1. Dubai Coffee Museum
Located in the Al Fahidi district, Dubai is home to the UAE’s first every museum dedicated to coffee. The museum opened its doors in September 2014 to mark International Coffee Day, which takes place on September 29. The museum is a showcase that connects the past and the present of the coffee world. The ground floor of the museum is made up of 6 different rooms including the different roasting and brewing styles from various countries, which are live demonstrated. The first floor of the museum offers a large selection of books about the history of coffee as well as documentaries that visitors can watch in the media room. Coffee lovers can also sit and enjoy some tasty coffee in their homey and cozy coffee lounge as well as purchase related items from the museum gift shop.
Location: Villa 44, Al Fahidi Historical District
Cost: Free
Timings: Daily from 9am to 5pm, closed on Friday
Contact: 04 3538777
Must see: The cabinet of different espresso cup designs.
2. Dubai Moving Images Museum
The Moving Images Museum was founded in the year 2011 and houses the private collection of Mr. Akram Miknas, a Bahraini/Lebanese business man with a passion for photography. He has accumulated a collection of artifacts over the last twenty-five years that are displayed in the museum. All items in the museum are original, dating back from the 1730s to the twentieth century. The Moving Image Museum in Dubai features numerous interactive aspects, allowing for guests of all ages to fully experience the rich history of the moving image by viewing and playing with objects such as peeping into an eighteenth century Dutch peep box viewer, or turning the reel of an early twentieth century mutoscope to see the flicker effect.
Location: MCN Hive Building, 1st Floor, Barsha Heights, Dubai
Cost: Dh50 for adults, Dh25 for children or students with valid ID
Timings: daily from 11am to 6pm, except Friday
Contact: 04 4216679
Must see: The Kayser Panorama 3D viewer
3. Horse Museum
The Horse Museum was built in the year 1940 in the Al Shindagha area, as one of the properties of the late Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The Horse Museum offers an opportunity for visitors to get to know the Arabian horse. It also takes the visitors on a thrilling journey with the aim of enriching their knowledge of horses. The museum consists of wings and halls that include information, prototypes and tools that have to do with horses in regards to their breeds, names, characteristics, races, genres, body parts and anatomy, methods of raising and training them. The museum also highlights how Arabic and local literature dealt with authentic Arabian horses, as well as the poetry and books written about the Arabian horse.
Location: Al Shindagha area, Bur Dubai near Al Ghubaiba Metro Station
Cost: Free
Timings: From Sunday to Thursday, from 8am until 2pm, closed on Friday and Saturday
Contact: 04 5155000
Must see: The carved in stone mural depicting soldiers with their horses at war.
4. Camel Museum
*Please note that the Camel Museum is currently under renovation and will be closed to the public until further notice
The Camel Museum was built in the 1940s, in the Al Shindagha area and at the time was called the "Camel-Riding House" or "Beit Al Rekab”. Today it is a museum to display camels, where visitors can learn a wealth of information related to the camels of the Arabian Peninsula. The museum is comprised of a number of wings and halls that include information, prototypes, models and tools that have to do with camels in regards to their history, features, facts, characteristics and merits, as well as their races, types, organs, anatomy, the ways of treating and caring for them, in addition to its benefits including its meat, milk, wool and its life.
Location: Al Shindagha area, Bur Dubai near Al Ghubaiba Metro Station
Cost: Free
Timings: From Sunday to Thursday, from 8am until 2pm, closed on Friday and Saturday
Contact: 04 5155000
Must see: The exhibition displaying the internal organs of the camel
5. Coin Museum
The coin museum is set in a historic building built in 1918 and is the perfect spot to visit, if you have a crazy coin collection or simply love coins. The museum has a collection of more than 470 coins since the early Islamic caliphates. As you explore the 7 main rooms, equipped with display cabinets and touch screen monitors, you will discover the rich history of various coins from different eras. A visit to the Coin Museum represents a rare opportunity to see more than 470 pieces of rare coins dating back to different historical eras. It also increases your knowledge of the coins that had been used in Dubai and the region, in addition to getting acquainted with the close link between the monetary system of the British Empire, India and the countries in the region before independence, and the formation of the federation.
Location: Big Souk, near Al Fahidi metro station, Bur Dubai
Cost: Free
Timings: Sunday to Thursday 8am to 2pm
Contact: 04 3539090
Must see: The old 1 Dirham coin dating back hundreds of years.
