Dubai has no shortage of beaches, but a park pool day is a different kind of outing: shaded lawns, a barbecue after your swim, and an entry fee that costs less than a coffee. Two of the city’s big public parks both have swimming pools, and they are set up in quite different ways. The Mamzar swimming pool complex is a family affair inside Al Mamzar Beach Park, while the Mushrif Park swimming pool setup keeps men’s and women’s swimming separate.
One honest note before the details: Dubai Municipality does not appear to publish a pool tariff page for either park, so the fees and hours below are the figures consistently published in park guides, including Gulf News’ park guide updated in October 2026. Timings in particular can change on public holidays, so check the Dubai Municipality app or the park itself on the day you go.
The short answer: two parks, two different pool setups
If you want one family pool complex where everyone swims together, Mamzar is the pick. If you prefer separate pools for men and women, Mushrif is the pick. The pool fee itself is the same at both parks in most published guides: AED 10 for adults and AED 5 for children. The difference is in the park entry fee, the pool layout, and the ladies’ arrangements.
Mamzar swimming pool: what to expect
Al Mamzar Beach Park is a 106-hectare park on the Dubai–Sharjah border, with five beaches, chalets, barbecue areas and a small park train. Its pools sit inside the gated park, so you pay park entry first and the pool fee on top. For the full park picture, including chalet prices and timings, see our Mamzar Park practical guide.
Three pools in one complex
Most park guides describe the Mamzar swimming pool area as three pools rather than one: a larger pool for adults and shallower pools for children, arranged so the water goes from shallow to deep. A minority guide mentions four pools, but three is the figure most guides agree on. No published guide we could verify gives reliable pool lengths or depths, so do not plan around a specific depth — the practical point is a shallow end suited to children and a deeper section for confident swimmers, with lifeguards on duty.
Mamzar swimming pool fees
The pool fee most commonly published for Mamzar is AED 10 per adult and AED 5 per child, paid on top of park entry. Park entry itself is AED 5 per person, or AED 30 if you drive a car into the park. Children under two and People of Determination enter the park free. Whether the pool fee covers a full visit or a set number of hours is not stated consistently in the guides, so ask at the pool desk if you are planning a long stay.
Mamzar pool hours: the one thing to check before you go
This is the one Mamzar detail where the guides genuinely disagree. Published pool closing times range from sunset to around 8:00 PM, and one guide appears to mix up park hours with pool hours. The most commonly cited picture is a 9:00 AM opening with a closing time around 8:00 PM, but because the sources do not agree, check the pool hours on the day rather than travelling on the strength of any single figure. Park hours are separate: the park itself is generally open 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday to Wednesday, and to 11:00 PM Thursday to Saturday and on public holidays.
Ladies’ days at Mamzar Park
Mondays and Wednesdays are ladies’ days at Mamzar Park, when the whole park — pools included — is reserved for women and children. Most guides say boys aged six and under are allowed on ladies’ days and older boys are not, though a couple of guides give a slightly different cut-off age, so families with a boy near that age should confirm before visiting. Some guides also note that the ladies’-day rule is lifted on public holidays and during Ramadan, which is another reason to check before you go.
Facilities around the Mamzar pools
The pool area comes with the basics: changing rooms, showers, shaded seating and a snack kiosk nearby. Because the pools sit inside a full park, a swim pairs naturally with a barbecue, a beach walk, or a chalet for the day.
Mushrif Park swimming pool: what to expect
Mushrif Park is Dubai’s forest park: a huge, wooded space off Al Khawaneej Street in Mirdif, with a miniature world-village of houses, a park train, camel and horse rides, and cycling tracks. Its pools are arranged very differently from Mamzar’s, and that arrangement is the main reason to choose one park over the other. Our full Mushrif Park guide covers the rest of the park in detail.
Separate pools for men and women
Lonely Planet lists two swimming pools at Mushrif, one for men and one for women, both described as enclosed or shaded. A tour operator reports them as 25 metres each, though that length comes from secondary guides rather than an official tariff page, so treat it as reported rather than confirmed. The permanent separation is the key point: unlike Mamzar, where privacy comes from park-wide ladies’ days, Mushrif builds it into the pool layout every day.
Mushrif Park swimming pool fees
The Mushrif Park swimming pool fee most commonly published is the same as Mamzar’s: AED 10 per adult and AED 5 per child. A few guides quote AED 10.50 and AED 5.25 instead, which looks like a card or VAT-inclusive version of the same fee — the AED 10 and AED 5 figures are the ones most guides agree on. Park entry at Mushrif is cheaper than at Mamzar: AED 3 per person or AED 10 per vehicle, with children under two and People of Determination entering free. Payment at the gate is by Nol card at both parks.
Mushrif pool hours
Mushrif’s pool hours are more consistent across guides than Mamzar’s: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM is the pool-specific figure most guides give. As with Mamzar, confirm on the day, since holiday hours can differ. The park itself follows the same general hours as Mamzar.
