Many travelers who decide to relax in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are tormented by the dilemma: Sharjah or Dubai? Where is the best place to stay? In this article, we will try to help you make the right choice. If we look at the map of the UAE, it will remind us of a patchwork quilt. Most of the country's territory is occupied by the emirate of Abu Dhabi. A little to the east is Dubai. Sharjah adjoins the last emirate from the north. But Ajman nestled on its territory near the seashore. It is the smallest emirate in the UAE.
And Sharjah has territories in other parts of the country. These are the exclaves of Korfakkan, Al-Izn, Dibba and Kalba. They are located in other emirates in the east of the country. But we, in thinking about the choice between Dubai and Sharjah, will talk about the main territory. After all, travelers to the UAE are primarily interested in the sea. And tourism is developed in that part of Sharjah that goes to the Persian Gulf.
The many faces of the UAE
This federation consists of seven independent emirates. Two of them, Dubai and Sharjah, we will discuss in this article. Since the emirates are independent and are each governed by their own sheikh (the countryonly the president is common), then the laws in them are different. Sharjah, for example, has a constitutional monarchy, while Dubai has an absolute one. But the differences between the two emirates do not end there.
Rulers have the right to make laws that directly affect the daily lives of their subjects and even visiting tourists. The Emir of Dubai is the most open to the world. There, a stranger from Europe or America will not feel deprived of the usual pleasures. But there are also emirates where there is a ban on alcohol. Some rulers, in order not to violate the spiritual bonds of their subjects, require foreigners (mostly females) to dress decently. Of course, no one will throw a hijab on you, but you can pay a fine for appearing on the street with bare shoulders, neckline, in a miniskirt or shorts. The distance "Sharjah - Dubai" is small, but life flows there like on different planets. Now consider each emirate separately. Where is the best place to relax?
Incredible Dubai
The eponymous capital of the emirate is the largest city in the UAE. And the most dynamic! If you visited Dubai five years ago, today you will no longer recognize the city. Every year it brings new surprises in the form of the tallest buildings, the most incredible artificial islands and the most ambitious architectural projects. Only one thing remains unchanged in the city: craving for records and originality. Yet fifty years ago, Dubai was an inconspicuous town in the Arab world. Oil played a role in the emirate's economy, but now it has faded into the background and accounts for just six percent of GDP.
Incredible skyscraper architecture, futuristic street views, truly European evening life and dizzying shopping - this is what modern Dubai is. Sharjah, to be honest, is a quiet "suburb" of this cosmopolitan metropolis and is pulled into the orbit of its attraction.
What Dubai has to offer
Firstly, this city is the cult capital of all shopaholics in the world. Dubai malls are simply amazing with their assortment and, most importantly, prices. Yes, and shopping centers here are more like entertainment towns - with cinemas, sports and playgrounds, attractions, restaurants and cafes. Dubai annually hosts exhibitions of world significance and all kinds of trends. Excursions from other emirates are sent to this city only to show majestic and fabulously luxurious skyscrapers and man-made islands. Only here in the middle of eternal summer you can ski and snowboard. The city has a huge oceanarium and many water parks where you can have fun with the whole family. Tourists who want to have fun in the European manner go to Dubai. Sharjah, compared to this metropolis, seems like a monastery with a strict charter. But this emirate also has its advantages.
Spiritual Capital of the UAE
In Sharjah there is an absolute dry law. You can’t buy alcohol not only in stores, but also in restaurants. Getting around the dry law for tourists is quite simple. You just need to leave Sharjah for Dubai or another emirate - Ajman. Lastespecially attracts tourists who want to wet their throats. After all, there, not far from the Ajman Beach Hotel, in a store with the eloquent name Hole in the wall (Hole in the wall), alcohol is sold without any restrictions. But officially it is forbidden to bring harmful liquid to Sharjah. Although in practice no one looks into your bags. But Sharjah offers tourists other, spiritual entertainment.
The abundance of museums, theaters and galleries is the envy of any major European city. The modern architecture of Sharjah has retained a medieval oriental flavor. Here you can wander around the souq bazaar all day long - and this will be a combination of shopping with complete immersion in the atmosphere of an Arab fairy tale. But the fair sex should cover their shoulders and not expose their legs too much in Sharjah. You can flaunt in revealing outfits on the territory of hotels.
Dubai Beach Vacation
This metropolis stretches for many kilometers along the Persian Gulf. However, this does not mean at all that the entire coast is occupied by beaches. First, the Deira area is a port. With all the consequences for a beach holiday. The best places on the coast are occupied by expensive hotels and clubs. Entrance costs from 150 to 750 dirhams per day (2380 - 11,900 rubles). For this money you will be offered a sunbed, an umbrella, green lawns, in some places even drinks and an entertainment program. The water temperature in Dubai, even in January, the coldest month of the year, does not fall below + 16 degrees. And in July, the sea near the coast warms up to + 32 C.
