Indoor things to do in Dubai: nine attractions compared

Visit Dubai's own weather page gives average temperatures of 34°C in June, 36°C in July, 35°C in August and 34°C in September, and in July it points visitors to Dubai's indoor attractions. From October to April, the same page says, outdoor attractions take centre stage.

Two are entered from The Dubai Mall, beside Burj Khalifa: Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, whose tunnel is on the mall's Ground Level, and At the Top, whose entrance is on its lower ground floor. That makes them an easy pair for one hot afternoon.

The rest are spread across the city: Ski Dubai on the ground floor of Mall of the Emirates, Aya Universe at Wafi City, The Green Planet at City Walk, Madame Tussauds Dubai on Bluewaters, Lost World Aquarium at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai Dolphinarium at Creek Park, Gate 1, and IMG Worlds of Adventure on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), next to Global Village.

Only four of the nine give a visit length on their own sites. Aya Universe says 60 to 90 minutes, Dubai Dolphinarium's dolphin and seal show runs 45 minutes, and Dubai Aquarium puts its tunnel at 15 to 30 minutes and the Underwater Zoo at 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. At IMG Worlds of Adventure, visitors typically spend 2 to 3 hours in the Marvel zone alone.

Opening hours set the order of a long day: The Green Planet closes at 18:00, At the Top takes its last entry at 19:00 and Dubai Aquarium at 20:15, while IMG Worlds of Adventure opens at 12:00 and Ski Dubai stays open until midnight from Friday to Sunday.

Under-2s go free at The Green Planet and Lost World Aquarium, and under-3s at Madame Tussauds Dubai and At the Top. Ski Dubai's Snow Park passes start at age 2, and children aged 2 to 13 need an adult with a valid ticket.

IMG Worlds of Adventure sets ride limits by height rather than age: Avengers Battle of Ultron, in the Marvel zone, needs 1.30 m, or 1.05 m with an adult. Under-12s should be with someone aged 16 or over.

On the venues' own sites, entry starts at AED 135 for Aya Universe, AED 155 for The Green Planet and Madame Tussauds Dubai, AED 189 for At the Top, AED 190 for Ski Dubai's Snow Base, AED 199 for Dubai Aquarium and AED 365 for IMG Worlds of Adventure. Dubai Dolphinarium and Lost World Aquarium publish no flat rate.

We sell tickets for all nine, and our price and cancellation terms for each are on its card above. Most have a guide of their own that goes deeper: our Ski Dubai or Snow Abu Dhabi guide, our Madame Tussauds Dubai and Aya Universe guides, our animal attractions guide for The Green Planet, the Dolphinarium and Lost World Aquarium, our Burj Khalifa ticket guide, and our Dubai with kids by age guide for IMG Worlds and Dubai Aquarium.