There are a lot of parks in Dubai. Most of these public parks were created by the Dubai Municipality to beautify Dubai and provide citizens with a healthy lifestyle. These parks also serve as means of family get-togethers, picnics, weekend playgrounds for children, and some wholesome activities. Most of the parks in Dubai have options for jogging, walking, exercising, and kids’ play areas. These are the standard facilities the municipality provides in all the public parks. However, each park in Dubai is unique in terms of its distinct characteristics.
These parks are well maintained, with greenery and trees planted all around. The parks have substantial parking lots so visitors can come with their families and carry their BBQ stuff for an evening of BBQ dinner, fun with family, and a bit of healthy walking. Another exciting feature of these parks is that all parks have the same entrance fees that include most of the activities, no matter where the park is located.
Dubai’s parks, including Zabeel Park, Deira Creek Park, Al Mamzar Park, and Jumeirah Beach Park, are more than just green spaces. They are vibrant community hubs, attracting thousands of visitors each month. In the winter, these parks transform into lush, green oases, beautifully landscaped with various trees, plants, and grass. They also serve as the backdrop for numerous events, thanks to their theaters and spacious grounds. Sections of these parks can be leased for social functions, further cementing their role as social hotspots.
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Mamzar Park is one of the largest public parks in Dubai. Close to the Sharjah border, this is located near the lagoon, which gives it natural beaches. This park has more than 3000 palm trees planted to reduce carbon footprints and provide shade to visitors. There are five beaches in this park with their unique names. Al Mamzar Park is also famous for its “smart benches,” where you can sit and charge your mobile phones and access free wifi. Mamzar Park has a football court, a volleyball court, and a swimming pool. The entry to the swimming pool is chargeable. The park has cabana-like tents for families to have their privacy. The park has separate BBQ pits so families can make BBQ dinners without bringing their BBQ pits. This park also has an indoor play area for children, which is very educational. It has a lot of do-it-yourself kits to engage kids for hours end. The Mamzar Park also has cafes and restaurants like Filli café and Khoor Special Kabab restaurant. The Filli Café is very famous for its Safran tea and sandwiches.
Zabeel Park
Zabeel Park is located at the inter-junction of the Al Karama, Zabeel, Al Satwa, and Al Mankhool areas of Dubai. This park is considered one of Dubai’s biggest and best parks. It has many unique features which make it stand out. For example, it stretches out on either side of Sheik Zayed Road. There is a huge cantilever bridge that connects both sides of the park. It is also near the Max Metro station and the ADCB metro station, making it one of the most accessible parks in Dubai. It is also home to the Dubai Frame. The Dubai Frame is a unique architecture that looks like A huge frame. The uniqueness of this frame is that when you take the elevator to the top of the frame and stand in the middle of the top of the frame, you can see the Old Dubai, and the other is the new Dubai of Sheikh Zayed Road, Business Bay, and the Oldtown. Zabel Park is also one of the greenest parks in Dubai and has implemented many steps towards sustainability.
One of the best ways to cover this huge park is to hop onto its toy train that takes you around the park. This toy train runs once every 30 minutes. There are many other attractions like small fountains near gate no. Three that are beautifully illuminated. It has a concave playground that can be used for cricket matches. It also serves as a venue for different venues. There are many BBQ pits in the park for family BBQ preparation. For food, there is a small food court inside the park itself; the other attractions are a skateboarding park, a BMX track, and a 2.5 KM jogging and walking track.
Safa Park
At one point, Safa Park in Jumeirah was huge, sprawled over 64 hectares. It served the upscale population of Jumeirah. When this park was created in 1975, it was considered the “outskirts” of central Dubai city. It was perimeter by Sheik Zayed Road on one side and Al Wasl Road on the other. In 2014, it was cut and reduced to half its size to make way for the development of the Dubai Canal and waterfront area, where many upscale buildings are being developed. Al Safa Park has become a central park due to the rapid growth of Dubai City that reaches beyond Jabel Ali,
The park is famous for its three lakes, which are used for boating. More than 200 different species of birds are carefully gathered there. It is also renowned for its gaming center and observatory wheel. Like other parks in Dubai, Safa Park also has a jogging and walking track around its perimeter. Safa Park lost its past glory due to construction projects around it, but in the future, it will regain its glory once these projects are completed.
