Sharjah

Walking Sharjah's old core between the Corniche and Khalid Lagoon

Most of what brings visitors here sits close together in the old core between the Corniche and Khalid Lagoon, so the city works on foot in a way few Gulf cities do. One day covers the essentials. Add a second for the lagoon and the souqs, and a third if you want the desert and the mountains inland.

• Day one, the heritage area: Heart of Sharjah is a 35,000 m² restoration that aims to return the old town to how it looked in the 1950s. Start at Al Hisn Fort, then visit Bait Al Naboodah, a merchant's house, and the Calligraphy Museum. Rest at the traditional coffee house in Souq Al Arsah over mint tea and dates. End on the Corniche at the Museum of Islamic Civilization, whose collection includes handwritten Qur'ans and artefacts from Mecca.
• Day two by the lagoon: the Central Souq (the Blue Souq) sells carpets from Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey alongside Kashmiri pashminas and Omani silver. Across the water, Al Noor Island opened in December 2015 with nine art installations and a butterfly house that held about 500 butterflies when it opened. Boat tours of the city leave from the canal at Al Qasba.
• Day three, inland: Mleiha lies 25 km south of the town of Dhaid. Its archaeological centre is built around a 4,500-year-old tomb, and stone tools found at nearby Faya are at least 130,000 years old. The Arabian Wildlife Centre, 28 km out on the Al Dhaid road, shows the peninsula's native animals. The east-coast exclave of Khor Fakkan, reached through the Hajar Mountains, makes a longer outing.

Many heritage sites set aside hours for women only, so confirm the times on arrival. Sharjah also makes an easy base for Dubai, provided you travel against the commuter flow.

Time a day trip to Dubai against the rush-hour flow, and if you rent a car, avoid peak times.

The Book Fair, Light Festival and Biennial in Sharjah's winter

Winter is the time to visit, with January days near 25°C and highs that seldom pass 30°C before April. November brings the Sharjah International Book Fair, February the Light Festival and early spring the Biennial in alternate years. Rain is light and erratic, yet February and March bring nearly two-thirds of the year's total, so a wet day is most likely then. July and August average 43°C, and on some days the thermometer passes 45°C.

The Sharjah International Book Fair, running since 1982, fills Expo Centre Sharjah for 12 days each November and drew 2.19 million visitors in 2023. Expect traffic jams around the venue. In February the Sharjah Light Festival projects shows onto landmarks such as Al Noor Mosque and University City Hall, reaching as far as the Al Rafisah Dam at Khor Fakkan.

Art lovers should aim for a biennial year. The Sharjah Biennial was first held in 1993 and is run by the Sharjah Art Foundation. It opens every second year in early spring. The 2025 edition ran from February to mid-June in venues including the Al Mureijah heritage area and the converted Kalba Ice Factory.

Smaller events fill the gaps. F1 powerboat races are held around the human-made island on the Buhaira Corniche, usually in December. Summer has its own festival: the Date Festival runs from 15 May to 15 August at the Fruit and Vegetable Market, timed to the harvest. Jet-skiing on Khalid Lagoon is popular in the hot months too, best early or late in the day.

Shawarma, seafood and biryani in a city without alcohol

Plan evenings around food and coffee, because Sharjah bans almost all alcohol. Shawarma with khuboos is the cheap staple, Seashells on Al Khan Road grills seafood, and Lasani and Syed Al Biryani cover Pakistani cooking. Bargaining is normal in the souqs, and the mood is more conservative than in Dubai.

Sharjah is dry in the legal sense. Selling or possessing alcohol is almost entirely forbidden, with three narrow exceptions. Members of the Sharjah Wanderers Club and their guests can drink at the club. The airport's duty-free shops and lounges sell it, and residents with a personal licence may drink at home. Carrying bottles through the emirate on the way from Dubai to Fujairah is legal, though not every police officer knows the rule.

Cheap meals start with shawarma and khuboos, the flat wheat bread, sold all over the city. Seashells on Al Khan Road near the Radisson serves grilled or fried shrimp, tuna and hammour. Lasani in Al Majaz serves Pakistani barbecue, while Syed Al Biryani in Al Nad is a local favourite for rice dishes. Mushmaool beside Sharjah Mega Mall in Abu Shagara does Arabic grills. The mall itself houses the Lebanese Beyrouth Restaurant. For gifts, Khlas Malaki on Corniche Road packs sweet dates in small boxes.

Bargaining is normal in the souqs. Souq Al Arsah sells antiques and handicrafts as well as carpets for noticeably less than in Dubai. English works in shops and hotels, but many residents speak Hindi, Urdu or Tagalog among themselves.

Public buildings follow Umayyad and Abbasid styles chosen by the ruler, a trained architect, which gives the streets a different look from the glass towers next door. The atmosphere is more conservative too. Women on their own may draw stares in some districts, and the heritage museums keep separate hours for female visitors.