Between June and September, Dubai outdoors in the middle of the day is not a plan. Forty degrees with humidity off the Gulf turns a walk between two buildings into something you remember for the wrong reasons. The city knows this and has built accordingly: there is more to do indoors here than in most places, and the summer rates are a fraction of the winter ones. Our guide to things to do in Dubai marks which of these work in the heat.

Ski Dubai

An indoor ski slope inside Mall of the Emirates, held at minus two degrees. Jackets, boots and gloves are provided. There are five runs, a snow park with tobogganing and a chairlift, and penguins.

Walking from forty degrees into snow is a genuinely strange thirty seconds and worth doing once. Two hours is the right length. From AED 220 for a Snow Park and slope pass.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

In the Dubai Mall, which makes it easy to combine with something else. The ten million litre tank is visible free from the mall floor; the ticket gets you the walk through tunnel and three floors of the zoo above it, including otters, crocodiles and a king croc that is genuinely large.

From AED 135 for Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo entry. Ninety minutes.

The Green Planet

An indoor rainforest in a glass cube, built around a man made tree with around three thousand plants and animals living in it. Sloths, snakes, birds and a flooded forest floor on the lowest level. Small, cool and good for younger children who will not last a full day anywhere else.

From AED 120 for The Green Planet entry.

Museum of the Future

The ring on Sheikh Zayed Road with calligraphy across it. Inside are themed floors on space, ecology, wellbeing and future technology, plus a children's area. It is as much an experience as a museum and the building alone justifies the visit.

From AED 149 for timed entry. Allow two hours. Book ahead, because slots sell out.

AYA Universe

Twelve immersive light and sound rooms in WAFI Mall. No rides, no queues, nothing to be scared of, and it photographs extraordinarily well. Around ninety minutes.

From AED 105 for AYA Universe entry.

Observation decks

All air conditioned, all indoors, all better in summer than you expect because the haze lifts in the late afternoon.

Water parks, which count as indoors in practice

You are in the water, which changes the calculation entirely. Aquaventure at Atlantis from AED 205 and Wild Wadi from AED 249 both run all summer and both are busiest at weekends. Go on a weekday, start at opening, and take proper sun protection: being wet does not stop you burning. Yas Waterworld on Yas Island is the third of them, adding 43 rides and a ninety minute drive, from AED 265.

A workable summer day

  1. Morning, from opening: the one outdoor thing you want to do, finished by 11:00.
  2. Midday to late afternoon: indoors. Aquarium, Green Planet, Museum of the Future, Ski Dubai, a mall.
  3. Evening, from 18:00: the city becomes usable again Fully indoors, the La Perle aqua theatre show runs in the evening whatever the temperature outside.. Dhow cruise, souks, Marina walk, desert safari, decoded.

This is why our premium desert safari picks up in the afternoon rather than the morning, and why the Marina dhow cruise boards after dark.

What summer actually gets you

Hotel rates fall sharply. Attractions are quieter on weekdays. Restaurant tables that need booking weeks ahead in January are available the same day. If your plan is built around indoor attractions and evenings, summer is a reasonable time to visit and a considerably cheaper one.

Practical notes

  • Carry water everywhere and drink more than you want to.
  • Take a layer. Indoor air conditioning in Dubai is set cold.
  • Midday taxis are scarce outside malls. Plan where you are being collected from.
  • Car interiors reach dangerous temperatures within minutes. Never leave anyone in one.
  • Ramadan timings move attraction hours. Check before you travel if your dates fall inside it.