Car parks belonging to hotels, shopping centers, supermarkets etc are almost always free. And often full. There are occasionally some that require payment eg Carrefour Shindagha (but you get a refund from Carrefour) and the Al Khaleej Centre in Bur Dubai.
Sandy areas that look deserted and convenient for parking your car in, can be expensive. There were reports in October 2007 that the Dubai Municipality had started fining cars parked in the sand.
Road side parking, and off-street public car parks are usually 1 or 2 dhs per hour. Check the hours that paid parking applies. Usually they’re free from 1300-1600, Fridays and public holidays. Some have extended paid times up until 2100 (9pm).
Look for the orange solar powered ticket dispensers to obtain your parking ticket. If you go somewhere else, you can use it again if it hasn’t expired. And you’re not using a 1 dh/hour ticket in a 2 dh/hour zone.
Parking fines cost 150 dhs and normally it’s fine (no pun intended) to pay them when you go for your annual car registration.
You can get Dubai Municipality issued parking cards to insert into the parking machines. They have a 30, 50 or 150 dhs value but cost less than that in grocery shops and service stations. The only time we bought and tried one, it didn’t work. Keep some 1 dh coins in your car.
Season parking permits are available for 3, 6 or 12 month periods in two versions. Option A (700-2500 dhs) allows you to park anywhere, option B (450-1500 dhs) is restricted to a number of designated areas. Obtain the cards from the Al Twar (Al Tawar) branch of Dubai Municipality in Al Ghusais – in the Al Twar Centre opposite the Ministry of Education near Al Mulla Plaza. You should only need your car registration and a copy but bring other random bits of paper just in case eg passport, driver’s license, last weeks grocery bill.
