Best Theme Parks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi: Which One Is Right for You?

I have screamed on most of the roller coasters in this guide. One of them kicked open the doors of my soul. Another I rode again and again until closing time, because nobody else was in the queue.

So which is the best theme park in Dubai? It depends on who is coming. Here is my short answer, from visits between November 2025 and February 2026 (my friend took the photos):

The Fountain of Dreams at MOTIONGATE Dubai

Which are the best theme parks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi?

Dubai has four theme parks: MOTIONGATE, LEGOLAND Dubai and Real Madrid World side by side at Dubai Parks and Resorts, and IMG Worlds of Adventure on its own in Dubailand. Abu Dhabi has three, all on Yas Island: Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World and SeaWorld. And yes, Ferrari World is in Abu Dhabi, not Dubai.

Here are the best theme parks in the UAE side by side. The thrill score is mine, and it is very personal: 1 is a gentle carousel, 5 is me forgetting to breathe.

Prices are for one guest aged 3 and over (IMG Worlds: height 1.05 m and over), correct in October 2026. You can also browse all theme parks in Dubai and all theme parks in Abu Dhabi.

The best theme parks in Dubai

Outside at MOTIONGATE: coasters under the open sky

MOTIONGATE Dubai

Mostly outdoor, with the indoor DreamWorks zone. A full day. Thrill score 4. From AED 295.

MOTIONGATE is my second favourite theme park in the UAE, right after Ferrari World. I went on 21 January 2026, a normal weekday.

It is a big outdoor theme park, a whole city of rides under the open sky. Paths split, zones open into other zones, and it is easy to lose yourself for hours. The mood is less childish than at IMG Worlds or Warner Bros. World, but little ones still get carousels and small rides in every corner.

The DreamWorks zone sits under a huge air-conditioned roof. It is dark inside, with flickering lights and ride entrances glowing in the shadows. Somewhere in there is the Fountain of Dreams. More than half a year later, I still remember it.

That zone also has the best coaster in the park: Madagascar Mad Pursuit. Half the teenagers of Dubai were queueing for it with me, and they all agree it is the best ride here. It races through the dark like a scene from a film. For me, it was close to Flying Aces at Ferrari World, maybe level with it.

Outside, Capitol Bullet Train from The Hunger Games felt short, but it is one of the wildest rides here. Now You See Me: High Roller has cars shaped like nothing I have seen in any other park. John Wick: Open Contract was closed on the day I went, so that one is still on my list.

Book MOTIONGATE Dubai tickets

IMG Worlds of Adventure Dubai

Indoor. 4 to 5 hours. Thrill score 2. From AED 365.

The Powerpuff Girls ride at IMG Worlds of Adventure

IMG Worlds is one giant indoor theme park, with more than 1.5 million square feet under one roof. It is the park I would pick for a hot day with kids under 12.

Walking in, I felt like a tiny bug that had crawled into a box of toy blocks and plastic dinosaurs. Almost every ride and cafe is dressed as a cartoon, and there were so many that even I, a very adult 19-year-old, knew them all. The Lost Valley hides giant dinosaurs in green jungle, and children will love it.

The ride that surprised me most was the Powerpuff Girls one. It spins you and throws you in circles until your stomach feels like it is in love. My body thought I was dying, and I loved it. Predator is an indoor coaster with a sharp 90-degree drop.

Read my full IMG Worlds of Adventure guide or book IMG Worlds tickets.

LEGOLAND Dubai

Outdoor, with indoor Miniland. Half a day. Thrill score 1. From AED 295.

LEGOLAND Dubai, built for kids aged 2 to 12

LEGOLAND Dubai is built for one kind of visitor: a child between 2 and 12 who has just found out that the world is made of bricks. It is an outdoor theme park with six lands and more than 40 rides, shows and attractions, almost all sized for small people. If I were six, I would never want to leave.

Here the adventure is building, steering and pretending, not screaming. Children build their own LEGO car and send it down a test track, help catch the thieves, or get catapulted 15 feet into the air. The coasters are first coasters, the kind that turn a nervous four-year-old into a brave one. Toddlers who are too short for most rides elsewhere finally get a full day of yes.

