low getting out of the way.

If you want to stay in Dubai itself, TAXI and/or METRO. Cheap and safe.