CHRISTMAS IN DUBAI

We are booked to go to Dubai over Christmas and New Year. Would you advise booking tours online or directly in Dubai? Are there any recommendations for tour operators?— Dan Govender

Christmas is a good time to visit Dubai — as it is winter, it is cooler (summer temperatures hit around 45°C), so you can actually walk around places such as the Bastakia Quarter and Gold Souk without melting. It is also a pleasant time for the beach.

There is no need to book tours online or ahead.

Big Bus Dubai (bigbustours.com/en/dubai/ dubai-routes-and-tour-maps) has a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. Actually, it has three — a Marine Tour, a Beach Tour and a City Tour. There are recorded commentaries in 12 languages and all tours run at intervals from around 9am to 6pm, and you can get on or off at 35 locations around the city.

You can book the tours online and then download and print your ticket.

Prices vary from U$62.50 for a day, US$73.30 for two days and $83.10 for a seven-day ticket.

They also do a Panoramic Night Tour ($50.40), which takes in the main landmarks, including Dubai Marina, Atlantis the Palm, the Burj Al Arab and the Burj Khalifa. This is a “once-around” tour to see the night lights, not a hop-on, hop-off tour.

You can also book tours in Dubai and surroundings, from dune desert safaris and dune bashing rides to culinary or fishing tours. The best place to find the most popular ones that interest you is Tripadvisor, with links to the various websites.

Also look to book admission to top attractions online, such as the Burj Khalifa “At the Top” ticket from R503 and the Aquaventure Waterpark from R941.