DUBAI – tips, info, visas

“Whoever said winning isn’t everything doesn’t know Dubai.”

 

When to visit Dubai?

If you’re in for the thrill, you might as well go during summer.

If you want to leave the room and go sightseeing without experiencing instant meltdown, try winter. For instance, while I was writing this article, there were 26 degrees outside-10:00 A.M (January).

How to get there?

Well, before starting to cram your mind with questions such as ‘what seat shall I choose?’ or ‘’Where to go first?’ there is, of course, the question of visa.

Keep in mind that travellers from countries not listed below will need to arrange a visa in advance of travel:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vatican City. 

If your country of nationality appears on the list I presented, no advance visa arrangements are required to visit the UAE. Simply disembark your flight at Dubai International Airport and proceed to Immigration, where your passport will be stamped with a 30-day visit visa free of charge.

If you are from a country not listed above, you must know that there are three ways of getting a visa for Dubai:

  • Through the tourism agency which talked you into collaborating- for 1 or 2 weeks;
  • Through the agency that you are flying with (I‘ve heard not such good stories about visas through airline companies, anybody care to confirm or not?)
  • Individuals (relatives or friends) already residents in the UAE may subject to guidelines, also apply on your behalf for a Visit Visa, the person doing so has to pay am amount of 5000 dhs (1000 euro), which will return to the lucky owner when the individual leaves the country.

 

How to get from the airport uptown?

Tarom as well as Fly Dubai have as landing point the old airport-from where you can grab the subway.

As for WizzAir, the landing point shifts to the biggest airport of The Middle East- Al Maktoum. Further on, a cab is around 70 Dirhams to the Mall area of the Emirates, and it can be found right outside the airport.

Another option would be the F55 bus, with compliments of the Sheikh, for the price of 2.3  Dirham-for this, keep in mind that you need  a RTA card.

The bus runs between 7:00 and 00:00, once every hour, having as a bus stop Ibn Battuta-here is the place where you can obviously take it back to the airport.

 

Other tips and tricks:

  • You have to know that wrapping your luggage is about 20 Dhs;
  • Since March 2014 you (as a Romanian citizen) don’t need visa anymore. Just go to the airport and make a run for it. Simple as that;
  • According to the recently enforced law, the cab cannot be shared with someone else, although going the same direction, unless they have the same stop as you. Besides this, there are no other cab stations except airports and malls. The gas being so cheap, it’s more advantageous to pick up people on their way than waiting for orders;
  • Fridays till 13:00 o’clock, you will not find any subways running (they must also be at prayer);
  • A ride with the Gold Class Metro –up front, from where you can film/photograph is 3.5 Dirham.

 

This article (and more to come) is partly written – here the original – and fully translated by Ruxandra Stăncioiu, my SuperCoWorker.

 <I could say about myself that I have a rather audacious sense of humour, summed up by the words of Laurell K. Hamilton: “When in doubt, ignore and be horribly unimpressed”>

 

Featured photo & Photo album: personal. More photos here.

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