Dubai Rules and Dress Code for Tourists: What to Wear and What to Avoid

Dubai is far more relaxed than many visitors expect: you will see shorts in the malls, bikinis at the beach clubs and cocktails on hotel rooftops. But it is still a Muslim city whose laws apply to tourists too, and a few of them — on photos, medicines and behaviour in public — carry real fines. This guide covers what to wear where, the rules that catch visitors out, and how to plan tours and nights out around them.

The short version

• Malls, streets, souks: cover shoulders and knees; no swimwear away from the beach or pool.
• Beaches and pools: swimsuits are fine, topless is not; cover up to walk to the café.
• Mosques: long sleeves, long trousers or an ankle-length skirt, a headscarf for women, shoes off.
• Alcohol: only in licensed venues, only from 21, never drunk in public, zero tolerance at the wheel.
• Photos: never photograph strangers — especially women and children — without asking.
• Affection: holding hands is fine; kissing in public is not.

What to wear in Dubai

Malls, streets and the old town

No law requires tourists to cover their hair or wear an abaya. The rule of thumb in public places is modesty: clothes that cover the shoulders and knees, nothing see-through or very short. Malls display “respect local customs” signs, and security may politely ask someone in a crop top or swimwear to cover up. In the souks and the historic Al Fahidi district, light trousers, a midi skirt or a linen shirt are both respectful and the most comfortable outfit in the heat. A walking tour of old Dubai with an abra ride and the souks is the easiest way to see the traditional side of the city — and how locals dress in it.

Beaches, pools and beach clubs

Swimwear — bikinis included — is normal on public beaches, at hotel pools and in beach clubs. Topless sunbathing and nudity are illegal. When you leave the sand for the promenade, a mall or a taxi, put on a cover-up or a T-shirt and shorts. Beach clubs add rules of their own: swimwear by day, smarter beachwear for evening parties, and a minimum age of 21 wherever alcohol is served.

Mosques: the strictest dress code

Mosques are the one place where the dress code is checked at the door. Women: loose, long-sleeved clothing down to the ankles and a headscarf that covers the hair. Men: long trousers and a shirt with sleeves — no shorts, no tank tops. Everyone takes their shoes off before the prayer hall. Clothing should not be tight or see-through.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the most visited in the country, turns away visitors who are not dressed properly, so arrive already dressed rather than counting on borrowing an abaya there. It is closed to tourists on Friday mornings, during prayer. Most day trips from Dubai to Abu Dhabi include it — for example this private guided Abu Dhabi tour with the Grand Mosque or the full-day Abu Dhabi tour with Sheikh Zayed Mosque. In Dubai itself, the full-day old and modern Dubai tour stops at the Blue Mosque — the same rules apply there.

Restaurants, nightlife and the opera

Hotel restaurants, rooftop bars and clubs mostly ask for smart casual: no beachwear, no sports vests, and in the evening often no flip-flops or shorts for men. Door staff at the most popular clubs apply it strictly. For a show at Dubai Opera — Trevor Noah's stand-up in late November, for instance — smart casual is enough; gala dinners state their dress code on the ticket.

Desert safari and boat trips

In the desert, practicality wins: light, loose clothes that cover the shoulders against sun and sand, closed shoes or sandals you can shake out, sunglasses and a scarf for the wind. From November to March the desert turns cool after sunset, so bring a layer for an evening desert safari or a dhow cruise with dinner on Dubai Creek — the dress code on a dhow is smart casual too.

Rules of behaviour that apply to tourists

Alcohol

Alcohol is legal for anyone over 21 in licensed venues — hotel bars and restaurants, clubs and beach clubs — and clubs check ID, so carry your passport. Drinking in the street or on a public beach, or being visibly drunk in public, is an offence, and so is driving with any alcohol in your blood. Tickets for club nights such as ANOTR at Playa Pacha are sold to over-21s only.

Public displays of affection

Holding hands is fine for couples; kissing, long embraces and intimate behaviour in public are not and can end in a fine. Unmarried couples can share a hotel room — that law changed in 2020.

Photos, drones and social media

Photographing people without their consent — let alone posting the pictures — is a criminal offence under UAE privacy law, with heavy fines. Ask first, especially with women and families, and don't film strangers in malls or on the beach. Government buildings, police and military sites and airports are off-limits. Drones must be registered, so leave yours at home on a short trip. Swearing and rude gestures are punishable too — including in comments and messages — as are posts that insult the country or its leaders.

Ramadan

During the holy month — in 2027 expected from around 8 February to 9 March, depending on the moon — Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Restaurants and hotels stay open for visitors, but avoid eating, drinking or smoking openly in the street during the day, dress a little more conservatively and keep the music down. The evenings are the best part: iftar dinners, late-night markets and a city that comes alive after sunset.

Medicines and drugs

The UAE has zero tolerance for drugs, including CBD products and traces found in a blood test. Some common prescription medicines — codeine painkillers, certain sleeping pills, anxiety and ADHD medication — are controlled: bring them in their original packaging with the prescription, and check the UAE Ministry of Health list before you travel.

Everyday etiquette

• Greetings: shake hands with men; with a woman, wait for her to offer her hand first. Give, take and eat with your right hand.
• Metro: eating and drinking on the metro and tram is fined; some carriages are reserved for women and children.
• Weekend: Saturday and Sunday; around Friday midday many people go to prayer, and some places open later.
• Tipping: not obligatory — around 10% in restaurants without a service charge, rounding up in taxis.
• Bargaining: expected in the souks, not in the malls.

Do tourists really get fined?

Most visitors never run into these rules at all: the police are polite, and in malls and hotels a member of staff will usually just ask you to change. Fines and arrests concern clear cases — filming people, drugs, public drunkenness, offensive gestures on the road. Dress modestly in town, keep beachwear for the beach and affection for the hotel, and Dubai is one of the easiest places in the world to travel. To plan the rest of the trip, browse all tours in Dubai and what's on in the city.