📱 Best Apps for Tourists in Dubai – Your Smartphone Will Be Delighted!

You’ve already got your tickets to Dubai, you’re packing your suitcase, you’re thinking about the beach… But before you get on the plane – download a few magical apps that will turn your phone into a personal guide, translator, banker and free time organizer.

📲 Must-have apps for tourists in Dubai

In Dubai, technology doesn’t just work – it works wonders. If you want to get around efficiently, book stress-free attractions and discover gems that aren’t mentioned in guidebooks, here’s a list that will save your vacation.

1. Careem – Uber on steroids

Not just taxis!
Careem is Dubai’s “super app” that lets you order transport, food, couriers… even coffee for your hotel. It works faster than your morning espresso.

• • What is it good for? Getting around Dubai, especially if you don’t want to negotiate with drivers.
• • Price? A ride from Dubai Marina to Downtown is around AED 35-50.
• • Fun fact: You can choose whether you want to drive an economy, luxury, or even… an electric Tesla car.

2. Dubai Calendar – what’s playing today in the city of dreams?

Don’t want to miss a beach concert, fireworks show or free entry to a museum? This app is your new BFF in Dubai.

• • What will you find? List of events, festivals, promotions, concerts and parties.
• • For whom? For anyone who wants to experience something, not just sightsee.
• • How much? The app is free. Events – from 0 AED (yes, they are free) to several hundred AED for big concerts.

3. The Dubai Mall App – More than a Shopping Mall

If you think that shopping is all you do in a mall – you’re in for a surprise. The app for the world’s largest shopping mall will help you:

• *find a specific boutique (among 1200!),
• *book a table at a restaurant,
• *buy a ticket to Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo (approx. AED 169)
• *and… find your car in the parking lot (real magic!).

4. RTA Dubai – Metro, Bus and… Boat

The Dubai Metro is no joke – it runs as punctually as a Swiss watch and connects most of the key attractions.

• What will you do in the RTA app?

  • You can check the metro route and times,
  • You can top up your Nol card (public transport ticket),
  • You will order a water taxi.
• • Example: Mall of the Emirates to Burj Khalifa – approx. AED 5.
• • Pro tip: Buy a Nol Silver card – and travel cheaper.

5. Talabat – hungry? Click, click, he’s here!

You don’t always want to leave the hotel. Sometimes you want to eat pad thai in your pajamas, looking at the view of a palm tree from the balcony.

• A food ordering app – like Glovo, only with camels.
• You can order everything from a burger for AED 18 to lobster for AED 180.
• Delivery time? Average 25-40 minutes.

6. Dubai Now – an app that does it all… literally

It’s like the Swiss army of apps . Dubai Now is the official smart city app – and you can do things you didn’t know you could do over the phone. And without queues, paperwork, or wandering around.

What can you do there as a tourist (and not only)?

• Pay for parking (brilliant if you’re renting a car),
• Check the current level of traffic and congestion,
• Find the nearest ATM, pharmacy, hospital or police station,
• Check the balance on your Nol card.

Don’t want to miss a beach concert, fireworks show or free entry to a museum? This app is your new BFF in Dubai.

How much? The app is free. Events – from 0 AED (yes, they are free) to several hundred AED for big concerts.

What will you find? List of events, festivals, promotions, concerts and parties.

For whom? For anyone who wants to experience something, not just sightsee.

✨ Personal reflection:

Dubai is the city of the future, but you don’t have to be Iron Man to find your way around it. All you need is a phone and a few clicks. And the best part? These apps give you time for what’s most important – living in the moment . Seriously, let the technology do its thing while you watch the sunset with the Burj Al Arab in the background.

❓FAQ – questions that everyone asks, but not everyone will admit:

1. Do I need a local SIM card to use the app?
No, but it’s worth it. A card from Etisalat or Du costs around AED 50, and you get fast internet. There is Wi-Fi in Dubai, but it doesn’t always work as it should.

2. Do the apps work in Polish?
Not all of them. Most often, you have a choice of English or Arabic. But they are intuitive, and Visit Dubai has translations of some content into Polish.

3. Can I pay through the app with a Polish card?
Yes. Mastercard and Visa work fine. Google Pay and Apple Pay are also fine.

4. Which app shows the best deals and discounts?
Definitely Dubai Calendar. Sometimes you can get 2 for 1 or free tickets for kids.

5. What if I don’t understand English?
Install Google Translate and set the screen translation function. It works surprisingly well – tested on hot sand!