Daniel
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October 3, 2026
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11 min read
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Dubai Municipality runs 211 public parks in Dubai, yet only five of them charge an entry fee. Most of the paid ones cost AED 3 to AED 5 per person, payable by card or phone at the gate. This hub compares the five parks worth your time, with entry fees, hours, nearest metro stations and the one rule that matters most at each.
A public park in Dubai is a Dubai Municipality managed green space with lawns, playgrounds and sports courts. The big ones are gated, keep set hours and charge a small ticket, while community parks stay open and free. Each section below gives you the deciding details for one park and links to our full guide for it. For the wider picture, see our guide to the top attractions and experiences for every traveler.
| Park | Entry fee | Hours | Best for | Nearest metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zabeel Park | AED 5 per person | 8am to 10pm Mon to Thu; 8am to 11pm Fri to Sun | Families and first timers, with the Dubai Frame inside | MAX (Red Line) |
| Dubai Creek Park | AED 5 per person | 8am to 10pm Mon to Thu; 8am to 11pm Fri to Sun | Waterfront picnics and the cable car | Dubai Healthcare City (Green Line) |
| Mushrif Park | AED 3 per person or AED 10 per car | 8am to 10pm Mon to Thu; 8am to 11pm Fri to Sun | Nature, cycling and barbecue days | Centrepoint (Red Line), then taxi |
| Dubai Hills Park | Free | Daily; see our guide for current hours | Running track, dog zone and picnic lawns | Mall of the Emirates (Red Line), then taxi |
| Nad Al Sheba Park | Free | Daily; the 906m track runs 8am to 10pm | Jogging, cycling and community sport | No metro nearby; car or taxi |
Children under 2 and People of Determination enter the three paid parks free. The price you see at the gate is the price you pay.
What a family of 2 adults and 2 children pays for entry:
AED 20 at Zabeel Park or Dubai Creek Park
AED 12 at Mushrif Park on foot, or AED 10 total if you arrive by car
AED 0 at Dubai Hills Park or Nad Al Sheba Park
AED 140 extra if that family adds the Dubai Frame (2 adults at AED 50, 2 children aged 3 to 12 at AED 20), and the Frame ticket includes Zabeel Park entry
The biggest gap is not between the parks but between a park day and an attraction day, so decide on the paid attractions before you pick the park.
Zabeel Park is one of Dubai’s biggest parks and the easiest first choice. It sits between Al Karama and Sheikh Zayed Road, and it holds the Dubai Frame plus a boating lake, barbecue and picnic zones, a jogging track and three children’s edutainment centres.
Entry is AED 5 per person, and the park runs 8am to 10pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 11pm Friday to Sunday. The one rule to know: no pets allowed.
The deciding detail is the Dubai Frame. Adult tickets are AED 50 and children aged 3 to 12 pay AED 20, and a Frame ticket includes entry to Zabeel Park, so you skip the AED 5 gate fee. Dubai Garden Glow also sits inside the park in season and needs its own ticket.
Read our full Zabeel Park guide for the Frame, the lake and which gate to use.
Dubai Creek Park stretches along the creek at Umm Hurair 2, on the Bur Dubai side. It is the park to pick when you want water views with your picnic, and it keeps the same AED 5 entry and the same hours as Zabeel Park: 8am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 11pm Friday to Sunday.
Inside you will find a cable car, Children’s City, the Dubai Dolphinarium, mini golf, an amphitheatre and barbecue zones. Each of those attractions sells its own ticket on top of the park entry. The one rule to know: barbecue only in the marked zones.
The nearest metro is Dubai Healthcare City on the Green Line, about a 20 minute walk from the gates.
See our Dubai Creek Park guide for the cable car route and the best picnic lawns.
Dubai Hills Park works differently from the municipal parks. Walking into the park grounds is free and it stays open daily.
The paid part is the attraction zone: the splash park, skate park and ice rink sell day passes listed at about AED 55 for Dubai Hills residents and AED 85 for other visitors, or you can pay per attraction, according to Time Out Dubai and Property Finder listings. Confirm the current prices at the gate before you promise the kids anything.
The deciding detail is the dog zone. This is the only park in this list with a dedicated dog area, while the municipal parks do not allow pets. A jogging track of about 2.5km loops the park, so it doubles as a free running spot. The one rule to know: dogs stay in the marked dog area, on a lead.
Our Dubai Hills Park guide covers what is free, what is paid and the current hours.
Nad Al Sheba Park is a free Dubai Municipality community park, and it is the quiet pick for runners and cyclists. The RTA’s cycling track page lists a 906m cycling track inside the park, open 8am to 10pm, alongside jogging paths, sports courts, a football field and picnic spots.
Entry is free and the park is open daily, with no metro station nearby, so plan on a car or taxi. The one rule to know: wear a helmet on the cycle tracks. There are no paid attractions inside, which keeps the whole visit at AED 0.
Our Nad Al Sheba Park guide has the track routes and the quietest hours to go.
Mushrif Park is Dubai’s oldest park, opened in 1974, and it feels like it in the best way: tall ghaf trees, real shade and room to spread out. Entry is AED 3 per person or AED 10 per car, and hours match the other municipal parks at 8am to 10pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 11pm Friday to Sunday.
