Car Hire in Dubai – A Mini-Guide

I fly to Dubai at least five times a year for work. My conclusion at the end of every trip? If you want to save time and money, go for a car hire in Dubai. It lets you get to where you have to be quickly, without compromising your tight budget. Another bonus to this arrangement is that it’s easy and cheap to rent a car in the UAE.

Here are the other things I learned from experience. Hopefully, these tips will prove useful to you when you visit this city-state.

License

To drive anywhere in the United Arab Emirates, you will need an International Driving License. Make sure you have this before you decide to get a car there.

Maps

You have plenty of choices where maps are concerned.

1. You can check out the e-map provided by the government itself. At the Dubai Geographic Information Systems Centre, you will find maps that you can download and print out.

2. You can use Google Earth.

3. You buy a printed map, but make sure it’s the most recent version. There is plenty of construction going on in this city-state, so your map would not be of much use to you unless it shows current routes and indicates existing re-routing schemes. Also, keep in mind that Dubai’s junction numbers are not always logically ordered. For example, Sheikh Zayed’s Junction 18 follows Junction 13!

Peak Hours

If at all possible, don’t drive in the morning or the afternoon. This is when traffic is at its heaviest. Sheikh Zayed in particular will be clogged with vehicles, and traffic usually slows to a disappointing standstill. The same is true of the commercial and residential districts of Deira, Jumeirah, and Karama.

Can’t Drive? Walk!

Since driving is a time-waster during peak hours, use this time to go on walking tours instead.

Jumeirah Mosque guided tours will open your eyes to Dubai’s history and culture.

Bastakiya are walking tours into the heart of Old Dubai. Don’t miss this! Bastakiya is a throwback to the days of yore when Dubai’s wind towers cooled Dubai’s courtyard houses. Don’t forget to check out the Fahidi Fort, too. It was built in 1799, and is the oldest fort in existence.

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