🇦🇪 UAE vs 🇶🇦 Qatar

Dubai has an excellent metro and buses. Buy a Nol Card for all public transport in Dubai. Abu Dhabi has buses but no metro yet.

⛔Public displays of affection on public transport can result in fines or arrest. Maintain respectful behavior on all public transit.

Full guide →

Healthcare quality is excellent but expensive. Travel insurance is strongly recommended. Many hospitals have English-speaking staff.

⛔Many medications that are legal elsewhere are controlled or banned in the UAE. Check the UAE Ministry of Health list before bringing any prescription medication.

Full guide →

Qatar has excellent hospitals including Hamad Medical Corporation (public) and top private hospitals, with English widely spoken at all major facilities.

⛔Some medications that are legal elsewhere are controlled in Qatar. Check the Ministry of Public Health list before bringing prescription drugs and carry a doctor's letter for any controlled medicine.

Full guide →

The UAE has strict laws around alcohol, public behavior, drugs, and dress. What is legal in your home country may be a criminal offense here.

⛔Drug laws in the UAE are among the strictest in the world. Traces of drugs in your system (from use before arriving) have led to tourist arrests. Carry no controlled substances whatsoever.

Full guide →

Qatar has strict laws around alcohol, drugs, public behavior, LGBT relationships, and criticism of the government — violations can mean arrest or deportation.

⛔Drug trafficking is a capital offense in Qatar. Even traces of controlled substances in your system or luggage have led to tourist arrests — carry nothing.

Full guide →

Dress modestly in public. Shoulders and knees should be covered in malls, markets, and public areas. Swimwear is only for beaches and pools.

⛔Wearing bikinis or swimwear off the beach or pool (e.g., walking through a hotel lobby in a bikini) can result in a fine in the UAE.

Full guide →

Cover shoulders and knees in all public areas; beachwear is acceptable at beaches and hotel pools, and no full-face veil is required of tourists.

⛔Wearing overly revealing clothing in public spaces such as Souq Waqif or government buildings can result in a fine or being asked to leave.

Full guide →

Alcohol is only legal at licensed hotels, restaurants, and bars. Drinking in public is illegal. Legal age is 21. Ramadan has extra restrictions.

⛔Being drunk in public (even without a bottle in hand) can result in arrest and detention in the UAE. Drink only at licensed venues.

Full guide →

Alcohol is only available at licensed hotel bars and restaurants; it is completely banned in all public spaces, and tourists cannot purchase from the Qatar Distribution Company.

⛔Being visibly intoxicated in a public space or on the street is a criminal offense in Qatar, even if you consumed alcohol at a legal licensed venue.

Full guide →

Photographing government buildings, military sites, and people without consent is illegal. Tourists have been arrested for innocent-seeming photos.

⛔Tourists have been arrested and deported for photographing police stations, checkpoints, or Emirati women without permission. When in doubt, put the camera away.

Full guide →

The Doha skyline and tourist sites are freely photographable, but photographing government buildings, palaces, military sites, and people without consent is illegal.

⛔Photographing the Emiri Diwan, government ministries, military checkpoints, or police vehicles can result in detention and equipment confiscation.

Full guide →

The UAE weekend is Saturday–Sunday. Businesses close on Friday for prayers. Malls are open 7 days a week. Ramadan significantly changes all hours.

⛔During Ramadan, eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight hours (including in your car) is illegal for everyone, including non-Muslim tourists.

Full guide →

Qatar's weekend is Friday–Saturday; most malls and tourist venues are open seven days a week, but prayer times cause brief closures and Ramadan dramatically shifts all hours.

⛔During Ramadan, eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight hours is illegal for everyone — including non-Muslim tourists. Use hotel restaurants or eat discreetly indoors.

Full guide →

Tap water is desalinated and technically safe to drink, but most residents and tourists use bottled water due to the heavy chlorination and taste.

⛔Dehydration is a genuine health risk in UAE summers. Drink at least 3–4 litres of water per day when outside in hot weather.

Full guide →

du and Etisalat (e&) are the two UAE carriers — both sell tourist SIMs at the airport with excellent 5G coverage, but VoIP calls are blocked.

⛔VoIP services including WhatsApp voice calls, FaceTime audio, and Skype are blocked in the UAE. A VPN may circumvent this but using a VPN to bypass blocked services is a legal grey area.

Full guide →

Tourist SIMs from Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar are available at Hamad International Airport and require your passport; 5G coverage is excellent across the country.

⛔VoIP and internet calling apps including WhatsApp voice/video calls and FaceTime may be blocked on Qatari carrier networks — use a VPN if these services are essential to you.

Full guide →

The UAE is one of the safest countries in the world with extremely low crime rates — road accidents are a greater real risk than crime.

⛔Road traffic accidents are a genuine risk. Drive defensively, always wear a seatbelt, and never exceed speed limits — cameras are everywhere.

Full guide →

Ramadan etiquette is critical, public displays of affection are inappropriate, and small gestures like accepting offered coffee show respect.

⛔Eating or drinking in public during Ramadan daylight hours is a fineable offense. This applies to all visitors regardless of religion.

Full guide →

Accept offered gahwa (coffee) and dates, dress modestly, avoid rushing hosts, and observe Ramadan rules carefully — Qatar values hospitality and measured formality.

⛔Public displays of affection — including kissing or sustained embracing in public — are illegal in Qatar and can lead to a fine or arrest.

Full guide →

The UAE has excellent public beaches with warm water year-round, but appropriate swimwear and flag safety systems apply.

⛔Wearing a thong bikini or extremely revealing swimwear on public UAE beaches can result in a fine. Stick to conventional swimwear on public beaches.

Full guide →

Qatar has accessible public and resort beaches on the Persian Gulf with warm water year-round; modest swimwear is expected at public beaches.

⛔Jellyfish are present in the Persian Gulf seasonally, particularly from May to September. Check local advisories before swimming and treat stings with vinegar.

Full guide →

Drive on the right, roads are excellent, but speed cameras are everywhere and the UAE has one of the world's highest road accident rates.

⛔The UAE has a very high road accident and fatality rate. Drive defensively, maintain safe following distances, and strictly observe speed limits.

Full guide →

Drive on the right; an international driving license is valid; traffic in Doha is heavy with speed cameras everywhere, but petrol is extremely cheap.

⛔Qatar has zero tolerance for drink-driving — even a trace of alcohol in your system while driving is a criminal offense carrying fines, imprisonment, and deportation.

Full guide →

The State Mosque (Grand Mosque) welcomes non-Muslim visitors outside prayer times with proper dress; robes and head coverings are provided at the entrance.

⛔Entering a mosque during prayer time without permission or without appropriate dress can cause serious offense and may result in being escorted out by authorities.

Full guide →

Visit October to April for comfortable outdoor weather — May to September is extremely hot and humid with temperatures above 45°C.

⛔Summer heat in the UAE (May–September) is a genuine health hazard. Prolonged outdoor exposure above 45°C can cause heat stroke rapidly — limit time outside and stay hydrated.

Full guide →

Visit November to March for comfortable outdoor weather; summers (May–September) are brutally hot at 45°C+ and largely unsuitable for outdoor sightseeing.

⛔Summer heat in Qatar (June–August) can be life-threatening for outdoor exertion. Limit outdoor time to early morning and evenings, stay hydrated, and never leave children in parked cars.

Full guide →