Start with the indoor half, because that is where most of the programme lives. Dubai Mall carries 1,200 shops alongside a walk-through aquarium, a full-size ice rink and the VR Park floor. Ski Dubai over at Mall of the Emirates holds minus two degrees and a colony of live penguins while the street outside sits at forty. Global Village opens from October to April with pavilions from roughly eighty countries, street food and nightly stage shows.

After dark the city moves outside. The fountain at the foot of Burj Khalifa plays from 6pm every half hour, costs nothing and lasts about five minutes. Dinner dhows work the Creek and the Marina with a dance programme on deck, and desert day trips almost always finish at a camp with belly dance, tanoura and a fire show. Families comparing parks should know that IMG Worlds of Adventure is the largest indoor theme park anywhere, that Motiongate and Legoland share the Dubai Parks and Resorts site half an hour south, and that the region's biggest water park, Aquaventure, sits out on the Palm.

Practical: online tickets usually run ten to twenty per cent under the gate price, and multi-park passes save more again if you plan two days of rides. Friday and Saturday are the busiest days, with local families out and queues at the fountain rails. Global Village and the outdoor markets close for the summer, so check dates before you build an itinerary around them. When booking, ask what the height limits are and whether hotel transfer is included.