Miniland is the indoor part: famous landmarks built from 20 million LEGO bricks, with a new daily sound-and-light show for the 2026-2027 season.

Book LEGOLAND Dubai tickets

Real Madrid World Dubai

Outdoor. 2 to 3 hours. Thrill score 3. From AED 295.

Hala Madrid, the wooden coaster I rode five times in a row

Real Madrid World is a small outdoor theme park, about the size of one zone at MOTIONGATE. I went on 23 February 2026, a weekday, and had the park almost to myself. Football is everywhere: statues, club colours, trophies, and corners for the club's football and basketball stars. If your child plays football and loves rides, this is their dream day out, especially for boys and girls aged 6 to 12.

The big ride is Hala Madrid, a wooden roller coaster. It is loud, it rattles, and it is properly scary. With no queue, I rode it five times in a row.

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Yas Island theme parks: the best theme parks in Abu Dhabi

All three are indoor and air-conditioned, the safest plan for the hot months, and the free Yas Express shuttle runs between them.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

Indoor, with a few big coasters running outside the roof. A full day. Thrill score 5. From AED 345.

Ferrari World is my favourite theme park in the UAE, with more than 44 rides and experiences. I spent the morning there on 4 November 2025, then ran to SeaWorld. You enter through Yas Mall, under a roof that looks like crumpled foil, enormous and full of detail.

Mission Ferrari starts in a dark queue full of screens, where I felt like a character in a video game, then goes fast, high and upside down. It uses a lot of flashing light. Turbo Track rolls you slowly and gently, then shoots you out like a bullet from the calmest sniper in the world, straight up into the sun. Sit in the back row, facing backwards: it is five times scarier.

Flying Aces, my big one

Flying Aces was my big one: a dark pilots' tunnel, a heavy wooden door, then a launch into daylight that grinds you into dust before you even take off. I screamed, my hands shook, and when it stopped all I could think was: how good was that.

Formula Rossa was closed for maintenance on my visit, and I am still not over it. Here is what I missed: 0 to 240 km/h in 4.9 seconds, a climb to 52 metres, safety goggles for every rider, and the Guinness World Records title for the highest speed achieved by a rollercoaster launch (April 2026). You must be at least 1.4 m tall.

Not into coasters? There are Ferrari car galleries, junior rides, a kids' zone, and a photogenic corner styled like an old Italian town, fountain included.

Read my full Ferrari World guide or book Ferrari World tickets.

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi

Indoor. 5 to 6 hours. Thrill score 4, thanks to one coaster. From AED 375.

SeaWorld is the park for fish lovers who are raising little fish lovers, and for grandparents who will never ride a loop. The park calls itself the world's largest indoor marine-life theme park.

Tropical Ocean is a tall glass house full of giant trees, with live flamingos for company. Another zone is a maze of metal tunnels with fish in every wall, like walking through Swiss cheese. At some point I could not tell if the fish were there for the place, or the place was there for the fish.

Penguins in the polar zone at SeaWorld. Bring a warm layer.

The dolphin and sea lion shows run two or three times a day, usually late morning, early afternoon and late afternoon. The seats are wide steps you sit on like a lawn, and the dolphin show opens with three drummers.

The dolphin show at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi

Then I found the Manta coaster. It is just as intense as Flying Aces, and there was no queue at all. I rode it, got off, got back on, and kept going until the park closed. Six times, maybe ten. Most visitors come for the animals, so the coaster stays quiet. I felt like a fish in water.

There are more rides, too. Infinity Falls is a water ride with a big plunge, Hypersphere 360° takes you on an immersive trip deep under the ocean, and little ones can climb, crawl and slide around Explorer's Sea Base.

Read my full SeaWorld Abu Dhabi guide or book SeaWorld tickets.

Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi

Indoor. Half a day. Thrill score 2. From AED 345.

Warner Bros. World, a cartoon you can walk into

Warner Bros. World is a cartoon you can walk into. Batman, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and many more are everywhere: on the rides, on the walls, and walking around in costume while families queue for photos. It is a park for young children first, and for anyone who grew up on these cartoons.

For a second opinion, I asked a colleague who visited in September 2026 with his two kids, aged 3 and 5. The kids loved the cartoon side. The surprise was him. He is a programmer with a beard, and his favourite part was the zone full of robots and tech. Very on brand.

