Dubai

The UAE–Mongolia mutual visa exemption is in force: ordinary passport holders may stay up to 30 days per visit. Passport valid at least 6 months, return ticket and hotel booking. Fingerprints and an eye scan are taken at the border. Confirm with your airline before flying.

November–March is warm and pleasant, perfect for a Mongolian winter break. June–September is above 40°C and humid; you cannot be outdoors for long and everything happens indoors with air-conditioning. During Ramadan (the date moves each year) eating and drinking in public is restricted by day and restaurants open in the evening; check the dates.

Tip: Winter evenings are cool, so bring a light jacket; malls and the metro are cold.

Some medicines (codeine, certain sedatives, ADHD drugs) are banned or prescription-only in the UAE; carry yours with the doctor's prescription, in personal quantities. Alcohol only in licensed hotels, restaurants and bars; public drunkenness, kissing in public and rude gestures are offences. Drugs: extremely harsh.

Tip: Things that are ordinary in Mongolia (drinking on the street, swearing) are a problem here.

Hospitals are world-class (Mediclinic, American Hospital) and very expensive; even a basic consultation costs months of a Mongolian salary. Do not travel without insurance. Check that desert safaris, water parks and skydiving are covered as "adventure" activities.

Tip: Sun and heat make dehydration the most common problem; always carry water.

Burj Khalifa, Museum of the Future and Aquaventure are cheaper booked early online with a time slot. Hotels: Downtown/Business Bay (central), Marina/JBR (beach), Deira/Bur Dubai (cheap, old town, metro). Tickets, meals and taxis in Dubai cost several times Bangkok or Bali; budget realistically.

Show your passport and give an eye scan and fingerprints; queues can be long. Customs may check tobacco and alcohol limits, banned medicines and drones. Terminal 3 is Emirates, Terminal 1 the other international airlines; both have metro stations.

The Red Line runs straight from Terminals 1 and 3 to Deira, Downtown (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall) and the Marina. Buy a Nol card or ticket at the terminal ticket office or machines. Hours: Mon–Thu and Sat 5AM–midnight, Fri 5AM–1AM, Sun 8AM–midnight. Luggage limit: two pieces including hand luggage.

Dubai Taxi ranks outside every terminal, marshalled, round the clock. The airport starting fare is AED 25 (AED 20 for a saloon, AED 25 for a van), then the meter; street pickups start far cheaper. Cards accepted. If a driver will not start the meter, get out and take another, though that is rare.

After immigration, the du and e& counters give visitors a free SIM/eSIM with a small, short-lived data bonus; you buy a pack for more. Registration takes your passport and a face photo. If the queue is long, the same packs are sold in town.

du's tourist eSIM can be bought online and the QR installed before you fly; it activates on landing. Keep your Mongolian SIM for bank SMS. Packs differ by days and data; match them to your use.

WhatsApp and FaceTime calls are blocked or unreliable in the UAE; chat works. To call Mongolia, use a permitted app such as Botim or the operator's international minutes. Malls, hotels and the metro have free Wi-Fi.

Tip: Using a VPN to break the law is itself an offence; be careful even with ordinary use.

One Nol card covers metro, bus, tram and water bus. Silver is the standard card; Gold gives the Gold cabin at double the fare. The Red paper ticket is for a few rides. Top up at ticket offices and machines, or turn your phone into a card with nol Pay. Fares are by zone.

Red Line: airport, Deira, Downtown, Marina, Expo; Green Line: the old town (Al Fahidi, Gold Souk). The first cabin is Gold and the next is women and children only (pink signs); a man entering is fined. No eating, drinking or chewing gum. At the Marina the tram connects to the metro.

Tip: From Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station the walkway to the mall is over ten minutes, air-conditioned even in summer.

Taxis are cheap by Western standards, metered and take cards. Hail on the street, book in the RTA Dubai app, or use Careem/Uber; app bookings have a higher starting fare. Pink-roofed taxis have women drivers, for women and families.

Taxis, metro ticket offices, cafés and most souks take Visa/Mastercard and Apple/Google Pay. Enable foreign transactions on your Mongolian card; if the terminal asks whether to pay in AED or your own currency, choose AED (your currency gets a poor rate). Cash for abras, small market stalls and tips.

If you bring dollars, mall exchange houses (Al Ansari, UAE Exchange) give a good rate; the airport does not. ATMs are everywhere, with fees for foreign cards varying by bank. The dirham is pegged to the dollar, so there is no exchange-rate risk.

For a Mongolian traveller Dubai is among the most expensive places in Asia: taxis, tickets and restaurants cost several times Bangkok's. Cheap options: Indian, Pakistani and Filipino restaurants in Deira, Karama and Al Satwa; mall food courts; groceries from Carrefour.

