Fridays in Dubai
Feb 4th 2016, 3:41 am
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2013
Location: Doha
Posts: 135
Fridays in Dubai
Hi everyone,
I'm heading over to Dubai from Doha for the first tomorrow to meet up with a mate from the UK who's on holiday out there.
How much do things close down on a Friday? Is it just for a couple of hours round morning prayers, or do they stay shut through the afternoon too? We want to have a bit of a look around the sights first before heading to the bar.
Any recommendations much appreciated!
I'm heading over to Dubai from Doha for the first tomorrow to meet up with a mate from the UK who's on holiday out there.
How much do things close down on a Friday? Is it just for a couple of hours round morning prayers, or do they stay shut through the afternoon too? We want to have a bit of a look around the sights first before heading to the bar.
Any recommendations much appreciated!
Last edited by Big_Show; Feb 4th 2016 at 4:18 am.
Feb 4th 2016, 4:03 am
#2
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Joined: Oct 2015
Location: Luton
Posts: 1,162
Re: Fridays in Dubai
How much do things close down on a Friday? Is it just for a couple of horus round morning prayers, or do they stay shut through the afternoon too?
Feb 4th 2016, 4:30 am
#4
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,520
Re: Fridays in Dubai
If you are in "New Dubai" everything will be open as usual with the exception of a few local corner shops where you get your cokes and fags that might be closed for a hour or so for prayers. Malls and restaurants are all open as usual. This includes Downtown around the Dubai Mall, the Marina, all the malls.
The old parts of town down by the Creek is generally closed on Friday mornings, opening up later in the afternoon. But there's still a fair few tourists wandering through the souks. The peaceful atmosphere is nice. The closed shops means bugger all because even if they were open you wouldn't buy anything.
The restaurants in the old parts of town do have odd Friday hours. Can't remember what they are but it may be something like closing at 1 and reopening at 5ish. Those would be local Indian/Arabic places, not western chains.
Metro doesn't start running till 10 AM Friday mornings. It used to be 1 PM but last year the hours were increased, which tells you everything you need to know about the relevancy of Friday closing hours in the UAE.
The old parts of town down by the Creek is generally closed on Friday mornings, opening up later in the afternoon. But there's still a fair few tourists wandering through the souks. The peaceful atmosphere is nice. The closed shops means bugger all because even if they were open you wouldn't buy anything.
The restaurants in the old parts of town do have odd Friday hours. Can't remember what they are but it may be something like closing at 1 and reopening at 5ish. Those would be local Indian/Arabic places, not western chains.
Metro doesn't start running till 10 AM Friday mornings. It used to be 1 PM but last year the hours were increased, which tells you everything you need to know about the relevancy of Friday closing hours in the UAE.
Feb 4th 2016, 4:51 am
#5
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2013
Location: Doha
Posts: 135
Re: Fridays in Dubai
If you are in "New Dubai" everything will be open as usual with the exception of a few local corner shops where you get your cokes and fags that might be closed for a hour or so for prayers. Malls and restaurants are all open as usual. This includes Downtown around the Dubai Mall, the Marina, all the malls.
The old parts of town down by the Creek is generally closed on Friday mornings, opening up later in the afternoon. But there's still a fair few tourists wandering through the souks. The peaceful atmosphere is nice. The closed shops means bugger all because even if they were open you wouldn't buy anything.
The restaurants in the old parts of town do have odd Friday hours. Can't remember what they are but it may be something like closing at 1 and reopening at 5ish. Those would be local Indian/Arabic places, not western chains.
Metro doesn't start running till 10 AM Friday mornings. It used to be 1 PM but last year the hours were increased, which tells you everything you need to know about the relevancy of Friday closing hours in the UAE.
The old parts of town down by the Creek is generally closed on Friday mornings, opening up later in the afternoon. But there's still a fair few tourists wandering through the souks. The peaceful atmosphere is nice. The closed shops means bugger all because even if they were open you wouldn't buy anything.
The restaurants in the old parts of town do have odd Friday hours. Can't remember what they are but it may be something like closing at 1 and reopening at 5ish. Those would be local Indian/Arabic places, not western chains.
Metro doesn't start running till 10 AM Friday mornings. It used to be 1 PM but last year the hours were increased, which tells you everything you need to know about the relevancy of Friday closing hours in the UAE.
Feb 7th 2016, 5:06 am
#9
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Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2013
Location: Doha
Posts: 135
Re: Fridays in Dubai
Yep, Dubai is definitely a lot more fun than Doha.
