Ramadan 2027 in Dubai, and your transfers.
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around Monday 8 February, and the date depends on the moon. If your group travels in February or March, you need to know what changes on the ground and what is still unknown. Here is what the UAE government says visitors will notice, last year’s transport hours as a precedent, and how to plan transfers around a moving date.
When it is expected
The UAE government portal, u.ae, says Ramadan begins at the first sighting of the new crescent moon and lasts 29 or 30 days. The UAE follows an official announcement from its moon-sighting committee. So nobody can print a fixed start date this far ahead, and neither do we.
Forecasts exist. The National, on 6 October 2026, quoted the UAE Astronomy Centre as projecting a start on 8 February 2027, lasting 29 or 30 days, with Eid Al Fitr expected on 9 or 10 March. Gulf News, updated on 16 October 2026, agrees on 8 February and on 9 or 10 March, and quotes the chairman of the Emirates Astronomical Society. Both are press reports of forecasts, not the official announcement. Treat every date as expected, subject to moon sighting.
The government portal also sets the holiday rule: Eid Al Fitr is the first to third day of Shawwal, and if Ramadan has 30 days, day 30 is also an official holiday. A March trip may therefore meet a three or four day break that moves by a day.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteWhat the government says visitors will notice
The portal describes fasting as a duty for capable Muslims. For visitors, it lists the practical changes:
- Supermarkets and grocery shops open as usual, and malls stay open until late at night.
- Amusement parks, restaurants, and cultural and tourist sites remain open through the day.
- Some restaurants adjust their hours or close in the daytime, and open fully at iftar. Malls and food courts have designated dining areas.
- Working hours are cut by two hours a day under UAE labour law, for Muslim and non-Muslim staff alike.
- Paid parking hours change, and the portal tells drivers to read the signs on the parking meters.
- Taxis can be hard to find in the evening, because many drivers are breaking the fast. The portal suggests booking ahead.
We add nothing to that list, and we found no source for attraction hours. Ask each venue for its hours on your date.
Last year’s RTA hours, as a precedent
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced its Ramadan 2026 service hours in a notice dated 16 February 2026. Ramadan began two days later, on 18 February. We could not find any 2027 hours. The RTA has announced holiday hours only days ahead, so the table shows 2026 only, to show the pattern. It is not a 2027 timetable.
| Service | RTA hours in Ramadan 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dubai Metro, Monday to Thursday | 05:00 to 00:00 |
| Dubai Metro, Friday | 05:00 to 01:00 the next day |
| Dubai Metro, Saturday | 05:00 to 00:00 |
| Dubai Metro, Sunday | 08:00 to 00:00 |
| Dubai Tram, Monday to Saturday | 06:00 to 01:00 |
| Dubai Tram, Sunday | 09:00 to 01:00 |
| Paid parking, Monday to Saturday | Two periods: 08:00 to 18:00 and 20:00 to 00:00 |
| Buses | Times through the S’hail app |
If you plan to combine the Metro with a vehicle, our Metro and coach guide explains which parts of a day suit each. Check the RTA notice for 2027 before you rely on any late service.
Sunset on three dates, as a guide
The evening meal after the fast begins at sunset. We model sunset for Dubai with a standard solar calculation, and we cross-checked three dates against an online sunrise tool, which agreed to within about a minute. These are approximate, to the nearest minute. They are not iftar times, which are announced locally.
| Date in 2027 | Sunset in Dubai (modelled) |
|---|---|
| Monday 8 February | About 18:07 |
| Monday 22 February | About 18:17 |
| Monday 8 March | About 18:24 |
Where it meets your school breaks
In Germany, the school break in Bavaria and Saarland is 8 to 12 February 2027, and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony it is 8 to 19 February, according to the KMK table. In the Netherlands, the spring break is 13 to 21 February in the south and 20 to 28 February in the north and middle, according to the national government. These dates land inside the expected first weeks of Ramadan. They can change, so check your own school or state.
See our time difference guide, and note that the UAE has no daylight saving. The weekend and Friday prayer arrangements are in UAE weekend and Friday prayers.
What is not published
We found no 2027 RTA hours for Ramadan or Eid, and no coach or group rule for Ramadan parking. We make no claim about traffic at any time of day, because we found no source. Attraction hours for February and March 2027 were not published when we checked on 31 October 2026.