Restaurants usually add a service charge; a little on top is common but not required. Round up the taxi meter and tip hotel staff modestly. Bargain hard at the Gold Souk and Textile Souk; never in malls.

Shawarma (the cheapest and best street food), machboos (Emirati spiced rice with meat), mandi (Yemeni roast lamb, a Mongolian favourite), hummus, falafel, Iranian kebab, Indian biryani, karak chai (milk tea, sweet, close to Mongolian suutei tsai). Luqaimat for dessert, Arabic coffee with dates.

Cheap: the small restaurants of Deira, Karama, Al Satwa and Bur Dubai, clean, very cheap and full of locals. Mid: mall food courts, Global Village (winter). Expensive: Downtown, Marina and the hotels. Ravi in Satwa is Dubai's legendary Pakistani restaurant.

Tap water is technically treated, but most people drink bottled water, which is cheap and everywhere. In the heat you need litres a day; every café and shop sells water. Restaurant ice is safe.

Alcohol only in licensed hotels, restaurants, bars and special shops, never in supermarkets. Pork is in a separate section of some supermarkets. During Ramadan avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public by day; hotels and some restaurants serve behind screens, and the evening iftar is a feast.

Police 999, ambulance 998, fire 997, all in English. The Mongolian Embassy is in Abu Dhabi: Al Bateen, Barashi Street 6; phone +971 2 552 0772. There is no consul in Dubai; for a lost passport get a Dubai Police report (online or via the app) and travel to Abu Dhabi, about two hours.

May–October: no long spells outdoors; go out early morning and evening, spend the day in malls and museums. Water always, hat, sunscreen. Children and older people are prone to heatstroke; watch for headache and dizziness. In summer even the sea is warm and the sand too hot to walk on.

Tip: Never leave a child or a pet in a car, even for a few minutes.

Speeds are high and roads wide: cross only at crossings and bridges, since jaywalking is fined. Traffic drives on the right, as in Mongolia. If you rent a car, seatbelts for everyone and no phone in hand; cameras and heavy fines. Taxis are safe, even alone at night.

Tip: In Dubai a taxi is cheaper and faster than trying to walk.

In malls and on the street, covered shoulders and knees are expected (not strictly enforced, but you may be reminded). Beachwear only at the beach and pool. In mosques (Jumeirah Mosque, Sheikh Zayed) long clothing and a headscarf for women, usually provided. Sheer or revealing clothes do not belong in the old town and souks.

Tip: Shorts and a sleeveless top, normal in Mongolia, draw unwanted attention in the Deira souks.

Couples may hold hands; kissing and embracing in public is an offence. Swearing and rude gestures (especially at drivers) can get you arrested. Do not go out drunk. Do not shout in an argument; people call the police. Greet a woman with a handshake only if she offers first.

Tip: Settle complaints and disputes calmly and formally; "face" matters here too.

Do not photograph or post people (especially women and local families) without consent; government buildings, military sites and parts of the airport are off limits. Posts insulting the UAE or Islam, or defaming someone, are crimes. Drones need a permit.

Tip: The casual "political joke" of Mongolian social media should not be posted here.

Careem is the Middle East's Uber: rides, food, groceries; Uber works too. Install both and compare; an RTA taxi is usually cheaper, but the apps' waiting times and route tracking are convenient. Link your card.

RTA Dubai: book an official taxi, Nol balance, fines. S'hail: plan metro, bus, tram and taxi journeys in one place. nol Pay: turn your phone into a Nol card. All three free and in English.

Food and grocery delivery to your hotel or apartment; ordering from a cheap restaurant is often cheaper than going out. Pick restaurants by rating; pay by card in AED.

Shows metro, tram and bus routes and times; Dubai is long, so check distances before assuming something is "close". Buy Burj Khalifa, Aquaventure and Global Village tickets in advance from the official sites or Klook for a time slot and no queue.

The Red Line metro goes straight to Terminals 1 and 3 (Emirates is T3). Taxis and Careem drop you at departures; from the Marina at peak times allow an hour. Keep to the usual three-hour advice for international flights; passport control and security are slow.

In shops registered with Planet, spend at least AED 250 (excluding VAT) in one transaction, show your passport and have a tax-free transaction issued. On departure, within 90 days, validate at Planet's self-service kiosks or desks at the airport with passport and goods. 13% of the VAT plus AED 3.60 per transaction is deducted; the refund goes to your card.

Banned medicines, some plants and animal products; large amounts of cash must be declared. For gold and jewellery, know Mongolia's customs allowance and declaration rules in advance. Dates, sweets and spices are no problem.

Tip: Gold from the Gold Souk may be taxed on entry to Mongolia; keep the receipts.