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There’s no denying that Dubai can be an expensive city to visit if you don’t plan your expenditures carefully.
One of the top investments newcomers can make on their first trip to Dubai is getting the Dubai Pass, which allows them to save on top attractions across the city.
On this page, we’ll explain all the different types of Dubai Pass and how the Dubai Pass by iVenture can really help you save on a Dubai trip.
In this Dubai Pass guide we’ll cover:
This guide has been updated as of October 2024 for the latest offerings and attraction openings. Please check latest inclusion with Dubai Pass before purchasing to ensure your desired attractions are included.
How does the Dubai Pass Work?
OK—calculating the value you will get requires some pre-planning and math, but stick with us as we explain your options!
We suggest you get a pen and paper out and jot your options down, as it can get complicated!
Whatever Dubai Pass you select allows you to choose a certain number of activities from each category or from a defined list. So you need to ask yourself:
Let’s go through each of these steps in detail.
How many days do I need a Dubai Pass for?
You then need to select how many days you want your ticket to last. Once activated, the days must run consecutively, ie a 7-day pass must be used within one week of being activated, you can not use 7 days over 2 weeks for example.
You have 6 months from purchasing your Dubai Pass to then activate it.
How much does the Dubai Pass cost?
The all-important question is: What does the Dubai Pass cost, and realistically, how much will you save? Is it really 50%? If you take full advantage of all the attractions, then YES.
The card categories are (Adult/Child price):
Let’s look at each in more detail here:
| Attractions | Duration | Adult (13+) AED | Child (3-12) AED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Select Pass | 3: 1 per pool | 7 days | 519 | 489 |
| Dubai Flexi Pass | 3 (any pool) | 7 days | 629 | 615 |
| 5 (any pool) | 7 days | 959 | 849 | |
| 7 (any pool) | 7 days | 1269 | 1129 | |
| Dubai Unlimited | ALL | 3 days | 1549 | 1269 |
| ALL | 5 days | 1999 | 1599 | |
| Dubai Theme Parks | 3 (per list) | 5 days | 705 | 649 |
Note that children under 3 are FREE. There is a discounted rate for children aged 3 to 12 years old. Prices correct per iVenture October 2024.
Dubai Select Attraction Pass
This is the Dubai Pass that lets you see three top attractions over the space of a week, but each attraction must come from a different pool 1, 2 & 3 as set out in the attractions list here:
Those marked * mean they are bookable tours; once you’ve purchased your Dubai Pass, you’ll need to book an exact time for these, and spaces could be limited for your dates. For all others, you can turn up and present your pass on yourpohone.
The notable absentees from this list are some of the theme parks – IMG Worlds of Adventure and Aquaventure are excluded – these can only be found on the Dubai Theme Parks Pass, see below. Musume of the Future is also conspicuously absent, and you won’t find some places like Dubai Garden Glow or Dubai Miracle Garden which are somewhat seasonal.
Dubai Flexi Attraction Pass
This one costs slightly more than the Dubai Select Pass, but as the name suggests, it gives you more flexibility. You can still choose a 3-attraction option, but they can be from the same pool. Or you can make it a 5 or 7 attraction pass (by the time you hit 7, though, look into Dubai Unlimited for better value).
See also the Dubai Theme Park Pass as it might be a better fit for families with little thrill-seekers.
Dubai Unlimited
This is where you will get the best savings as it’s open to all attractions. You have only 3 to 5 days to use it, but you can squeeze multiple attractions into one day (only conditions, no repeats allowed, and there must be at least one hour between redeeming each attraction).
At present, 34 attractions are included in total, which can add up to a whopping big savings over the space of 5 days. Again, the notworthy absentees are Aquaventure, IMG Worlds of Adventure & Museum of the Future.
We share over here exactly how we’d fill a 3-day Dubai Itinerary or 5-days in Dubai to see if you can squeeze out maximum value!
Dubai Theme Park Pass
Does what it says on the tin! For your theme park buffs out there, this is a specialised ticket for water parks and theme parks, allowing you a few flexible options to choose from. You can choose three parks to be visited within five consecutive days from:
- Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis
- IMG Worlds of Adventure
- Wild Wadi Waterpark™
- Motiongate Dubai
- Legoland Dubi
- Legoland Water Park
- Real Madrid World
It looks like they’ve now scrapped the 5 park/7 day pass, but there’s still a pretty good range of choice here.
This guide will help you select the best Dubai theme parks based on age, height, and interests.
Still confused by which attractions you are getting the best value for? Pop on over to the Dubai attractions section of our website for detailed reviews of the top tourist attractions in Dubai.
Next Step – Registering your card & booking times
Once you’ve completed your purchase, you will be asked to register your card. This will allow you to pre-book any activities that have specific time slots before you arrive.
Boat tours, city tours, and desert safari activities need booking in advance for timed slots.
Where do I collect my Dubai Pass from?
iVenture has finally moved into the 21st Century since COVID days and all passes can now be accessed electronically via the SmartVisit App (Google Play | App Store).
Our biggest bugbear with this pass in the past used to be that on day one, you had to get to the collection point in one of the big malls to get a physical card. Having this electronically now means you can hit the ground running as soon as you land and visit your attractions without delay.
This will, however, mean you need Wi-Fi access or data to use your App throughout your trip—check out our guide on how to stay connected in Dubai.
Is the Dubai Pass value for money?
If this is your first trip to Dubai and you are here for the action and family adventures, then you will absolutely get plenty of value for a Dubai Pass.
The fact they have finally moved to an online ticket, which does not require physical collection, is a huge plus.
However, the need to buy a separate theme park pass now for many of the most popular family attractions has really reduced the overall value of the Unlimited ticket while the price for the Dubai Pass has significantly risen in the last 4 years (in line with attraction price increases across the board).
Convinced yet? Click here to save now on your Dubai Pass
Other Attraction Pass Options in Dubai.
For a long time, the Dubai Pass stood with little competition in the multi-attraction ticket market in Dubai, but there’s now a very good competing product, Go City Dubai.
Go City Dubai comes in 2 ticket types:
- All-Inclusive Pass – see as many attractions as you can in 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 days (from AED 1,540 to AED 3,340 per adult)
- An Explorer Pass for 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 attractions that give you more time to redeem selected attractions over two months (from AED 840 to AED 2,110 per adult)
Operating with a slightly more straightforward system, no “pools”, simply select the number of attractions you want to see with the Explorer (with 60 days to redeem) or unlimited entry to close to 40 attractions with the all-inclusive.
Go City Dubai – despite its name – also includes many Abu Dhabi attractions making it an appealing option if you’ll be splitting your time between the two UAE cities.
Both the Dubai Pass and Go City have their pros and cons so read the fine print carefully to determine which you’ll get more value from.
If you’re only in Dubai for a very short period of time and only want to see the absolute highlights, we’d also suggest you look at the Tiqets Dubai Digital Pass – essentially a Burj Khalifa/Desert Safari combo ticket with a few perks thrown in.
Heading to Abu Dhabi? Then look out for the Official Abu Dhabi Pass. Run by the DCT there’s some great multi-attraction savings to be had that can be bundles with free transport within the city and 2GB data.
Before you go… More important things you should know when planning a trip to Dubai
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post for Dubai Pass or iVenture. We are, however, an affiliate of Get Your Guide and iVenture, and if a purchase is made after clicking from our site, we may make a commission at no additional cost to you. We are also affiliate partners for Go City and PlatinumList whom we link to and recommend on our website. Full website terms of use can be found here.
