Travelling with children, especially when they are small, is never too easy, but luckily in Dubai there are plenty of attractions to keep them entertained including water parks, theme parks and shows of all kinds. Children’s attractions in Dubai are scattered more or less everywhere in the city, but we’ve decided to group them into three categories: those within Creek Park, those within Dubai Mall, and, finally, the water parks.
The Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in the world. Children will almost certainly not find it interesting to wander around the building’s more than 1,200 shops, but inside they will find something for their teeth, starting with the Dubai Aquarium.
It is a huge tank 50 metres high with a capacity of 10 million litres of water. Inside it houses over 400 sharks, stingrays and 140 other species of fish. It is possible to walk around the tank but also to walk inside it thanks to the glass tunnel.
At the end of this exciting underwater walk is the Underwater Zoo, where you can admire creatures from the world’s oceans and rivers. For a little extra on top of the ticket price, there is also the possibility of snorkelling and entering the shark cage.
Also inside the Dubai Mall is the city’s largest ice rink, the Dubai Ice Rink, where you can enjoy ice skating in complete safety and comfort. Skates of all sizes and dimensions can be hired, there are no minimum or maximum age limits, and you can book in advance via the Internet or directly on site.
The Dubai Ice Rink is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 8 pm.
The last noteworthy attraction inside the Dubai Mall is Kidzania, a large educational centre for children from 4 to 16 years old. There are a total of 80 activities to do, 60 of which are interactive.
What makes Kidzania so unique is that it helps children develop their skills while playing a role of their choice from chef, TV star, inventor, pilot, police officer, detective and many others.
There is not much for adults to do at Kidzania, but it is an exciting way to watch your children make friends with other children and learn new things about a particular craft.
Thanks to the warm temperatures even in winter, Dubai’s water parks are always crowded with children from all over the world. There are two, both beautiful and built next to an ultra-luxury hotel.
The first is the Wild Wadi Waterpark, built right next to the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, and is the city’s best known water park. There are attractions for the little ones as well as the older ones. In all, there are nine rides including slides, water games and wave pools.
The most adrenaline-pumping is undoubtedly the Jumeirah Sceirah, which allows a free fall of 120 metres while travelling at 80 kilometres per hour. You can also relax in the donut rivers, the wave pool or have fun in the surf zone.
The other big water park in Dubai is Aquaventure. It is located at the top of the artificial island Palm Jumeirah, right next to the Atlantis hotel. Its most popular attraction is a 1.6 km long man-made river with rapids, waves and waterfalls, but the Tower of Neptune, with three slides, one of which is practically vertical, ending in a shark-infested lagoon, is also a lot of fun.
Aquaventure also has a beautiful, fully equipped beach where parents can relax while the little ones play in the park.
Dubai Parks and Resorts is the largest theme park in the Middle East. Inside you can visit popular attractions for children such as Legoland Dubai and Legoland Waterpark, great for ‘cooling off’ during the hot Dubai days.
Older kids can pay a visit to the famous Motiongate Dubai, a Hollywood theme park.
Creek Park is located along the Creek in the Bur Dubai district, and besides green lawns and beautiful gardens there are also numerous attractions for the little ones.
Children between the ages of 2 and 15 will love Children’s City, the first educational centre for children in the whole of the United Arab Emirates. There are plenty of things to do inside, including a nature centre, a cultural centre, a workshop area, a space exploration area as well as a planetarium and a play area.
Next to Children’s City is the Dubai Dolphinarium, where the stars are of course dolphins and their sensational shows, along with numerous other sea creatures.
To round off a day out for the kids, there’s nothing better than a ride on the Cable Car, the gondola that starts right next to the Dolphinarium, allowing you to admire the city skyline from a truly privileged position.
Next to Dubai Creek Park is Wonderland playground. There are 16 main games suitable for everyone, including a rollercoaster, crash cars and a horror house, 10 dedicated exclusively to children and even 10 water games. It is possible to practice paintball and play exciting lasergames.
To refresh yourself after a long day of games, you can choose from four fast food restaurants, an ice cream parlour, a bar and numerous kiosks selling drinks of all kinds located throughout the park.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
Hotel 
Budget accommodations 
Apartments 
Family Hotel 
Luxury Hotel