There aren’t too many guidebooks out on Dubai, but as the area grows and changes rapidly, there are sure to be more. If you need a guidebook or are looking for more information about Dubai, there are a couple that might suit your needs.

“Time Out Dubai: Abu Dhabi and the UAE (Time Out Travel Guides)”, offers a fairly comprehensive look at Dubai, its restaurants, nightlife and attractions. This book comes in at a slim 320 pages, but will surely provide you with some basic information to get your planning started and can be a good addition to your carry-on bag as well.

Another popular Dubai guidebook is “Lonely Planet Dubai”, another in the series of Lonely Planet books. This book offers a good overview, along with some interesting back road-type trips and activities and sojourns.

If you want to get some background on Dubai, understand its social issues and people, consider reading one of its newspapers online before you head there. You can read Gulf News online and get a good sense of what Dubai is about. A recent issue featured Dubai from a tourist’s viewpoint as a Gulf News photographer rode along on a tourist bus and captured Dubai from their vantage point.