Mushrif Park
Mushrif Park is the only ghaf forest park in Dubai. The ghaf is the national tree of the UAE. This park was established in 1974, a year before Safa Park opened its doors to the public. It is home to many birds, including owls, Orphean warblers, hoopoes, and black redstarts. The park has many artificial attractions, including walking trails and bicycle tracks, a large children’s playground, pony and camel rides, a swimming pool, and barbecue pits. There are also a couple of acceptable if primary, restaurants and cafes. Mushrif Park has two covered swimming pools that have paid entries. There is a horse riding and training center where you may also get training and caring for horse riding.
The park has BBQ areas, a vast parking place, and a hiking trail. It is also home to an international village with home replicas of various countries, including the Ban of Germany, the Tudor House of the UK, and the Thai Floating House. You can also test your skills and stamina in its Aventura parks, which have many challenges, including tree surfing, zip lines, and rope walks.
Creek Park
Dubai Creek Park is the oldest park in Dubai. Built along the Dubai creek, this is one of the most popular parks in Dubai. This park is massive and runs almost 2.5 kilometers along the creek. The park has some gates; gate number 01 is where the iconic Dolphinarium is. It was also the leading center for the first edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival and home to many events. The park has several mini playgrounds, kids’ play areas, and ponds. The park is lush green with different kinds of trees meticulously cared for by the Dubai Municipality. Dubai Creek Park also has an added attraction, the elevated cable car, the only cable car experience in Dubai.
Another attraction of the Creek Park is its massive Children’s city. It is an edutainment center where children learn various skills in a fun manner. There are do-it-yourself kits where kids learn to make multiple models. The kids can also draw, paint, and create based on the guidelines provided. The activities of Dubai Creek Park include train rides, camel rides, horse rides, BBQ picnics, jogging, and walking.
Jumeirah Beach Park
There is a quaint little park in the upscale Jumeirah. This park is called Jumeirah Beach Park. As the name suggests, it overlooks the endless sandy beach of the Arabian Gulf. This park is close to iconic destinations like the Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the Burj Al Arab. This park was built for the Jumeirah community. It is also close to Al Safar Park on the Jumeirah beach road.
You can do a lot of fun activities in Jumeirah Beach Park. You can have a nice dip in the sea at one of the best open beaches in Dubai. You can also play watersports like jet skiing, kayaking, and flyboarding. It is also an excellent venue to enjoy a picnic with your family or rustle up a BBQ party with friends and family. If you are a sports enthusiast, then you can = play volleyball at the volleyball court with your friends. You can grab a snack for the hungry tummies at the food kiosks. The Jumeirah Beach Park entry fee is only AED 5 for adults and AED 3 for kids.
Al Barsha Pond Park
AL Barsha Pond Park is one of the best-landscaped parks in Dubai. It is located in the Al Barsha region of Dubai. This park is spread over 52 acres and built around a community. It is very popular with joggers, walkers, and fitness freaks. On the other hand, you can also have family picnics in the far corners of the park, where nice BBQ pits are created. The park has an excellent inbuilt biking trail, and even if you don’t own a bike, you can always hire a bike or an e-scooter to have a go at it. Al Barsha has a lot of outdoor gyms where you can work out in oxygen-filled air, an ideal activity for those who have fitness in mind. It has one of the best ponds where you can go boating on green boats. The pond has some waterfront restaurants where you can spend quality time in the fresh air.
The park is open from 8 AM to 10 PM. The food is fantastic if you are there from morning to evening. There are many kiosks where you can grab a quick bite. This park is also open for private events.
