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Taking a UAE team to Europe: what it costs and how long it takes

A UAE company sends people to Europe in one of two ways. A group goes as a private programme: Offsyte runs Istanbul for four nights from AED 5,000 per person, Georgia from AED 5,800 and a six-day Alpine board retreat from AED 22,500, excluding 5% VAT, with return group flights from Dubai included. Allow 60 days, and 90 where a Schengen visa is needed. To reward one or two people, a seat on a guided tour is the better buy: Holidayys lists 72 European tours from AED 4,389 per person, twin share, flights extra (checked 16 October 2026).

A UAE company group with their luggage outside an Alpine chalet hotel, snow on the peaks behind, a tour leader checking the rooming list on a clipboard
Illustrative

First decide: a group, or a person?

It changes who books it, what it costs and how far ahead it has to start. Most of the confusion in planning a company trip to Europe comes from treating these as the same purchase.

A group, 8 to 60 people

A private programme

Your company alone: group flights from Dubai, one hotel, a guide, the meals, a facilitated session if you want one, and a tour leader of ours travelling with you. AED 5,000 to AED 27,500 per person ex-VAT, 60 to 90 days ahead. This is what Offsyte does.

The three we run

One or two people

A seat on a guided tour

A top performer, a long-service award, a prize draw. A private programme makes no sense for two; a scheduled coach tour on a set date does, from AED 4,389 per person twin share, flights extra. That is a travel agency's product, not ours.

Tours worth giving

Work travel

A conference or client visit

Flights and a hotel around somebody else's agenda is business travel, and your corporate travel desk does it better than an events company. The visa notes below still apply.

Visa notes

Group trips we run, with prices

Two on Europe's edge and one in the Alps. The first two are the ones most UAE companies should start with: under five hours' flying, and no visa or an online one for most of a typical UAE group. Prices are per person, excluding 5% VAT, and include return group airfare from Dubai.

Trip Flight from Dubai Per person, ex-VAT Visa picture for a UAE group Book
Istanbul Four Nights Istanbul, Türkiye · 5 days, 4 nights About 4½ to 5 hours AED 5,800 at 20–29 · AED 5,400 at 30–49 · AED 5,000 at 50+ Visa-free for Emiratis. Most South Asian and Filipino passports need a Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa for the e-Visa, or a consulate visa 60 days ahead
Tbilisi Incentive Tbilisi and Kakheti, Georgia · 5 days, 4 nights About 3 hours 10 minutes AED 6,600 at 20–29 · AED 6,200 at 30–49 · AED 5,800 at 50+ Visa-free for most UAE residents while their UAE residence is valid; 17 nationalities need a multiple-entry UAE visa with a year left 60 days ahead
The Alpine Board Retreat Switzerland or Austria · 6 days, 5 nights About 7 hours to Zurich AED 27,500 at 8–11 · AED 24,750 at 12–19 · AED 22,500 at 20–24 Schengen visa for most non-Emirati residents, handled by us; Emiratis need none 90 days ahead
A team mid-programme on Istanbul Four Nights — Türkiye, Istanbul, both the historic peninsula and the Bosphorus.
Year-round
L-05

Istanbul Four Nights

Four hours' flying, no visa for most, two continents in one afternoon and a Bosphorus dinner the team will still be talking about in the summer.

Duration
5 days, 4 nights
Group
20–60
Emirate
Türkiye
From AED 5,000 /person
View spec →
A team mid-programme on Tbilisi Incentive — Georgia, Tbilisi, Kazbegi and the Kakheti wine region.
Year-round
L-03

Tbilisi Incentive

Five days in Georgia for the team that hit the number. Mountains, wine country, a gala dinner and a facilitated half-day, so it survives contact with the finance director.

