Dubai is one of the easiest cities in the world to take children to. It is safe, everything is air-conditioned, the tap water situation is a non-issue, and the attractions were largely built in the last fifteen years with families in mind rather than retrofitted for them.
What it is not is cheap, and it is very easy to overbook. Here is how to plan a Dubai trip with kids that they enjoy and you survive.
The theme parks, and which one to pick
There are two separate theme-park destinations, half an hour apart, and they are not interchangeable.
Dubai Parks and Resorts
An outdoor complex on the Abu Dhabi side of the city. As of August 2026 it holds three theme parks — MOTIONGATE Dubai, Real Madrid World and LEGOLAND Dubai — plus LEGOLAND Water Park, an indoor play world called Neon Galaxy, and the RIVERLAND dining and retail strip that connects them. Four hotels sit on site, including LEGOLAND Hotel and the Polynesian-themed Lapita.
Worth knowing if you are reading older articles: Bollywood Parks is no longer part of the line-up. Plenty of guides still list it.
Tickets are sold per park, as two-park passes, or as all-park passes, and the price varies by date — you pick a visit date before you see the number. Under-3s go free.
Who it suits: LEGOLAND is pitched squarely at 2 to 12 year olds and is the best park in Dubai for genuinely small children. MOTIONGATE is the one with the serious rides, so it works better from about 8 upwards. Real Madrid World is football-specific and will delight exactly the child it is aimed at.
The catch: it is outdoors. Between May and September a full day here with young children is hard work, and the water park becomes the only sensible option.
IMG Worlds of Adventure
Entirely indoor, and near Global Village on the city side. Marvel, Cartoon Network, a dinosaur zone called Lost Valley, a haunted attraction, and a separate soft-play IMG Kids Zone.
Official pricing, read on 31 August 2026: general admission AED 365, with the IMG Kids Zone at AED 50 for an hour or AED 100 for the day on top of a park ticket. An annual pass is AED 765 — worth doing the arithmetic on if you live here, since it pays for itself in just over two visits.
Opening hours are 12:00 to 22:00 Sunday to Thursday and 12:00 to 23:00 Friday and Saturday. That late start catches people out: there is no morning session, so plan the first half of the day elsewhere.
The rule that trips up every family: outside food and drink is not allowed, including water bottles, and security will remove them at the entrance. Budget for buying drinks inside.
Who it suits: summer, obviously — it is the single best answer to a 45°C afternoon. Also older children and teenagers, who get more out of the Marvel and Haunted zones than a five-year-old will.
Beyond the theme parks
- Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, inside Dubai Mall — over 33,000 animals across 140+ species. Bundled with a Burj Khalifa ticket it is AED 319 for both, which is the better buy if you were going up the tower anyway.
- Burj Khalifa, from AED 189 for Levels 124 and 125. Children generally love the lift and the terrace and are done in forty minutes, which is fine — see our Burj Khalifa ticket guide for which tier to buy.
- Sky Views Observatory, AED 89: a 25-metre glass floor and a glass slide. For a certain kind of nine-year-old this beats the Burj Khalifa outright, at half the price.
- A beach morning. Free, and the thing children remember. Go early — the sand is genuinely too hot by mid-morning in summer.
- A desert safari, with care. Dune bashing is not for small children or anyone prone to motion sickness; a wildlife drive, camel ride and falconry display is the better version. See our desert safari guide.
Getting around with children
The Dubai Metro is clean, driverless, fully air-conditioned and — for a child — a genuine attraction in its own right, because the front carriage has a windscreen view down the track.
Official RTA fares on a Silver nol card are AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two adjacent zones and AED 7.50 for more than two, and children aged five and under travel free. A single-journey red ticket costs AED 4, 6 or 8.50 for the same zones, so a nol card pays for itself almost immediately. A seven-day all-zones pass is AED 110.
Fares verified on the RTA's published nol fares page, 31 August 2026.
Taxis are plentiful and reasonable, but note that Dubai taxis do not carry child seats. If you need one, arrange it with your hotel or hire company in advance.
When to go
With children, the month matters more than anything else on this page.
November to March is the answer. Daytime temperatures make outdoor parks, beaches and the desert genuinely pleasant. It is also peak season, so hotels and flights cost the most and the parks are busiest — book early.
June to September is half the price and hard outdoors. It can still work, but only if you plan around it: indoor attractions, water parks, early mornings and late evenings, and nothing outdoor between 11:00 and 16:00. Our guide to the best time to visit Dubai goes through the trade-off month by month.
How much a family trip actually costs
Real per-person prices from our own live Dubai range, so you can anchor a budget on something other than a guess:
- Holiday Inn Dubai — Family Adventure, 5 nights — from AED 4,499. A 4-star family hotel with kids' activities and theme park access. The sensible default.
- Dubai Family Theme Park Bonanza, 6 nights — from AED 7,199. Built around the parks: IMG, LEGOLAND, MOTIONGATE and Aquaventure. If theme parks are the reason you are coming, this removes the ticket admin entirely.
- Dubai Family Adventure, 4 nights — from AED 10,299. The upper end: theme parks, aquarium and kid-friendly activities at a higher standard of hotel.
The full Dubai packages range starts at AED 1,199, and any of them can be spread over instalments.
Six things that make the trip easier
- One big thing a day. Two theme parks in two consecutive days is a mistake families make once.
- Book park tickets online, dated. Gate prices are higher and popular days sell out.
- Pick a hotel by pool, not by view. The pool is where the trip actually happens.
- Plan a nothing afternoon. Every third day, do not leave the hotel until 16:00.
- Malls are a legitimate activity here, not a fallback. Dubai Mall has an aquarium, an ice rink and a cinema in it.
- Carry cardigans. Indoor air conditioning in Dubai is aggressive, and children feel it before adults do.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dubai good for families with young children?
Very. It is safe, spotlessly maintained, almost entirely step-free, and unusually well supplied with indoor attractions — which matters more than anything else if you are travelling in summer. The main constraints are cost and heat, not suitability.
What is the best theme park in Dubai for young children?
LEGOLAND Dubai, which is designed for roughly 2 to 12 year olds, with LEGOLAND Water Park next door for the hot months. IMG Worlds and MOTIONGATE suit older children better.
How much are IMG Worlds tickets?
General park admission is AED 365, with the IMG Kids Zone charged separately at AED 50 per hour or AED 100 for the day, on top of a park ticket. Verified on the official IMG Worlds site, 31 August 2026.
Do children need a visa for the UAE?
Children need their own visa or entry permit on their own passport — being on a parent's booking does not cover them. Requirements depend on nationality; check our UAE visa checker or read the UAE visa guide.
How many days do you need in Dubai with kids?
Five to six nights. Four is enough for the city and one theme park; anything under that and you will spend the trip in transit between attractions.
Do Dubai taxis have child seats?
No. Arrange one through your hotel or car hire in advance if you need it.
Related guides
Planning it
Family trips are the ones where the itinerary matters most, because the cost of getting the order wrong is a tired six-year-old in a queue. Tell us the ages and we will build the days around them. Talk to our Dubai team, or start from the family packages.