advance� Some local buses
and all water taxis are wheel-
chair-accessible� Dubai’s
metro has lifts and grooved
guidance paths in stations
and wheelchair spaces in
each train compartment�
Most parking areas in town
contain spaces for drivers
with disabilities�
Top-end hotels are the
ones most likely to have
rooms with extra-wide doors
and spacious bathrooms�
However, it’s best to discuss
your particular needs when
making a reservation� For
other venues, call ahead to
find what access to expect�
Wheelchair ramps, for in-
stance, are still a rarity, even
in public buildings and at
tourist attractions� Excep-
tions include the Dubai
Museum and Heritage
village�Visas
Entry requirements to the
uAE are in constant flux,
which is why you should
double-check all information
in this section by checking
the official tourism website
(www�dubaitourism�ae) be-
fore you make final plans�
At the time of writing,
citizens of 34 developed
countries, including nearly all
of Western Europe plusAustralia, Brunei, Canada,
Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia,
New Zealand, Singapore,
South Korea and the uSA,
get free on-the-spot visas
on arrival in the uAE at air,
land and sea ports� visas
are valid for 30 days with an
additional grace period of 10
days� Don’t risk outstaying
your visa as the fine is, at
present, Dh100 a day, which
can soon add up�
If you’re a citizen of a
country not included in
the list above, a visit visa
must be arranged through
a sponsor – such as your
Dubai hotel or tour opera-
tor – prior to your arrival in
the uAE� The non-renewable
visas cost Dh100 and are
valid for 30 days� Citizens
of Gulf Cooperative Council
(GCC) countries only need
a valid passport to enter the
uAE and can stay as long
as they want� It is generally
not possible to enter with an
Israeli passport, but there’s
no problem entering the uAE
with an Israeli stamp in a
non-Israeli passport�
Note that passports
must be valid for at least
six months from the date of
arrival�Visa extensions
visit visas can be extended
once for 30 days by the
department of immigra-
tion & naturalisation
(%04-398 0000; Sheikh khalifa
bin Zayed rd, near bur Dubai
police Station) for Dh500 and
a fair amount of paperwork�
You may be asked to provide
proof of funds� It’s much
easier, and usually cheaper,
to leave the country for a few
hours and head back for a
new stamp�
visas can only be extend-
ed in the city or emirate you
arrived in, so if you landed in
Sharjah, you can’t get your
visa extended in Dubai�Women Travellers
Many women imagine that
travel to Dubai and within theuAE is much more difficult
than it actually is� No, you
don’t have to wear a burka,
headscarf or veil� Yes, you
can drive a car� No, you won’t
be constantly harassed� In
fact, Dubai is one of the
safest Middle East destina-
tions for women travel-
lers� It’s totally fine to take
cabs, stay alone in hotels
(although you may want to
avoid the fleabag hotels in
Deira and Bur Dubai) and
walk around on your own
in most areas� Having said
that, this does not mean that
some of the problems that
accompany travel just about
anywhere in the world will
not arise in Dubai as well,
such as unwanted male at-
tention and long, lewd stares,
especially on public beaches�
Try not to be intimidated,
and appear self-confident�
For a few simple techniques
on how to avoid harassment,
see the boxed text (p185)�
Although prostitution
does not officially exist,
authorities do little to sup-
press the small army of
‘working women’ catering to
both expats and Emiratis in
clubs, bars and on the back-
streets of Deira and Bur
Dubai� In terms of dress,
they’re often indistinguisha-
ble from other women, which
is confusing to the men and
opens up the possibility of
respectable women being
solicited erroneously� While
this can be offensive, just
imagine how embarrassed
the guy must feel about his
mistake�attitudes Towards
Women
Some of the biggest mis-
understandings between
Middle Easterners and
Westerners occur over the
issue of women� Half-truths
and stereotypes exist on
both sides: many Western-
ers assume that all Middle
Eastern women are veiled,
repressed victims, while a
large number of locals see
Western women as sex-
obsessed and immoral�Vis-à-Vis oManIf you are from one
of the 34 countries
eligible to get an on-
the-spot visa at Dubai
airport, you won’t need
to obtain a separate
visa for Oman� Every-
one else has to apply in
advance at the Omani
embassy in Abu Dhabi�
If you are visiting Oman
on a tourist visa, these
same 34 nationalities
can enter the uAE by
land, air or sea without
visa charges�d
irec
T
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