Dates can shift by a day, and a moon sighting can move Eid by a day as well. Check the UAE government portal and the RTA before you book transport. If your dates change, we adjust the quote.
Planning transfers
Book the fixed points first: your flights, then the days you must be somewhere. Because the portal says evening taxis can be scarce, a vehicle booked ahead does not depend on finding one. Ask for a fixed written quote with pick-up times.
For an example, a group of 10 staying in Downtown Dubai that wants a half-day visit and a dinner afterwards. Agree the outward time and the dinner pick-up time in writing, and build in a margin on both. Your venue, hotel and group will change the sum. Our peak season guide explains how early to book, and a family holiday in Dubai shows how a family week fits together.
For a late arrival or a night departure, see night and early morning flight transfers.
Choosing the vehicle
Count passengers first and bags second. Our guide figures:
- Mercedes V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 6 bags.
- 13-seater HiAce: up to 13 passengers and about 10 suitcases.
- Mercedes Sprinter: up to 16 passengers and up to 12 suitcases.
- 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach for tour parties and larger families.
How a booked vehicle fits
- Send the plan. Dates, hotel area, party size, bags and the times you must be somewhere.
- Ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
- Read the pick-up and drop-off arrangement. The quote states it, and we update it when notices are published.
- Agree the return time. We plan the margin and tell you what is not yet published.
- Tell us if plans change. We adjust where we can, and cannot promise to beat traffic.
Keep reading
- European school breaks vs Ramadan and Eid 2027: German, Dutch and UK holiday dates from December 2026 to April 2027 set against the expected dates of Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr and Easter in Dubai.
- Arabian Travel Market 2027 delegate transport: Arabian Travel Market, 3 to 6 May 2027 at the Dubai World Trade Centre: daily hours, the organiser’s taxi points, modelled hotel drive times and how the other May shows sit beside it.
- Eid Al Adha 2027 and Whitsun in Dubai: Eid Al Adha 2027 is expected around Whit weekend. The holiday rule, the expected dates, the German and Dutch May breaks and what past RTA notices suggest, for a group from Europe.
- Japan holiday windows for Dubai trips: Japanese national holidays from November 2026 to Golden Week 2027, laid against the expected dates of Ramadan and Eid in the UAE and against Dubai’s monthly heat.
- Eid Al Fitr 2027 in Dubai: group transfers: Eid Al Fitr 2027 in Dubai: the holiday rule, the dates expected so far, what the RTA changed for Eid in 2026, and how to book a group trip around a date that moves with the moon.
- Gulfood 2027 buyer delegation transport plan: A five-day transport plan for a trade mission or buyer delegation at Gulfood 2027: airport meet, daily runs to the right venue, and evening dinner transfers.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
When does Ramadan start in 2027?
It is expected to start on Monday 8 February 2027, according to The National and Gulf News, and it depends on the moon. It lasts 29 or 30 days. The official date is announced after the crescent is sighted.
When is Eid Al Fitr 2027?
It is expected on 9 or 10 March 2027, subject to moon sighting. The government portal sets the holiday as the first to third day of Shawwal, with the 30th day of Ramadan added if Ramadan has 30 days.
Do attractions stay open during Ramadan?
The government portal says amusement parks, restaurants and cultural and tourist sites remain open throughout the day. Ask each venue for its hours on your date, since we found none published for 2027.
Will the Metro and parking hours change?
The RTA changed them in 2026 and announced them two days before Ramadan began. We found no 2027 hours. Check the RTA notice close to your travel date.
Is it hard to find a taxi in the evening?
The government portal says taxis can be hard to find in the evening because many drivers are breaking the fast, and it advises booking ahead. A vehicle booked ahead with a fixed written quote does not rely on hailing one.
Do you quote different hours in Ramadan?
We quote from the plan you send us. Tell us your dates and times, and ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
What if the dates change by a day?
Tell us, and we adjust the quote where we can. Moon sighting can move the start of Ramadan and Eid by a day, so book with that in mind.
How do I get a price?
Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking form with the dates, hotel area, party size and the times you want. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Ramadan trip, transfers set in writing.
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