Dubai Miracle Garden
Dubai Miracle Garden is the world’s most extensive floral garden. Spread over 72,000 square meters, it boosts millions of blooms of flowers every season. The Miracle Garden reopens its doors every winter. This garden is famous for its attractive landscapes and the sweet aroma of flowers wafting in the air. The whizzes of Dubai Miracle Garden create unique, non-repetitive flower settings that draw thousands of visitors every season. It has many attractions like;
Flower Clock—Imagine a garden where time does not fly but blooms. Well! It happens in this garden. Mechanical engineers, landscape whizzes, and timekeepers have created this unique clock.
Emirates A350—As the world’s largest jumbo plane, the A350’s reputation is formidable. Emirates owns the largest A350 fleet. To commemorate this unique association, the Miracle Garden has built an A350 jumbo entirely with living flowers and plants and has earned itself the coveted Guinness World Record as the largest structure in a garden.
Flower Tunnel –
Lake Park – Imagine a lake park with no lake and no water. This garden has created a beautiful optical illusion with live flowers, 3-D models of birds, and a blue sky to make you feel that there is a lake, but actually, there is none. It is creativity at its best. The lake park is where you will likely take most selfies.
Hill Top – An artificial hill created with flower beds. The attractive, laid-out flowers of a thousand colors create a beautiful hill view.
Butterfly Garden—Miracle Garden, Dubai, is home to the world’s largest butterfly garden, with 15,000 butterflies on 200 trees. The park has created a uniquely safe habitat for butterflies to thrive. Visitors are amazed at the number of butterflies fluttering around.
The Miracle Garden has plenty of F&B options, including a food court with restaurants, cafes, sweet shops, and on-the-go eats.
The operating hours are 9 A.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Dubai Butterfly Garden
Dubai Butterfly Garden is a part of Dubai Miracle Garden. This garden has more than 15,000 butterflies fluttering on flowers. This garden consists of purpose-built domes covering an area of approximately 6500 square meters. This also houses an education area that takes curious children and adults through the complete stages of a butterfly’s life. It also gives a glimpse into a monarch butterfly with a wingspan of over 12 cm that can take its monarch on its back to 3000 miles and fly to a height of 1500 feet. There is also a butterfly museum where stunning artworks are created using real butterflies. There is also a theater where movies related to butterflies are playing, and kids can watch any short films over snacks and tasty juices.
The Butterfly Garden Dubai is an excellent venue for kids to learn about conservation, sustainability, and nature.
Al Khazzan Park
Al Khazzan Park is a public park built by the Dubai Municipality in the Al Safa area of Dubai. However, it was redeveloped in 2016 as a zero-energy park. It is zero-energy because everything in this park is solar-powered, and energy utilization from traditional inputs is zero. The park is famous for its on-site restaurant and kids’ play area.
This park serves the neighborhoods such as Satwa, City Park, and Sheik Zayed Road. On one side, it has tall skyscrapers, and on the other side, the verdant greenery of the park. The park has a jogging and walking track meandering through landscaped gardens. There are also two extensive grounds for kids to enjoy football, running, or many other activities. Al Khazzan is also a family-friendly park with BBQ areas, proper seating, and plenty of dining areas.
Al Ittihad Park
The Palm Jumeirah Green Oasis is the Al Ittihad Park. It has over 200 different types of trees and assists people living in Pal Jumeirah by snuffing out the carbon dioxide of heavy vehicular pollution. The All Ittihad Park is famous for its 3.2 kilometers of jogging and walking track used by hundreds daily to keep themselves.
Al Ittihad Park runs along the Palm Jumeirah monorail, starting at the beginning of the Palm Jumeirah and running until The Nakheel Mail. People traveling on the monorail will be delighted at the greenery of the spark that surrounds it for almost four kilometers. The park has an outdoor gym for health-conscious people and a cycling track. The Ittihad Park is open from 8 AM to 10 AM on weekdays and from 8 AM to 12 midnight on Saturdays and Sundays.
Quranic Park
Quranic Park is one of the most unique destinations in Dubai. It’s a park and an institution that provides learning and educational experiences about Islam and its holy scripture, the Quran. The park is famous for its Glass House, Miracles Cave, and 180 acres of lush greenery. Like any other park, it has well-landscaped gardens, playgrounds, and orchards.
