With children across the UAE breaking up from school not long after Eid Al Etihad, and the winter holiday spilling into early January, parents have nearly a month to keep little ones entertained. This can be an energy and a wallet-draining experience.
Yet, there are plenty of free or inexpensive places to visit across the Emirates. We’ve rounded up some tried-and-tested favourites to keep children busy and the credit card tucked away.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural Understanding, Dubai
Cost: Free
Take young ones on a journey back to the past on a visit that will give them a taste of traditional life in the UAE.
The SMCCU is headquartered in a traditional Emirati house that’s free to visit in the afternoons and is filled with information and objects that will puzzle and delight.
The UAE’s rich heritage is explored through the architecture, the labyrinth of different rooms and the cultural hosts who are more than happy to answer any questions children (and adults) might have about life in the Emirates.
No booking is required, you can just turn up and wander through the open house, as well as the mini-museum about pearl diving and coastal life, before trying on traditional Emirati clothes. The SMCCU also hosts a full programme of paid-for cultural events, available to book through the website.
The centre puts on various traditional and cultural activities. Photo: SMUCCU
Daily, November to February, 4pm-8pm; House 26, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, Bur Dubai; 04 353 6666
Mleiha Archaeological Centre, Sharjah
Cost: Dh25, Dh15 for children aged 12 and below, free for children under three, Dh55 for a family ticket (two adults and three children)
The centre might be compact, but it fits millions of years of inform
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