How to Spend a Rainy Day in Dubai

While rain in Dubai is rare, it happens about five times a year—generally in the form of short downpours during the peak winter season (December through March). In case you’re there on one of those days, here are some ways to stay dry, happy, and entertained.

• Board a hop-on hop-off double-decker bus and take in Dubai’s top sights from the comfort of the covered lower deck.
• Spend the day shopping at Dubai’s mega-malls —think the Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates—or take a shopping tour that ferries you among different shopping complexes and indoor souks.
• Book an Old Dubai tour that takes you to Dubai Museum, then ride an abra water taxi—complete with sheltering canopy—across the creek to explore Deira’s covered gold and spice souks.
• Let the family loose in the superhero-, cartoon-, dinosaur-, and cinema-themed zones at the indoor IMG Worlds of Adventure, with round-trip transport to keep you from getting wet.
• Marvel at more than 100 marine species at the vast Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, or don a breathing helmet and walk underwater among gliding rays and reef sharks at Atlantis’ Lost Chambers Aquarium.
• Treat yourself to a pampering massage or hammam experience at one of the many deluxe spas around the city.
• Swap the rain for snow on a visit to Ski Dubai : ski or snowboard its frozen slopes, sled or throw snowballs, or get up close to penguins.
• Experience some of Dubai’s best views from two indoor vantage points with a combo Burj Khalifa “At the Top” visit and meal at a restaurant overlooking the dancing Dubai Fountain.