Duration
5 days, 4 nights
Group
20–60
Emirate
Georgia
From AED 5,800 /person
View spec →
A team mid-programme on The Alpine Board Retreat — Switzerland or Austria, alpine resort, private meeting facility.
Year-round
L-04

The Alpine Board Retreat

Six days in the Alps for a board or an executive committee. Three working mornings, single rooms, and a facilitator who has read the pre-work. The top of the catalog.

Duration
6 days, 5 nights
Group
8–24
Emirate
Switzerland +1
From AED 22,500 /person
View spec →

Further into Europe for a whole department (Lisbon, Lake Como, Vienna, Prague) is quoted to order. Where each works for a group, and what changes in the price, is in corporate retreat locations in Europe. A smaller, closer option is two nights in Muscat.

Guided tours for a one-person reward

When the trip is a reward for one or two people, these are the European tours we would point you to. They are sold by Holidayys, a Dubai travel agency, not by Offsyte: coach tours on set dates, guided from start to finish, with hotels, breakfasts and some dinners included. Prices below are Holidayys' lowest listed per person, sharing a twin room, read on 16 October 2026. They change with the departure date, and flights from Dubai and travel insurance are extra.

A week in one country

Fewer hotel changes and less time on the coach. The usual choice for a first reward trip.

A week, several countries

The postcard sights in one go. Fast, with early starts and a new hotel most nights.

The classic loop, 10 to 14 days

London, Paris, Switzerland and Italy at a pace that leaves room to see them.

  • Best of Western Europe 10 days · London to Rome by way of Paris, Lucerne and Florence from AED 8,025
  • Europe Highlights 10 days · A loop from Rome through Venice, the Rhine, Paris and the Alps from AED 8,943
  • Essential Europe 12 days · London, Amsterdam, Paris, Switzerland and Rome from AED 9,751
  • Classic Europe 14 days · The same loop at a gentler pace, from London from AED 11,697

Switzerland and the Rhine

Touring on land, then a river cruise. The most expensive shape here, and the least tiring.

The Mediterranean and the islands

Best in May, June, September and October. July and August are hot and at their busiest.

Scandinavia and the Baltics

Cooler in July and August, when the Mediterranean is at its hottest.

  • Helsinki to Warsaw 10 days · Helsinki and Tallinn, through the Baltics to Gdańsk and Warsaw from AED 6,005
  • Copenhagen to Helsinki 13 days · Copenhagen, Bergen, Oslo and Stockholm, ending in Helsinki from AED 11,514

Christmas and New Year

Departures timed for the markets and the turn of the year. They sell out first.

Türkiye and the Balkans

Closer to Dubai, and the lowest prices for the distance covered.

The full list of 72 is on Holidayys' Europe tour packages from Dubai page, and tours beyond Europe are on its group tours page. For how to choose between a reward trip and a team trip, read employee reward trip ideas.

Visas: the part that sets the date

A UAE company of forty people routinely holds a dozen nationalities, and the visa rules follow the passport, not the residence. Collect nationalities before you choose a destination, not after.

Schengen: most of Europe

  • Emiratis need no visa for up to 90 days in any 180.
  • Most other UAE residents do. The fee is €90 per adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to 11; with the visa centre's service charge it comes to roughly AED 470 to AED 550 per adult (Holidayys' fee check, October 2026).
  • Apply no earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before travel. A decision normally takes 15 days and can run to 45.
  • Travel medical insurance of at least €30,000, valid in every Schengen state, for the whole trip.
  • Apply to the country where the group spends the most nights.
  • Each traveller applies and attends an appointment separately. Appointments, not approvals, are what run out, worst in May to July.

Rules: European Commission, applying for a Schengen visa. Step by step from Dubai: how to apply for a Schengen visa from Dubai; insurance: Schengen travel insurance for UAE residents; appointments: Schengen appointment booking. Our group timeline is in Schengen visas for a company trip.

