Dubai for families: the most fun experiences for kids

A guide to the best activities to do in Dubai with little ones

Who says a large city can’t be child-friendly? Dubai succeeds on this count too. Whether they’re creative, more adventurous or into animals or nature in general, there’s no shortage of attractions to delight children, and often adults as well who, when they stay at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, have free access to one of the resort’s renowned Kids Clubs, where young guests (aged 4 to 12) can learn through play, allowing Mum and Dad to enjoy the peace and quiet of a kid-free day and a romantic dinner (open 10 am to 10 pm).

And what about unmissable places in the city? We’ll give you all the info.

This might sound strange too, but some of the best places for children can be found inside the famous Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping center. It’s actually home (on the ground floor and first floor) to Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. A colossal tank containing 10 million litres of seawater is home to over 33,000 marine animals including several sand tiger sharks, who swim around visitors as they pass through the aquarium’s glass tunnel. If you want to see them even closer up, you can take a ride in a glass-bottomed boat (visit AED 199, boat trip AED 269). Other child-friendly activities in the mall include KidZania (second floor), an educational play centre complete with paved streets, scaled-down buildings and a real mini-economic system, where kids can try out a range of roles such as firefighter, astronaut or journalist (free entry for under 2s; age 2 and over, from AED 120 to AED 260; adult entry (17 and over) AED 90).

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

Between Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa lies the artificial lake containing the spectacular Dubai Fountain, whose water jets of up to 150 meters accompanied by classical music leave adults and children alike open-mouthed with awe. Shows last 30 minutes (from 6 to 11 pm every day), and are even more unforgettable when seen from the Dubai Fountain Boardwalk, a 272-meter-long floating walkway (AED 20), or from a traditional Arabic boat on the lake (AED 68.25, free for under 3s).

Meanwhile, at Wafi City Mall, AYA Universe is an immersive multimedia space consisting of 12 sections with different high-tech graphics, lighting and sound effects; the most popular with children is Celestia, with its huge ball pit filled with luminous orbs (AED 135, free entry for under 3s).

Hands up who never played with that timeless toy, Lego, as a child? Well, in Dubai there are not one but two theme parks: Legoland and Legoland Water Park, both part of Dubai Parks and Resorts. Non-stop activities and scenarios based around the classic little bricks (AED 295 online, AED 330 on the door; combined ticket AED 355 online, AED 385 on the door; free entry for under 3s). Also part of the Dubai Parks and Resorts group is Motiongate Dubai, a huge Hollywood-themed amusement park where kids can meet the ‘real-life’ versions of their favourite screen characters (Ghostbusters, Kung Fu Panda, the Smurfs, Shrek...) and have fun on movie-inspired rides (AED 295; free entry for under 3s).

But Dubai’s largest indoor theme park is IMG Worlds of Adventure, which occupies an area equivalent to 28 football fields and is packed with rides, live shows, life-size animatronic dinosaurs and characters from Cartoon Network and Marvel including the Powerpuff Girls and Iron Man, as well as the IMG Kids Zone, 1,500 square meters of inflatables, where everything is soft and bouncy (AED 365, free entry for children under 105 cm tall).

Aventura Parks

If you’re into water parks, don’t miss Aquaventure World, the largest on the planet, with over 100 attractions for all ages, ranging from adrenaline-filled rides to kiddie-friendly slides. To mention just a couple, there’s Trident Tower (48 meters high, with 12 slides) and Medusa’s Lair, the world’s longest water coaster for families. And for a really special children’s experience, Dolphin Bay offer the opportunity to meet everyone’s favorite animals (free for under 2s) or even swim with them (age 8 and above). Entry to the park is free of charge for guests at Atlantis, The Palm; other visitors can choose from several ticket types (day pass with dolphin experience from AED 725).

If there’s one thing all children love, it’s paints and making a mess with their hands, especially if it’s on the walls. And the perfect place to unleash their creativity is the Wild Paint House, the world’s wildest art jamming studio, a unique space where artistic exploration is encouraged in a lively, engaging atmosphere. Choose from six activities to create your own masterpieces: Splat (from AED 160), Spin (from AED 190), Swing (from AED 180), Neon (from AED 220), Pour (from AED 240) and Graffiti (from AED 220).

Wild Paint House

There are countless more opportunities and experiments for young visitors at OliOli, an unmissable children’s play museum offering temporary exhibitions, interactive galleries, plenty of of exciting hands-on experiences and the region’s first giant crochet playground, designed by textile artist Toshiko Macadam. Kids can have fun splashing around in the Water Gallery, launch rockets and stand up to hurricane-strength winds in the Air Gallery or build and race their own cars in the Cars & Ramps Gallery (standard ticket, includes entry to the permanent exhibitions and 2 hours’ experience: AED 69 for children between 12 and 23 months; AED 139 age 2 to 16; every child’s ticket includes free entry for one adult).

Energy-filled kids will have a blast at Air Maniax, an enormous inflatable adventure park with more than 15 different activities (toddler area for children under 95cm tall; ticket price varies depending on time, from AED 120) and Bounce, with more than 100 interconnected trampolines (under 110 cm, AED 80 per hour; over 110cm, AED 90; all-day pass AED 220).

And for nature-loving kids there’s Dubai’s indoor rainforest The Green Planet, housed in a bio-dome and inhabited by over 3,000 plants and animals including armadillos, porcupines, anacondas, toucans and parrots (free entry for under 2s; AED 135 age 2 to 10; AED 155 age 11 and older).

A safari experience by Platinum Heritage Below

From the city’s largest rainforest to its greatest wildlife adventure: Dubai Safari Park boasts 6 themed zones and over 3,000 animals, two thrilling safari adventures and close-up encounters with numerous animals such as giraffes, lions, lemurs, elephants and cormorants (all-day ticket with unlimited use of shuttle train: AED 45 children, AED 75 adults; 35-minute safari tour AED 50; animal encounters from AED 20).

But you can also choose a nature safari in the boundless desert like those organised by Platinum Heritage, with a tour in a vintage or modern 4x4, an expert guide to explain everything about this extraordinary habitat to the most inquisitive of kids, a falconry demonstration, camels, traditional entertainment and even the option of an overnight stay with an unforgettable balloon flight at dawn (age 5 to 11, from AED 595; age 11 and over, from AED 695).

Atlantis, The Palm - Aquaventure Waterpark

From the desert to the ocean. The best beach for children, complete with play area, trampolines and skatepark, is Kite Beach.

Last but not least, for the very bravest there’s Aventura Parks, set in a forest of ghaf trees. With its 24 ziplines, this is Dubai’s largest treetop adventure park, offering over 35,000 square meters and more than 80 incredible challenges rated for age and difficulty. The most suitable routes for children are Discovery (for children under 105 cm tall accompanied by an adult, from AED 70 to 95) and Rangers (entry to the park: children between 115 and 140 cm, AED 195 for 4 hours, over 140 cm, AED 275; all-day pass over 115 cm, AED 395).