United Arab Emirates itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Pick by nights, not by sights. One Dubai base covers most first trips; you only need to move for Abu Dhabi, the mountains and the desert. Every route below assumes November to March; in summer, cut the walking and keep the indoor stops.

Days 1–4, Dubai. Sleep near the Creek or Downtown for transport, or in Marina or JBR for the beach. Day 1: Al Fahidi, the abra crossing and the Deira gold and spice souks, walking before 10:00 or after sunset. Day 2: Burj Khalifa observation deck booked for just before sunset, then the Dubai Fountain, which runs every 30 minutes in the evening. Day 3: Museum of the Future or a beach morning, then a desert evening tour. Day 4: Sharjah as a day trip, museums and the heritage quarter, back to Dubai for the night.

Days 5–7, Abu Dhabi. Move by car, taxi or intercity bus, roughly 1.5–2 hours. Day 5: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, then the Corniche. Day 6: Louvre Abu Dhabi and Qasr Al Watan. Day 7: Yas Island or a slow morning, then fly home from AUH, or return to DXB if your ticket is there.

This route needs no car. Sharjah is a dry emirate with conservative dress rules, so plan accordingly.

Keep Dubai 4 nights with the Sharjah day trip, then drive north to Ras Al Khaimah for 2 nights: Jebel Jais for the mountain road and ziplines, plus the old fort and beach. Continue to Abu Dhabi for 2 nights, then one night at a Liwa desert resort on the edge of the Empty Quarter.

Hire a car from Ras Al Khaimah onwards; the mountain and Liwa legs are awkward without one. Check rental insurance terms before any border crossing, and allow a long half-day drive from Abu Dhabi to Liwa.

If you have 10 days but no car, drop Liwa and Ras Al Khaimah and add nights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi instead.

Dubai 4 nights, then Fujairah and the east coast for 2: beaches, the fort and diving on the Gulf of Oman. Add a Musandam dhow day from Dibba or Khasab if you hold or can get an Omani visa. Then Ras Al Khaimah 2 nights, Al Ain 2 nights for the oasis, forts and Jebel Hafeet, Liwa 1 night, and Abu Dhabi 3 nights to finish.

This is the route for a car. Distances between emirates are short by international standards, but the mountain and desert legs are slow. Al Ain sits on the Oman border, so carry your passport even if you are not crossing.

In summer, run the same route with indoor mornings and later starts; the driving is the same, the walking is not.

Three weeks lets you stop moving. Take the 14-day route and add Ajman or Umm Al Quwain for cheap beach nights, Hatta for mountain lakes and kayaking about 90 minutes from Dubai, and an extra night or two in Abu Dhabi.

Repeat visitors often invert the plan: fewer Dubai nights, more Al Ain, Liwa and the east coast. If you want a single base, Dubai works for a week of day trips, but Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Fujairah are each better with a night.

Book Burj Khalifa, the Louvre and desert tours ahead in the cool season; the best sunset slots go first. Friday and Saturday are the weekend, so museums and malls are busiest then.

Alcohol is served in licensed hotels and venues but not in Sharjah; dress modestly in public buildings and mosques, and read the local rules on public behaviour before you land, because they are enforced.

Ramadan changes timings: some restaurants close in daylight and desert tours run later. Check dates before fixing a route.

Route lengths, nights per stop and months follow the site's United Arab Emirates country facts. Visa rules, border crossings and Ramadan timings should be confirmed with the operator or official source before you book.