Dubai and Abu Dhabi have six major theme parks between them and they are not interchangeable. Each one is built around a different studio, a different age group and a different tolerance for heat. Picking wrong costs a day and a few hundred dirhams, so here is what each is actually like. For everything that is not a theme park, see our guide to things to do in Dubai.

IMG Worlds of Adventure

Indoor, which in this climate is the headline. Four zones covering Marvel, Cartoon Network, a dinosaur area and a haunted section. The Marvel rides are the strongest, and because the whole park is under one roof it works in July as well as it does in January.

Best for: mixed age groups, teenagers, and any day between May and September. From AED 185 for a full day pass.

Motiongate Dubai

Hollywood studios: DreamWorks, Sony and Lionsgate. Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Ghostbusters, The Hunger Games. Mostly outdoor, with the best rollercoasters of any park in the UAE and a strong show programme.

Best for: teenagers and adults who came for the rides. From AED 295 for a day pass. Avoid midsummer afternoons.

LEGOLAND Dubai

Built for ages two to twelve and honest about it. Miniland rebuilds the Dubai skyline in Lego and is better than it sounds. There is a separate water park next door. Teenagers will be finished by lunch.

Best for: young children. From AED 229 for park entry.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

Indoor, under a roof the size of several football pitches, and home to Formula Rossa, the fastest rollercoaster in the world at 240 km/h. The rest of the park is calmer than its reputation and there is plenty for younger children.

Best for: anyone who wants one genuinely extreme ride, and families who need to be indoors. From AED 305 for a Ferrari World day pass. It is in Abu Dhabi, so budget ninety minutes each way from Dubai.

Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi

Fully indoor and fully air conditioned, across six lands: Gotham City, Metropolis, Cartoon Junction, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros Plaza. Batman, Superman, Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo and the Flintstones. More themed walkthrough than white knuckle, and beautifully built.

Best for: families with children under ten, and for the hottest months. From AED 305 for a Warner Bros World day pass.

Global Village

Not a theme park, but it competes for the same evening. More than seventy country pavilions, a street food court, a funfair and nightly stage shows, open October to April only. It is the cheapest big day out in the city by a wide margin.

Best for: an evening rather than a day, any age, any budget. From AED 25 for Global Village entry.

Choosing by who you are travelling with

  • Children under 8: LEGOLAND, or Warner Bros World if the heat is a factor.
  • Children 8 to 12: IMG Worlds. Enough variety that nobody is too small for everything.
  • Teenagers: Motiongate for the coasters, Ferrari World for the one that will be talked about.
  • Adults without children: Motiongate, then Ferrari World.
  • A mixed group that cannot agree: IMG Worlds. It is the best compromise and it is indoors.

Choosing by month

From June to September, choose indoors and nothing else: IMG Worlds, Ferrari World, Warner Bros World. Outdoor parks in that window mean queueing in forty degree heat for a two minute ride, and the day ends early whatever you planned.

From November to March every park is comfortable all day, Global Village is open, and the outdoor parks are at their best.

Practical notes

  • Arrive at opening. The first ninety minutes are worth the rest of the day combined.
  • Lockers are needed for the bigger rides and are paid. Travel light.
  • Food inside is priced as you would expect. Most parks allow sealed water in.
  • Height restrictions are enforced strictly. Check them before you promise a child a particular ride.
  • Abu Dhabi parks need a transfer plan. Yas Island is a long way from a Dubai hotel at the end of a long day, and taxis at closing time are a queue. Our Abu Dhabi city tour from Dubai includes the transfer both ways and stops at Yas Island.

Booking

We supply entry tickets for all of these. Tickets are issued ahead of your visit so you are not at a box office window, and prices shown include taxes and fees. Each attraction is run by its own venue team, who welcome you on arrival.