A sunken pathway represents Mussa’s walk, which, from another aide, looks like you are walking along the water, representing the sea. Its orchard has all the vegetables and fruits mentioned in the Quran, including olives, onions, citrons, and pomegranates. Like other public parks, Quranic Park also has a jogging and cycling track for users to engage in healthy activities. Its beautiful glass house is a greenhouse where plants are grown, as mentioned in the holy book of the Quran. A walk around the Glass House gives you a glimpse of Quranic beliefs on the usefulness of these plants to health.
The Cave of Miracles is also an educative destination within the Quranic Park. It offers an audiovisual presentation on the seven miracles mentioned in the Quran that occur.
If you are interested in learning about Islam and want to spend a day with family and friends in a park, the Quranic Park is the right destination.
Dubai Garden Glow
Dubai Garden Glow is a part of Zabeel Park. It is famous for its different structures, illuminated beautifully at night to get its name. These structures are called Dinosaurs, flowers, plants, and abstract shapes. The glow is thanks to a clever lighting system. It is only an evening-to-night activity. You need a special ticket to visit the Garden Glow apart from the ticket you buy to enter Zabeel Park. The Garden Glow has three attractions: The Glow Park, The Dinosaur Park, and the Magic Park. The Magic Park is an unusual optical illusion created by the lighting and glow. Recently, more attractions, such as the Upside-Down Café, the Glow Safari, and the Ames room, have been added.
The ticket is AED 70 per person. The Glow Garden is open from 5 PM to 11 PM, Sunday through Friday, and until midnight on Saturdays and National holidays.
Dubai Safari Park
Dubai Safari Park is one of the most unique parks in the world as it is made on a waste dump. The government of Dubai has created painstakingly, in consultation with wildlife experts, to ensure that waste dump is treated so that animals won’t get affected by the release of any poisonous gas or any poisonous material. The park has replaced the small Jumeirah Zoo to provide spacious living facilities for wild animals. This safari is a zoo, albeit with a twist. The animals are provided with a safari-like habitat. The park is home to 3000 animals, with 78 different mammals. It also has 50 types of reptiles and 111 species of birds. The park is divided into exciting sections like African Village, Asian Village, and the Explorer Village.
Burj Park
Located in Dubai’s downtown area, Burj Park is a small park with a vantage point of Burj Khalifa, Burj Lake, and the surrounding buildings. The park is spread over 3.5 hectares and is nothing but a well-manicured lawn. This park provides a better sight of Burj Fountains as it is less crowded. It also offers a well-deserved respite for our eyes, which only see tall skyscrapers in this area. It is home to the sculptured hand of Sheikh Muhammed with his three-finger salute. The hand shows W for Win, V for Victory, and L for Love.
Conclusion
Dubai parks are famous for their family-friendly features like shaded trees, sculptured lawns, kids’ play areas, jogging tracks, and BBQ pits. All the best parks in Dubai are public parks maintained by the Dubai Municipality, which are of exceptionally high importance; hence, all are family-friendly parks in Dubai. As parks get you out of the house, the outdoor activities in Dubai parks include jogging, cycling, preparing outdoor BBQ, and making kids enjoy the sandy outdoor kids’ play area.
FAQs
What is the best time to visit parks in Dubai?
There is no best time as such. Many families visit Dubai parks based on what they want to do. For daily joggers, the park is a 365-day activity. However, visiting the park during the winter evening is better for a family seeking a comfortable night of BBQ dinner and fun. The evening time is best in the park as the park’s thick foliage makes it much better for activities such as going to the outdoor gym, walking, or sharing meals with near and dear ones.
Are there any entry fees for parks in Dubai?
All Public parks have entry tickets apart from the Ittihad and Burj park which are free to enter.
Which parks in Dubai have BBQ facilities?
Most public parks provide BBQ facilities. However, Burj Park and Ittihad Park do not have BBQ facilities.