Kids at Mushrif’s pools
Some guides mention a dedicated shallow kids’ pool at Mushrif in addition to the two adult pools, but the best-known guides describe only the two pools, so we would not promise a third. The wider park — train, play areas, picnic spots — gives children plenty to do before and after a swim.
Facilities around the Mushrif pools
Changing rooms, lockers and shaded seating are the facilities most guides mention at Mushrif’s pools. The pools are one stop inside a very large park, so allow time to get from the gate to the pool area.
Mamzar vs Mushrif pools side by side
| Mamzar Park pools | Mushrif Park pools | |
|---|---|---|
| Pool layout | Three pools in one family complex | Two pools, separate for men and women |
| Pool fee (commonly published) | AED 10 adult, AED 5 child | AED 10 adult, AED 5 child |
| Park entry | AED 5 per person, AED 30 per car | AED 3 per person, AED 10 per vehicle |
| Pool hours (commonly published) | Guides disagree; often cited as from 9:00 AM to around 8:00 PM | 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM in most guides |
| Ladies’ arrangements | Park-wide ladies’ days, Monday and Wednesday | Permanently separate men’s and women’s pools |
| Best for | A whole family swimming together | Separate swimming, and a forest-park day out |
If you want a family pool day
Choose Mamzar. Everyone swims in the same complex, the shallow pools suit children, and the chalets and barbecue areas make it easy to turn a swim into a full day out. Just avoid Mondays and Wednesdays unless your group fits the ladies’-day rules.
If you want separate swimming
Choose Mushrif. The men’s and women’s pools are separate every day, not just on set days, and the park entry fee is lower. The trade-off is that the family does not swim together, and the park is bigger and woodier, so it suits a slower, shadier day out.
If you are watching the budget
Mushrif edges it: the same pool fees, but AED 3 rather than AED 5 park entry, and AED 10 rather than AED 30 for a vehicle.
Park entry and getting there
Both parks are Dubai Municipality parks, both take Nol cards at the gate, and both are easiest to reach by car.
Mamzar Park entry and transport
Mamzar Park entry is AED 5 per person or AED 30 per car, and the nearest metro stop is Al Qiyadah on the Green Line, followed by a taxi or bus to the park. Our Al Mamzar Beach Park guide has the full getting-there detail. Note the distinction that catches people out: the free public beach beside the park, Mamzar Lagoon Beach, is a different place from the gated park, with its own hours — do not use beach hours for the park pools.
Mushrif Park entry and transport
Mushrif Park entry is AED 3 per person or AED 10 per vehicle. The park sits on Al Khawaneej Street in Mirdif, around 15 kilometres east of the city centre. Guides differ on the last leg by public transport — one suggests the metro to Rashidiya followed by a taxi — so by car is the simplest option, and by metro plus taxi needs a time buffer.
Planning tips for a park pool day
Check timings on the day
Pool hours are the least consistently published detail for both parks, and holiday hours can differ from ordinary days. A quick check on the Dubai Municipality app or a call to the park before you leave costs a minute and saves a wasted trip.
Bring swimwear and towels
Both parks have changing rooms, but neither is a hotel pool: bring your own towels, swimwear and a change of clothes, and keep valuables to a minimum. Children should be supervised at all times, and lifeguards’ instructions take priority over anything in this guide.
Combine the pool with the rest of the park
The pool fee is small, but the parks are big. At Mamzar, pair the swim with the beach or a barbecue; at Mushrif, pair it with the train, the miniature houses, or a picnic under the trees. That is what turns a cheap swim into a proper day out.
Either way, the choice is simpler than it looks. For one family pool complex, go to Mamzar. For separate men’s and women’s pools in a forest park, go to Mushrif. The water costs the same at both — it is everything around it that differs.
What is the Mamzar swimming pool fee?
The fee most commonly published for the Mamzar swimming pool is AED 10 per adult and AED 5 per child, paid on top of park entry of AED 5 per person or AED 30 per car.
What are the Mushrif Park swimming pool hours?
Most guides give Mushrif’s pool hours as 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. As with Mamzar, confirm on the day, since holiday hours can differ.
Does Mushrif Park have separate pools for men and women?
Yes. Mushrif Park has two swimming pools, one for men and one for women, both described as enclosed or shaded. This separation applies every day, unlike Mamzar’s set ladies’ days.
What are the ladies’ days at Mamzar Park?
Mondays and Wednesdays are ladies’ days at Mamzar Park, when the whole park is reserved for women and children. Most guides say boys aged six and under are allowed and older boys are not.
Which park pool is cheaper overall, Mamzar or Mushrif?
Mushrif works out cheaper: the pool fees are the same at both parks (AED 10 for adults, AED 5 for children), but Mushrif’s park entry is AED 3 per person or AED 10 per vehicle, compared with AED 5 per person or AED 30 per car at Mamzar.
