A year and a half after our first, sweltering visit we came back to Dubai in February 2026, which is when the city is at its most likeable. The weather was perfect, Ramadan was beginning, and the skyline did our sightseeing for us through the window.
Global Village
The big evening out was Global Village, the enormous fairground-meets-world-expo on the edge of the city, where dozens of country pavilions sit behind a gate that looks borrowed from a fairy tale. We arrived at dusk, which turned out to be perfect timing.
Drones for Ramadan
Ramadan had just started, and Dubai marked it the way Dubai marks everything: with hundreds of drones rearranging themselves in the night sky. Watching the words assemble themselves letter by letter above the crowd was one of those very Dubai moments where you stop being cynical and just look up.
Our first time here was the opposite season entirely: Dubai in August 2024, all pharaohs, abras and dune sunsets.
If your Gulf trip continues west, our Jordan stories start in Amman and run through Petra to Wadi Rum.