The per car ticket is the trick most guides bury. A family of four arriving in one car pays AED 10 total, which undercuts every other paid park. Inside you get the International Village with 13 house models, a 4km cycling track and more than 100 stone barbecue pits. The one rule to know: barbecue only in the pits provided, and bring your own coal and grill rack.
The nearest metro is Centrepoint on the Red Line, then a taxi to the gates.
Paying for the municipal parks changed after Dubai Municipality’s late 2023 deal with du, and many guides still show the old way.
Nol card payment was phased out at most park gates in early 2024, so any guide that says Nol only is out of date. For official park facility information, see Dubai Municipality’s app page, which lists its Parks and Beaches information service.
Getting there, simplest first:
Zabeel Park: Red Line to MAX station, then a short walk.
Dubai Creek Park: Green Line to Dubai Healthcare City, about a 20 minute walk.
Mushrif Park: Red Line to Centrepoint, then a taxi.
Dubai Hills Park: Red Line to Mall of the Emirates, then a short taxi ride.
Nad Al Sheba Park: no metro nearby; drive or take a taxi.
October to April is the park season, with December to February the sweet spot for daytime highs in the mid 20s. Go before 9am or after 4pm for the kindest light. In summer, treat the parks as early morning or evening plans only.
| What you will read | What is accurate |
|---|---|
| Pay at park gates with your Nol card | Nol card payment was phased out at Dubai park gates in early 2024, confirmed by Khaleej Times. Book a QR ticket online or pay by card, phone or cash at the kiosks. |
| Zabeel Park: Sunday to Wednesday 8am to 10pm, Thursday to Saturday 8am to 11pm | That split follows the old Friday to Saturday weekend. Since 2022 the weekend is Saturday and Sunday; the park lists 8am to 10pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 11pm Friday to Sunday. |
| Mushrif Park: AED 10 per car, everyone pays the same | The AED 10 is a per car alternative to AED 3 per person. On foot or by metro you pay the per person price instead. |
| Dubai Hills Park charges AED 55 to AED 85 for entry | Entry to the park grounds is free. The AED 55 to AED 85 figures are day passes for the paid attraction zone (splash park, skate park, ice rink), according to Time Out Dubai. |
| Al Safa Park: AED 3, open 8am to 11pm | We could not confirm Al Safa Park’s current opening status, so it is not in this comparison. Older guides still list its old hours and fee; check Dubai Municipality before planning around it. |
Most of them are. Dubai Municipality counts 211 public parks across the emirate, and only five charge an entry fee: Zabeel, Creek, Mushrif, Al Mamzar and Safa. Community parks such as Dubai Hills Park and Nad Al Sheba Park are completely free. At the paid parks, children under 2 and People of Determination enter free.
No. Nol card payment at park gates was phased out in early 2024, so older guides that call it Nol only are out of date. Book a QR ticket on Dubai Municipality’s official parks site before you go, or pay by debit card, credit card or cash at the self service kiosks by the gate. Then scan the code at the e-gate and walk in.
Zabeel Park and Creek Park are the easiest family picks, with big lawns, playgrounds and barbecue zones. Mushrif Park is the barbecue specialist, with more than 100 stone pits, but bring your own coal and grill rack. If you want to pay nothing at all, Dubai Hills Park and Nad Al Sheba Park both allow picnics for free.
Not to most of them. Dubai Municipality’s gated parks do not allow pets, and Zabeel Park is explicit about it. The exception in this list is Dubai Hills Park, which has a dedicated dog area. Keep your dog on a lead, stay inside the marked zone and clean up after it.
October to April is the outdoor season, and December to February is the sweet spot when daytime highs sit in the mid 20s. Go before 9am or after 4pm for the kindest light and temperatures. In summer, when afternoons push past 40°C, treat the parks as early morning or evening plans only.
Both. Al Mamzar Beach Park pairs five beaches with lawns, barbecue areas and chalets, and it runs different rules from the green parks: entry is AED 5 per person or AED 30 per car, and Mondays and Wednesdays are reserved for women and children. If you want sand with your picnic, this is the one.
Yes, but only where the park says so. Mushrif Park has more than 100 stone barbecue pits, and Zabeel, Creek Park and Al Mamzar have marked barbecue zones. The pits are provided and the fuel is not, so bring your own coal and grill rack. Grilling on open beaches is not allowed.
Pair a park morning with something bigger nearby. Do Zabeel Park first and the Dubai Frame after lunch; the Frame ticket covers your park entry. At Creek Park, start with the cable car before the midday heat and walk the waterfront in the evening.
When the park day is planned, browse our top attractions and experiences for every traveler to pick the sight that goes with it, and check our Dubai travel guide for metro, taxi and money basics.
Written by
Daniel
Daniel is the travel writer behind Go Dubai Now, covering Dubai's attractions, parks, restaurants and practical travel topics. Every guide is researched against official sources — government portals, operator websites and current local listings — and updated regularly so timings, prices and rules stay accurate. His goal is simple: answer the exact questions travelers ask before they go, with no fluff and no outdated information.
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