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Sand-coloured walls with a carved wooden door and a crenellated tower of a restored building in the Sharjah Heritage Area, under a clear blue sky

Where to stay in Sharjah

Photographed in 2010. Photo: yeowatzup, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Sharjah

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About Sharjah

By road, the Heart of Sharjah is about 19 km from Sharjah International and Al Nahda about 8 km from Dubai International. Sharjah is a dry emirate, municipal parking is charged until midnight, and holiday homes pay a fee per night per house.

United Arab Emirates. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Sharjah International (SHJ), 13 km south-east of the city and 15 km from central Dubai; by road about 19 km to the Heart of Sharjah and about 22 km to Al Majaz. Source
Holiday home fee
AED 15 per night per house for a deluxe holiday home and AED 10 for a tourist-class one, up to the equivalent of 30 nights, under Executive Council Resolution No. 25 of 2021. Source
Holiday home rules
Each holiday home needs an operating permit from the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), is let as a whole unit, never room by room, and may not charge guests extra for electricity, water, gas or telecoms. Source
Municipality fee
10% of hotel and hotel apartment revenue from rooms, food and other services, shown on the guest's invoice with the service charge, under the municipality's guidelines. Source
Tourism fee on hotels
No per-night tourism fee on Sharjah hotel rooms could be confirmed from an official source; unverified as of September 2026. Source
VAT
5% on hotel apartments and serviced units; the lease of a residential building is exempt. Source
Alcohol
Drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal in the Emirate of Sharjah. Source
Parking with a rental car
Municipal tickets cost AED 2 for 1 hour, AED 5 for 2, AED 8 for 3 and AED 12 for 5. Payment by SMS to 5566 needs a UAE mobile number from Etisalat or du, so a visitor uses the machine. Source
Entry, UK visitors
A free visitor visa on arrival, valid for up to 90 days over 180. Passports need 6 months of validity on arrival. Source
Entry, EU visitors
Up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa under the EU and UAE visa waiver agreement, which does not cover Ireland or paid work. Source
Entry, US visitors
A no-fee visa on arrival for personal travel of 30 days or less; an extension is at the discretion of immigration officials. Source
Leases
Law No. 5 of 2024 covers residential leases, which the landlord must certify with the municipality within 15 days; it does not apply to hotel or tourism properties let only to their guests. Source
Emergency numbers
Police 999, ambulance 998, fire 997 Source

Areas of Sharjah

The Al Qasba canal in Sharjah with moored boats, a painted footbridge, palm trees and a promenade, and tower blocks behind
Photo: Tashmetova808, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Al Majaz and Al Qasba

Downtown Sharjah, also called Al Majaz, is a mixed-use district with City Centre Sharjah, Al Noor Island, Al Qasba, Al Majaz Waterfront and Al Montazah Parks, and residential areas built since the 1990s; Al Qasba is a canal-side residential and cultural waterfront. It suits a first visit and families who want the parks and the waterfront on foot.

Sharjah airport (SHJ)
about 22 km
Heart of Sharjah
about 5 km
Al Khan
about 5 km

Car and parking

The malls and the corniche car parks at Al Majaz and Al Buhaira are the easy options (via GetCar). Municipal tickets cost AED 2 for an hour and AED 12 for five, and the SMS payment needs a UAE number.

Sand-coloured walls with a carved wooden door and a crenellated tower of a restored building in the Sharjah Heritage Area, under a clear blue sky
Photographed in 2010. Photo: yeowatzup, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Heart of Sharjah

The old town of Sharjah, under restoration to its 1950s state by Shurooq with the emirate's heritage, museums and art bodies, and proposed as a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status. It suits a short stay built around the old town, close to both airports.

Sharjah airport (SHJ)
about 19 km
Dubai airport (DXB)
about 15 km
Al Majaz
about 5 km

Car and parking

Municipal zones charge from 8:00 to midnight, and most are free on Fridays and public holidays except the blue-sign zones (via GetCar). No parking source for the heritage streets themselves was found, so ask the hotel.

An old wooden boat resting in shallow water off the sand at Al Khan, with tower blocks faint in the morning haze across the water
Photo: Sharaf01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Al Khan

A southern suburb on Al Khan Bay, the boundary with Dubai, with the Sharjah Aquarium, older buildings under restoration and Al Khan Beach, a 600-metre strip of sand with a swimming area, water sports, showers and changing rooms. It suits a beach stay close to the city.

Sharjah airport (SHJ)
about 23 km
Heart of Sharjah
about 6 km
Al Majaz
about 5 km

Car and parking

Municipal tickets cost AED 2 for an hour and AED 12 for five, paid at the machine without a UAE number. Ask a beach hotel or apartment about its own parking before booking.

Al Nahda, Sharjah

The Sharjah side of a residential district on the border with Dubai, around the Sahara Centre, with the Dubai Metro stations Al Nahda and Stadium across the border. It suits a stay that commutes into Dubai or flies from Dubai International, about 8 km away by road.

Dubai airport (DXB)
about 8 km
Sharjah airport (SHJ)
about 22 km
Heart of Sharjah
about 7 km

Car and parking

The Salik gates at Al Mamzar on Al Ittihad Road charge each crossing into Dubai, billed by the rental company, and Al Ittihad Road through the city is limited to 80 km/h (via GetCar).

A broad shade tree on the sand of the Khor Fakkan corniche beach, with the calm sea and the port cranes in the distance
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Iwona Rege, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Khor Fakkan

An exclave of the emirate on the Gulf of Oman, surrounded by Fujairah, with a container port and a 3-kilometre crescent beach for swimming, boat trips and diving near Shark Island. It suits a night or two by the sea on the east coast.

Sharjah airport (SHJ)
about 103 km
Heart of Sharjah
about 115 km

Car and parking

The toll-free Sharjah-Khor Fakkan Road crosses the Hajar mountains through five tunnels, and municipal parking in Khor Fakkan is charged until midnight like the city's (via GetCar).

Guides

Questions

Which area of Sharjah is best for a first visit?

Al Majaz and Al Qasba, the downtown district with the waterfront, the canal and the parks, or the Heart of Sharjah for the old town under restoration. Al Khan suits a stay by the beach.

Can visitors bring alcohol into Sharjah?

No. UK travel advice says drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal in the Emirate of Sharjah, and a Dubai tourist liquor licence is for use in Dubai only (via GetCar), so leave duty-free bottles out of the car.

Is parking free on Fridays in Sharjah?

In most zones, yes: Fridays and public holidays are free except in the blue-sign zones, and paid hours run from 8:00 to midnight on other days (via GetCar). The SMS payment needs a UAE mobile number, so a visitor pays at the machine.

Do Sharjah holiday homes charge a fee per night?

Sharjah's holiday home resolution sets an occupancy fee of AED 15 per night per house for a deluxe holiday home and AED 10 for a tourist-class one, up to the equivalent of 30 nights.