But most hotels inDubai are located away from the beaches. And not all coasts are suitable for recreation. You can advise "Jumeirah Beach Park" and similar places. On Mondays, such beaches are usually reserved only for women and children. There are coasts in Dubai with free entry. These are Dubai Marina Public Beach and The Beach at JBR. The last beach belongs to the entertainment complex. So here you can not only sunbathe, but in between times visit a cinema, water park, cafe.
Sharjah Beach Vacation
This is the only emirate in the UAE where you can swim alternately in the Persian and Oman Gulfs. In terms of beach holidays, Sharjah gives odds to Dubai. Firstly, its coastline is built up not with luxury hotels, but with quite ordinary “five” and even “four” hotels. So you will not need to go to the sea by metro every day. Secondly, if the water temperature in Dubai in January is + 16, then in Sharjah it is + 18 degrees. And in summer, the deeper sea gives real freshness. The beaches of Sharjah, both municipal and paid, belonging to first-line hotels, have equal natural qualities: fine soft sand, smooth entry and cleanliness of the coast and water area. The only difference is the infrastructure. On paid beaches, entrance costs 80 rubles, and for three hundred you can also get a deck chair with an umbrella.
Traditionally, Mondays are Women's Day on the coasts of the UAE. But Sharjah has its own peculiarity. Despite the fact that men are not allowed to enter the beach on Mondays, ladies are not allowed to sunbathe either naked or topless.
Sharjah or Dubai: which is better?
We gave a brief overview of the two emirates. As you can see, they are very different. And although the distance between Sharjah and Dubai is only seventeen kilometers in a straight line, in the eyes of travelers they appear as two different worlds. So where is it better to go - to Sharjah or Dubai? It depends on what you yourself put into the concept of "rest". Are you dreaming of a vacation away from the hustle and bustle, in a hotel on the first line, with a wonderful private beach? Then you should choose Sharjah. Do you dream of spending your days on excursions, having fun in the Wild Wadi water park (the largest in the UAE), and in the evenings going around cafes and nightclubs? Then you have a direct road to Dubai. True, it is difficult to find a budget hotel in this metropolis, especially not far from the sea. Are you an avid shopaholic and travel to the UAE with an empty suitcase to fill it in shopping malls? Then you are also in Dubai. There are no import duties and VAT in this emirate. But in Sharjah, in numerous traditional souk markets, you can find real treasures in the form of jewelry and crafts by local craftsmen.
How to get from Sharjah to Dubai
These are two neighboring emirates. The border between them, for ordinary citizens is very conditional, is a road junction. The capitals of the two emirates have grown so much that they actually flow into one another. Both cities have their own airports. Therefore, in search of cheap air tickets or convenient arrival and departure times, many travelers follow the scoreboards in different air harbors. Most direct flights, as well as charters,hosts a futuristic metropolis.
But for package tourists who have bought a ticket to the UAE, a transfer from Dubai to Sharjah is provided. How long it will last depends on the destination hotel, as well as the number of fellow travelers on the bus. It may also happen that you drive around all the hotels in Sharjah until you get to yours. But even if you are taken to a place of rest without any problems, you will probably want to get out for a day in magnificent Dubai - if not to wet your throat from prohibition, then at least to have fun in the water park or see the Burj Khalifa hotel with your own eyes. Below we will tell you how to get from Sharjah to Dubai on your own.
Hiking
And this is not a joke at all. It has already been mentioned above that these two cities - the capitals of different emirates - actually merged into one urban zone. So if you live in the southern part of Sharjah, then you can easily walk to Deira, the northern district of Dubai. True, you will not see all the sights of the futuristic city along the way. But in Dubai there are also water trams that will take you to the other side of the bay, buses and, finally, the metro. With the help of public transport, you can see all the sights superficially in a few hours.
We have already indicated how many kilometers from Sharjah to Dubai, if we count the distance from the central post offices of the capital. Fifteen kilometers in a straight line, seventeen - on the freeway. But if you want to get to the Jebel Ali area of Dubai, then it is as much as 40 km from the center of Sharjah.
Taxi ride
Hiring a car is the easiest way to get anywhere in any country. And the UAE is no exception. Taxis can even be called online. Ladies traveling without accompanying men can order Ladies taxi. Such a car with a pink top and interior is driven by a female driver. There are several hundred taxi companies in both Dubai and Sharjah. At the state, payment is made by the meter, tariffs are set, and there is no point in haggling. With private traders, the cost of the trip must be discussed in advance.
What is the price of a taxi ride from Dubai to Sharjah? The cost depends on the mileage, but it will not be cheaper than twenty dirhams (322 rubles). From the center of Dubai to the center of Sharjah, such a trip will cost approximately twenty US dollars.
Urban transport
For those who want to travel on a budget, there is a shuttle bus from Sharjah to Dubai. The fare on it costs only 5 dirhams (80 rubles). The bus makes several stops along the way in different areas of Sharjah and Dubai. Travel time is about forty minutes.