New for 2026: Kryptonite Collider opened in July, the park's first new permanent ride since 2018.

Read the Warner Bros. World guide or book Warner Bros. World tickets.

Bonus: Global Village Dubai, Season 31 (2026-2027)

Global Village, where everyone in Dubai ends up on winter evenings

Global Village is not a classic theme park, but on winter evenings it is where everyone in Dubai seems to end up. Season 31 runs from 14 October 2026 until May 2027, from 4 pm to midnight Sunday to Wednesday, and to 1 am Thursday to Saturday and on public holidays. Tuesdays are for ladies and families.

You walk through 29 pavilions from more than 90 cultures, eat street food from dozens of countries and catch live shows every evening. And yes, there are rides. Carnaval, the fun fair, has rides and games for small kids, families and thrill-seekers, the Festival Wheel is back with new carts and views over the whole park, and a new coaster, Tokyo Rush, with sharp turns and a loop, arrives later this season. Wear comfortable shoes: you will walk a lot.

Read the full Global Village 2026-2027 guide or book Global Village tickets.

Which theme parks are indoor, and which are outdoor?

The four indoor theme parks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi work in any month, and from May to September they are the only comfortable choice. The outdoor ones shine from October to April, when MOTIONGATE, LEGOLAND and Real Madrid World become some of the best outdoor activities in Dubai. Hiding from the heat? See all indoor things to do in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi.

Whatever the season, Monday to Thursday is quieter than the weekend, and the first hour after opening is your best friend in every park.

Can you visit two theme parks in one day?

Yes. At Dubai Parks and Resorts, the Two Park Combo (AED 355) gives you two parks in one day. On Yas Island, passes cover 2 parks on the same day (AED 435), or 2, 3 or 4 parks over several days (AED 475, AED 575 and AED 675).

My 3-day plan:

• Day 1, Yas Island: Ferrari World in the morning, SeaWorld in the afternoon. This is exactly what I did, and I would do it again.
• Day 2, Dubai Parks and Resorts: MOTIONGATE at opening, then Real Madrid World or LEGOLAND after lunch.
• Day 3, Dubailand: IMG Worlds in the afternoon, then Global Village, close by, in the evening.

With little ones, swap MOTIONGATE for LEGOLAND and Ferrari World for Warner Bros. World.

What is new at Dubai and Abu Dhabi theme parks for 2026-2027?

• Dubai Parks and Resorts reopened on 7 October 2026, as The National reported. MOTIONGATE runs Fright Nights until 8 November 2026.
• Looking for a new theme park in Dubai? Dubai Holding Entertainment, the company behind Dubai Parks and Resorts, said in October 2026 that a new water park opens within months, and another new park will follow. Names and dates are not out yet.
• Miral, the company behind the Yas Island parks, announced three Harry Potter lands for Warner Bros. World on 7 September 2026: Diagon Alley, Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest, planned for 2029. A Superman flying coaster is due there in 2028.
• Yas Waterworld added 11 new slides and attractions in April 2026, including Matamir's Drop, more than 40 metres tall.
• Disney is coming to Yas Island. Disney and Miral announced the resort in May 2025, with no opening date yet.

What about water parks and snow parks?

They deserve their own guide. Quick picks: Yas Waterworld, Atlantis Aquaventure on the Palm, and LEGOLAND Water Park for small kids. For snow in the desert, try Ski Dubai or Snow Abu Dhabi. Or browse all water parks in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi theme park FAQs

So, which Dubai theme park will your flock pick first?

If you only have one day, my vote goes to Ferrari World. If you have kids under 8, go to LEGOLAND. And if you are like me and cannot choose, do Yas Island first and Dubai Parks and Resorts second.

Read next: Things To Do In Dubai, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi: Rides, Tips And What To Expect, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, IMG Worlds of Adventure and Global Village 2026-2027.

Anastasiia Yurchuk

Anastasiia Yurchuk runs this site day to day, so every attraction listing and every guide on this blog goes through her. She tries most of the attractions herself before writing about them. As the youngest on the team, she is usually the one sent out to test the rides and the queues, all in the name of research.