Sharjah, UAE

Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the northern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. The city is a modern place with many parks and office buildings, it also houses the biggest Art museum in the Gulf and an interesting heritage area with many reconstructed historic buildings.

The wildlife centre is a main attraction with a remarkable indoor aviary, home to flamingos, Houbara bustards and Indian rollers. The outdoor enclosures feature sacred baboons, striped hyenas, Arabian wolves, and the splendid Arabian leopard. There's also a decent restaurant, museum, botanical gardens and a children's zoo. The Blue Souq (Souq Al Markazi or Central Souq) is an interesting, if slightly chaotic, shopping centre hosting around 600 shops in two wings.

Things to See & Do

* Al Qasba tourist area
* Al Qasba Musical Fountain
* Heritage Area
* Art Area
* Blue Souq

General Information

Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency – UAE dirham (AED)
Language – Arabic
Population – 900,000 approx
Land Area – 2,590 km²
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time – GMT plus four hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 971

Port location – The Hamriyah Port in Sharjah is located approximately 15km’s from the centre of Sharjah.

Transport Links - Sharjah International Airport is around 15 kilometres from Sharjah city. It is the home of the low cost carrier Air Arabia which has connections with various Middle East and Indian Subcontinent cities. Dubai International Airport, in the neighbouring emirate of Dubai, has many more international connections and will be the more popular gateway to Sharjah.