Here are my TOP 5 picks for beaches in Dubai

Number 1: Kite Beach

Although finding parking place here is a true nightmare, Kite Beach is the one beach that I enjoyed the most. The huge space available let’s you find a good relaxing spot in short time. You can enjoy a great and long walking path going through the beach end-to-end. It’s a great way to have a bit of relaxing walk instead of laying on the beach and sunbathing all day long.

For those that are not a huge fans of lying on the sand and passively relaxing, Kite Beach offers an abundance of exercise activities to choose from. There are volleyball courts, open-air fitness classes and gyms and all kinds of sports to choose from. All and all - active way of spending your beach time here is a way to be.

Food wise, in the middle of the beach you will find a moderate sized food court with some snack options and a few restaurants. With decent pricing and welcoming atmosphere I enjoyed this place a lot. Extra plus (for me at least) was the Starbucks coffee trailer shop offering all of Starbucks goodness (Ice coffee was awesome!).

Oh, and the name “Kite Beach” comes from kiteboard activities that are practice over there a lot :)

So overall, Kite Beach offers the whole package, my score 5/5.

Number 2: Al Khan Beach

This is a very different beach than the tourist folders recommend. Purely local there are no fancy foodcourts so bring your own food and drinks. There is a small eating cantina right before the entrance next to the parking place (in case of a hunger emergency). If you are driving there hungry and you are looking for a quick bite and decent fresh juice before, you can have a stop at the Shabab Al Khan Cafeteria just a few blocks away from the beach.

At the beach parking is free and there was a lot of empty spots at the time I visited so definitely thumbs up for that. One thing to notice is that it’s not a fancy parking so do not feel frightened when while entering you will a bit like on the construction site :)

Besides this I had the best experience there. The beach is full of local people that want to interact with you, know your story and be friends with you. The music is playing and everyone is having fun. As I got there I was already invited to the match of volleyball. It’s a great experience to feel genuinely welcomed. Then I talked to two filipino ladies and they told me this is the local beach the local immigration part of Dubai come to visit. If you like fancy, skip this one. If you like local style, this beach should be at the top of your choices.

Number 3: Jumeirah Beach

Definitely best managed and wonderfully groomed beach. You have plenty of food options, nice walks and even a huge water slides (Laguna Waterpark by Meraas). It’s a great beach with pricy eating option and a valley parking for your car. If you are on the budget, come here just to enjoy the water. I got a hamburger and paid 98 Dirhams (c.a. 26$) for burger with coke (although a very good burger I might add —> Aprons & Hammers).

If you will come here, few blocks from the Jumeirah Beach is a Jumeirah Mosque. This is one of the few mosques operating under the “open door policy” allowing non-muslims to enter the mosque and visit the interiors. It is quite impressive. Check out my YouTube clip about it HERE

If you will come to the beach by car, remember there are some free parking spots at the road next to the beach (2 A St.) but they come out pretty fast so I would not count on them too much if you are here in the rush hours. Overall, superbly managed beach and surrounding area - although for me, a bit too much.

Number 4: JBR Beach

This beach is connected with the shopping centre and restaurants and is located in a placed right below the huge sky scrapers so it makes you feel a bit like you would be in the the city instead of the beach (at least the feeling I got). There are plenty of parking options in the paid parking space (e.g. I used the North Beach Entrance - Parking) if you will come by car and the view on the huge Alin Dubai Weel on the other site of the creek if a nice topping.

Tip: Parking is quite expensive (50 Dirhams / 12$) but if you eat at the restaurants near the beach for min. 100 Dirhams (25$) you will get the parking for free. Just make sure to ask the restaurant staff if they have this parking validation included and then ask your waiter to validate your parking ticket before you leave the restaurant.

Number 5: The Pointe Beach

This is a small beach at the very top of The Palm Three island (known also as the “The Palm Jumeirah“). Although it is a very small beach it has a quite impressive view of the Atlantis hotel and a shopping centre at the back. On the right from the beach there are the The Palm Fountain (Eastside) which is the biggest fountain show in the world. The shows starts everyday at 19:00 so you can come earlier, enjoy the beach and some water activities (paddle boat rental is available on the spot), eat something and wait for the fountain show to start to finish the evening with some nice experience. You can sit in the fnajeen restaurant that has a view on the fountain and enjoy some fine dining or eat at the TGI Fridays few meters away and still make your way to see the show.

So there you have it, my TOP 5 beaches in Dubai. I hope you will find this information useful, enjoy your stay in Dubai.

Hey, check out my YouTube clips from my Dubai trip!