United Arab Emirates in cash.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi pay smoothly by card — but large dirham notes open the souks, settle the taxis and tip with the elegance expected of a guest.
Helvetica Exchange prepares your AED travel envelope at Rue Pierre-Fatio 19, 1204 Geneva (Rive district) — the posted rate, no separate commission, Monday–Friday 08:30–18:30 and Saturday 09:00–17:00. Reserve and your rate is held for 3 hours during opening hours; ID from the LBA thresholds.
The cities, chosen.
Dubai
Excess, embraced — record towers, world-malls and old-style gold souks.
At the Top — Burj Khalifa — Floors 124–148 of the world's tallest tower; book the sunset slot.
Desert dinner show — Dunes by 4×4, a falconer, embers and dancing beneath the stars.
Abu Dhabi
The cultivated capital — white marble of the Grand Mosque, the dome of the desert Louvre.
Sheikh Zayed Mosque — Eighty domes, a thousand columns, the world's largest hand-knotted carpet — free, modest dress required.
Louvre Abu Dhabi — Jean Nouvel's rain of light beneath a dome of stars.
The desert
An hour from the towers, the red silence of the dunes — camps, camels and skies riddled with stars.
A night in a Bedouin camp — Dinner over embers and sunrise on the crests.
Getting around.
Taxis and ride-hailing cover everything at gentle prices; Dubai's clean, driverless metro runs from the Marina to old Deira. Dubai → Abu Dhabi is 90 minutes by road, with driver or the E100 bus.
Cash & banknotes.
Keep AED 300–500 a day in medium and large notes: taxis, souks and tips prefer them, and the 500-dirham note passes without a blink. For larger amounts, our private lounge receives you by appointment — discretion first.
| Rate reservation | held 3 hours, during opening hours |
| Counter hours | Mon–Fri 08:30–18:30 · Sat 09:00–17:00 |
| Commission | none — the margin lives in the posted rate |
Before you go.
Card or cash in Dubai?
Cards work everywhere, but keep AED 300–500 a day in medium and large notes: taxis, souks and tips prefer them — and the 500 note passes without a raised eyebrow.
Is the AED rate better in Geneva or there?
Reserve your rate with us — held for 3 hours during opening hours — and know your envelope to the centime, free of airport counters.
Indicative amounts — rate reservable for 3 hours · Rue Pierre-Fatio 19, Geneva · Guide complet en français