Jumeirah

Jumeirah is the low-rise coastal strip that runs south-west from the creek along Jumeirah Beach Road, and it is the part of Dubai that looks least like the postcards. Jumeirah Mosque is the anchor: it is the one mosque in the city that runs organised visits for non-Muslims, through the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. Etihad Museum, at the north end, covers the founding of the UAE on the site where the union was signed. Jumeirah Beach Park and the La Mer beachfront give the district its two usable stretches of sand, and Mercato Mall sits in between for shade and a coffee. There is no Metro along the coast road here — the line runs inland along Sheikh Zayed Road — so plan on a taxi, a bus or a long, hot walk between stops.