6. Emirates National Auto Museum
This museum was established in 2004 and is located south of the city of Abu Dhabi. The Emirates National Auto Museum (ENAM) is home to 200 cars belonging to HH Shaikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan as well as a large fleet very cool off-road vehicles and classic American cars. The famous Mercedes rainbow collection and the world's largest truck are some of the museums proudest pieces. ENAM has even been featured in the BBC show Top Gear.
Location: South of Abu Dhabi, Hamim Road, Off E11, Al Gharbia
Cost: Dh50 per adult, free for children under 10
Timings: Daily from 10am to 6pm
Contact: 055 7492155
Must see: The eight-bedroom motor home complete with balcony.
7. Al Ain Classical Cars Museum
The museum was established in late 2009 by Captain Rashid Mohammad Al Tamimi, a car enthusiast. In November 2013, the Al Ain Classic Car Museum transferred to a new Location: at the Ain Al Fida Complex. The museum has something for everyone, from veteran car lovers to those who are mildly interested in automobile antiquities. The museum considers itself the top classic car source in the UAE, and provides a wide array of services for classic car to be in optimal operating and cosmetic condition. They even cater at events with collections of classic cars that people can rent for display.
Location: Ain Al Faida Complex, Al Ain
City Cost: Dh5, children under 5 for free
Timings: Saturday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm, Friday from 4pm to 8pm
Contact: 050 6231323
Must see: The classic Rolls Royce and Jaguar
8. Sharjah Car Club & Museum
Sharjah Classic Cars Museum first opened its doors in 2008 and was re-opened again in 2013. Car lovers will truly enjoy visiting this museum, as it displays hundreds of classic cars that have been built in the early 20 century. The museum features exhibitions about the history of the automotive industry through a wide range of classic cars showcased all under one roof. The museum is split up into 5 different section and each one of these sections features a different historical stage in time.
Location: Airport Road between the 4 and 5 intersections
Cost: Dh10 for adults, Dh5 for children under 12, free for children under 2
Timings: Saturday to Thursday from 8am to 8pm, Friday from 4pm to 8pm
Contact: 06 558-0222
Must see: The vintage Mercedes Benz 600
9. Pearl Museum
The Emirates NBD Pearl Museum was established in the year 2003 by the late Sultan Al Owais. The pearl museum is located inside the Emirates NBD bank headquarters in Deira and is home to the worlds’ largest and finest collection of saltwater pearls from the Arabian Gulf. Preservation of the UAE culture and heritage has always been a core value to Emirates NBD and was an important cause to the late Mr. Al Owais.
He started his pearl collection in the early 1970s and generously donated it to the people of the UAE under the custodianship of the National Bank of Dubai. His aim and wish was to ensure that they always remembered the heritage and life in the UAE before the discovery of oil changed everything. To better preserve this heritage, Emirates NBD built a museum where his pearl collection is currently displayed.
In addition to being a home to over 50 kilograms of precious pearls, the museum also celebrates the colourful lives of pearl divers and sailors by displaying their instruments and tools as well as maps and diving equipment that they used to harvest and ship the pearls.
Pearl trading has a very deep rooted and rich heritage in the UAE. The world’s best natural pearls were found in oysters located in the warm and shallow Gulf waters. Since the 1500s, merchants travelled to the UAE to purchase pearls, in order to sell them all around India and Africa. The pearling industry was an important historical foundation and was the main source on which merchants of the UAE constructed their wealth. Pearl trading was not just their source of income, it was a way of life. Trading pearls was commonly done in old coffee shops, where merchants would meet to examine the pearls and negotiate sales. By the 1900s the pearl industry in the Gulf was at its peak and made up for 95 per cent of the UAE’s national income.
Visits to the pearl museum are by appointment only and are preferred to be done by 8 to 10 people at a time.
Location: Emirates NBD Head Quarters, Deira
Cost: Free
Timings: By appointment only
Contact: 04 2012713
10. Al Mahatah Museum
Back in 1932, Al Mahatta was the first airport in the Gulf. It was built in Sharjah, when the only other airport in the Middle East was in Egypt. At the time, Al Mahatta created an air bridge between the Gulf countries and India to facilitate trade. After Dubai International Airport was built, Al Mahatta remained unused and abandoned for many years until His Highness Dr. Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, decided to turn it into a museum. The museum was officially opened in the year 2000.
Location: Al Estiqlal St, Al Qasimia Area across from the Sharjah Mega Mall
Cost: Free
Timings: Daily from 8am to 8pm, Fridays from 4pm to 8pm
Contact: 06 5733079
Must see: Four fully restored, original propeller planes.