The UK, Türkiye and Georgia

  • The UK is not in Schengen. Emiratis apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorisation; most other residents need a UK Standard Visitor visa. Allow three to four weeks after the appointment.
  • Türkiye: visa-free for Emiratis. Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Filipino passports get the e-Visa only with a valid Schengen, US, UK or Irish visa or residence permit; a UAE residence visa does not count. Otherwise it is a consulate visa through VFS (Turkey visa for UAE residents).
  • Georgia: most UAE residents enter visa-free for 90 days in any 180 while their UAE residence is valid; Pakistani, Bangladeshi and 15 other nationalities need a multiple-entry UAE visa with at least a year left (Georgia visa for UAE residents).
  • At the EU border: the Entry/Exit System takes fingerprints and a photo at the first crossing, so allow time at passport control. ETIAS, a €20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors such as Emiratis, had not started as of October 2026.

When to go, against the UAE calendar

The best months for Europe and the best months for a UAE company overlap less than you would hope. Spring and autumn win on both counts. Month by month, with the Eid and school dates, is in the best time for a Europe trip from the UAE.

Months In Europe For a UAE company
April to June Mild, long days; Istanbul and Georgia at their best The best window for a group. Start the visa work 90 days out: January for an April trip
July and August Peak season; hot in the south, comfortable in the Alps and the north School holidays and leave. Fine for a personal reward, poor for a group
September and October Warm, quieter, lower prices than summer The second-best window, before the UAE's own event season fills Q4
November to March Cold and short days; Christmas markets; peak ski weeks in the Alps Year-end events at home and, in 2027, Ramadan from about 8 February to 9 March

Further reading

From the Journal: cost, visas, places and timing, each in full.

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6 min read Guides

Questions people ask

How much does a company trip to Europe cost per person?
As a private group programme with flights from Dubai included, AED 5,000 to AED 5,800 per person for four nights in Istanbul, AED 5,800 to AED 6,600 for four nights in Georgia, and AED 22,500 to AED 27,500 for a six-day Alpine board retreat, all excluding 5% VAT and falling as the group grows. A seat on a guided coach tour for an individual reward starts lower, from AED 4,389 per person twin share at Holidayys, but excludes flights.
How far in advance should we plan a company trip to Europe?
Ninety days where anyone in the group needs a Schengen visa, because appointment availability in Dubai, not processing, sets the floor. A Schengen application can be lodged no earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before travel, and the decision normally takes 15 days. Sixty days is enough for Istanbul or Georgia, where most of a UAE group needs no visa or an online one.
Is there a group Schengen visa for a company trip?
Not in the sense of one visa covering everyone. Each traveller who needs a Schengen visa applies and attends an appointment individually, with their own passport, insurance and documents, though the employer can supply one letter and one itinerary for the whole group. Emirati passport holders need no Schengen visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180.
How many days do you need for a trip to Europe from Dubai?
For a company group, five or six days: four or five nights covers one destination properly and costs two or three working days. For a guided tour as a personal reward, seven days covers one country or a fast loop through several, and ten to fourteen days covers four to six countries at a gentler pace.
How long is the flight from Dubai to Europe?
About 3 hours 10 minutes to Tbilisi, 4½ to 5 hours to Istanbul, about 5 hours to Athens, around 6 to 6½ hours to Rome or Vienna, about 7 hours to Zurich or Geneva, and 7½ to 8 hours to London or Madrid, non-stop. Europe is two to four hours behind the UAE, so morning departures land the same day.
Can a company reward one employee with a trip to Europe?
Yes, and it is usually better bought as seats on a scheduled guided tour than as a private programme, which only makes sense from about eight people. Holidayys lists 72 European tours on set dates from AED 4,389 per person twin share; add flights, insurance and, for most non-Emirati staff, a Schengen visa at roughly AED 470 to AED 550.

Who you are actually booking with

Written terms
Inclusions and exclusions on every package
Settled before signature, not at invoice
Contingency
Named fallback on every outdoor programme
Weather trigger and notification deadline on record
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