With water on two sides of Sharjah and a vast sandy desert all around otherwise, there are plenty of unique environments to explore. The desert offers sand driving, while the eastern coast has superb scuba diving. Sharjah is also renowned for its lush green parks, which are popular tourist attractions and contain their own unique highlights. If it gets too hot, just head to the beach, where you can either cool off and relax or rent a jet-ski and zip around the lagoons.

Al Jazeira Park
This hugely popular tourist and recreation facility is located within Khaled Lagoon. The park contains a small zoo, a fun centre for kids, and two swimming pools with an artificial waterfall. There’s even a miniature train to haul you around the park. Dining facilities are onsite and the views across the lagoon are some of the best in Sharjah.

Beaches
The beaches in Sharjah combine beautiful sand and clear warm water with a range of water sport options. Al Khan Lagoon and Hamriyah Lagoon are both popular with jet-skiers, water-skiers and windsurfers. Corniche Beach and Al Khan Beach are nice for relaxing as no motorised craft are allowed at these beaches. But the only beach right in Sharjah is Khor Fakkan, which is managed by the Oceanic Hotel. You’ll have to pay to use this central beach but it’s a nice one. Dress codes apply to all beaches in Sharjah, especially for women.

Desert Driving
The desert that surrounds Sharjah offers many activities for visitors who want to experience the beautiful charm of its vast emptiness. One popular tour is to rent a vehicle and drive on sand tracks and through dry riverbeds known as wadi. This fun way to romp through the desert can take you to special sites like Fossil Rock and through some exciting wadi. A number of tour operators in Sharjah arrange these trips with or without guides.

Scuba Diving
The clear warm waters off Sharjah’s east coastline provide excellent scuba diving conditions. Coral reef gardens and abundant marine life make this one of the best diving sites in the UAE. Sharks, sea turtles and tropical fish are regularly seen at popular dive sites near the coastal towns of Khorfakkan and Dibba. There are several dive shops in Sharjah that can arrange excursions for you.

Sharjah Aquarium
Sharjah is blessed with some of the best underwater scenery in the Emirates. This aquarium brings the rich colourful world right to you with some 250 species featuring highlights like seahorses, tiny clown fish and reef sharks. The underwater aquarium walk places you right into the action, while the promenade along the sea is ideal for a stroll. 
Phone: +971 6 528 5288

Sharjah Natural History Museum and Desert Park
This amazing desert park brings the unique local ecology to life for visitors. Its museum is state-of-the-art, looking at the evolution of man and the global environment over its history. There are also some lovely botanical gardens on site featuring a variety of desert, mountain, and wet wadi plants. This park offers a lot in one place and makes for a great day excursion. 
Phone: +971 6 531 1411

Sharjah’s roots date back some 6,000 years when it was established as a seaside trading town in the Persian Gulf. The city has some excellent modern museums that present virtually every aspect of the rich heritage of Sharjah, from its maritime origins to its modern Arabic art scene. While the museums are an excellent way to quietly learn about Sharjah, exploring the famous Blue Souk will put it all into a relevant present-day perspective. Bring your wallet, get ready to haggle, and put on your best poker face.

Blue Souk
One of Sharjah’s most famous landmarks is its iconic Blue Souk, a literal city of 600 shops and stalls selling everything from gold and gemstones to textiles and souvenirs. The Blue Souk is particularly well known for its selection and quality of carpets from Afghanistan to Tibet. Its two wings are just cluttered enough to make it seem ancient, despite being built in 1979. Haggling over the asking price is part of the process and will always earn you serious discounts on everything.

Islamic Museum
If you want to see some of the rarer relics of the Muslim world and fantastic Islamic art, check out the private collection of Sharjah’s ruler, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qassimi. Among the highlights is a striking assortment of gold-plated manuscripts, a reproduction of the huge curtain covering Mecca’s Holy Ka’aba stone, and an intriguing upside down map of the geopolitical world drawn more than 1,000 years ago by Sharif Al Idrisi. 
Phone: +971 6 569 5050

Sharjah Archaeology Museum
To better understand the rich heritage of Sharjah’s earliest history, spend a couple of hours perusing this interesting museum. Exhibits range from the Stone Age to modern times from the region. Displays of stunning artefacts, pottery, ancient weapons, jewellery and coins provide plenty to absorb. There is also an ongoing dig at the site where you can witness how history comes to light through the burial mounds, tombs and homes of Sharjah’s ancestors. 
Phone: +971 6 566 5466

Sharjah Art Museum
The Gulf’s largest art museum presents a wonderful collection of both contemporary and historic artworks. Permanent collections featuring famous Orientalist painters from the 18th and 19th centuries mix well with contemporary works by internationally renowned artists. Three floors of modern expression present a range of media created by artists from around the Arabic world. Constantly changing temporary exhibits ensure something fascinating every time you visit. 
Phone: +971 6 568 8222

Sharjah Calligraphy Museum
The script used in the Arabic world is one of the most beautiful, elegant and mysterious on earth. This museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting Arabic calligraphy on a number of mediums such as canvas, paper, wood and ceramics. Centuries of Arabic culture are unveiled through the museum’s collection of script which was created by local artists and famous calligraphers from around the globe. 
Phone: +971 6 569 4561

Sharjah Maritime Museum
One of Sharjah’s newest museums, opened in 2008, presents the important role the sea has played in this Emirate’s development over the centuries. Sharjah was first settled more than 6,000 years ago due to its ideal seaside location. This museum displays traditional dhows that were used in ancient times for fishing, pearling and trading. The historic Arabian pearl industry is also explored, as are many other facets of maritime life in early Sharjah.

The cuisine in Sharjah is representative of the rest of the Emirates, and of Arabic food in general. Locally grown fruits and vegetables, as well as an abundance of fresh seafood means there is plenty to choose from on the menus. Hotels are always a good place to find a meal, as they all have restaurants that serve both Arab and Western dishes. The malls are another useful place to find something good to eat, especially the Al Taawun Mall.

Local specialities include the ubiquitous, cheap and tasty shawarma (meat sandwich), hummus (chickpea dip), tabouleh (bulgur wheat dip), warak enab (stuffed leaves), koussa mashi (stuffed courgettes), and ghuzi (roasted lamb with mint). Sharjah’s standard drink is ayran, made from yoghurt, and strong black coffee. Sharjah is the one emirate that does not allow non-Muslims to drink alcohol, but if you want a quiet cocktail head to the Sharjah Wanderers rugby club.

Shopping is also an excellent experience in Sharjah. Its souks are among the best in the Emirates, especially the iconic Blue Souk with its 600 shops. Souks are the epitome of the Arabic shopping experience, so you won’t want to miss this blend of cultural circus show, supermarket and trinket shop. Sharjah has both old and new souks where you can find handcrafted carpets, antiques, gold jewellery and other treasures. The Al Arsah Souk is the oldest in Sharjah, while the Al Majarrah Souk is air-conditioned and modern.

Bargaining is all part of the process of buying in a souk. It can either be a lot of fun or a total headache depending on your style. Sharjah also has some of the largest shopping malls in the Emirates if you fancy something more modern. Sharjah Mega Mall’s name says it all, and it features just about everything. Sahara Centre is also a decent mall, as is the Al Taawum Mall overlooking the Al Khan Lagoon.