What to pack for Dubai in December: beach, malls and desert

Dubai’s winter, November to March, is sunny and dry: days around 24 to 31 °C (75 to 88 °F), nights 14 to 21 °C (57 to 70 °F), colder in the desert. Pack summer clothes, a cardigan for the air conditioning, a jacket for the desert evening, clothes that cover your shoulders and knees, a scarf and sunscreen.

The story

It’s January and the beach at Jumeirah is 25 °C, with a breeze off the Gulf and the water at a pleasant 22 °C. You spend the morning there with the Burj Al Arab on the horizon, and the sun is strong enough that you put on sunscreen twice.

In the afternoon you go into a mall to see the aquarium and find lunch, and within ten minutes you’re cold. The air conditioning never takes a day off, not even in winter, and the cardigan in your bag suddenly makes sense. The signs at the entrance ask visitors to keep their shoulders and knees covered; your linen trousers and a shirt over your T-shirt do the job.

At four, a four-by-four picks you up for the desert. The driver lets some air out of the tires, and the car climbs and slides over the red dunes. Fine sand gets everywhere: into your shoes, your pockets, your camera bag. At sunset the temperature drops fast, and by dinner at the camp, sitting on cushions under the stars, it’s 14 °C and you’re glad of the jacket you almost left at the hotel.

The next day you visit a mosque. You wear long trousers and long sleeves, and the scarf that kept the sand off your face now covers your hair.

Dubai in winter is easy: sunny, dry and warm. The trick is packing for three temperatures at once, the sun outside, the cold inside and the desert at night, and for a dress code that’s relaxed at the beach and more modest everywhere else.

What to pack for Dubai in December

Pack summer clothes, then add a warm layer for indoors and the desert, and clothes that cover your shoulders and knees.

Clothes

Light, breathable clothes for the day.
Light long trousers, long skirts or dresses below the knee, and tops that cover the shoulders, for malls, souks and old Dubai.
A cardigan or light sweater for the malls, the metro and cinemas, all heavily air-conditioned.
A warmer jacket or fleece for the desert in the evening.
Swimwear, for the beach and the hotel pool only.
A scarf: for the sun, for sand in the desert, and to cover your hair at a mosque.

Shoes

Comfortable walking shoes.
Sandals for the beach.
Closed shoes for the desert: the sand gets hot by day and gets into everything.

For the sun and the desert

Sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat: the sun is strong even in winter.
Lip balm and moisturizer: the air conditioning and the desert dry your skin.
A zip-top bag for your phone and camera in the desert.

Documents, money and tech

Passport.
A plug adapter: sockets are type G (three rectangular pins, as in the UK), at 230 V.
A power bank.

Good to know

Weather: from November to March, days are around 24 to 31 °C (75 to 88 °F), warmest in November and March, and nights 14 to 21 °C (57 to 70 °F), by the UAE National Center of Meteorology’s 1991–2020 averages for Dubai International Airport; the desert gets colder after sunset. Rain is rare.
What to wear where: swimwear is for beaches and pools. In malls, souks and old Dubai, cover your shoulders and knees; to visit a mosque, wear long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt, and women cover their hair.
Medicines: some common medicines, such as those with codeine, are controlled in the United Arab Emirates and need approval from the country’s health ministry before you travel; apply online, and carry the prescription.
Plugs: type G, 230 V.
Money: UAE dirham (AED), pegged to the US dollar. Cards are accepted almost everywhere.
Entry: many nationalities can enter the UAE without a visa or get one on arrival; check the rules for your passport (checked September 30, 2026).
Similar trips: what to pack for Morocco in spring, with a night in the Sahara, and for Istanbul in October, with its mosques.

Questions

What’s the weather like in Dubai in winter?

Sunny, dry and warm. From November to March, days are around 24 to 31 °C (75 to 88 °F) and nights 14 to 21 °C (57 to 70 °F); rain is rare, and the desert gets colder after sunset.

What should I wear in Dubai in winter?

Summer clothes, plus a cardigan for the air-conditioned malls and a warmer jacket or fleece for the desert in the evening. Swimwear is for beaches and pools. In malls, souks and old Dubai, cover your shoulders and knees; at a mosque, wear long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt, and women cover their hair.

Can I bring my medicines to Dubai?

Some need approval first. Certain common medicines, such as those with codeine, are controlled in the United Arab Emirates and need approval from the country’s health ministry before you travel; apply online, and carry the prescription.

Do I need a visa for Dubai?

It depends on your passport: many nationalities can enter the UAE without a visa or get one on arrival. Check the rules for your passport before you go.

What plugs does Dubai use?

Type G, with three rectangular pins as in the UK, at 230 V. Pack a plug adapter.