# Sharjah Arts

> The emirate that spent its money on museums instead of towers. Islamic civilisation, the arts quarter, Heart of Sharjah and Al Noor Island after dark — and the entries cost AED 55 a person in total.

Package D-03 from Offsyte, corporate recreation in the UAE · [City & Culture](https://offsyte.ae/catalog/city-and-culture-days/) · Web page: https://offsyte.ae/packages/sharjah-arts/

- **Duration:** 7 hrs
- **Ideal start time:** 11:00 pickup — the museums open late morning and the island is best at dusk
- **Departure window:** 10:30–12:00
- **Group size:** 15 min — 50 max
- **Emirate / venue:** Sharjah — Museum of Islamic Civilisation, Arts Square, Heart of Sharjah, Al Noor Island
- **Season:** Year-round. Indoor for most of the day; the island leg moves to 19:00 in summer
- **Booking lead time:** 10 days

## Price per person, excluding 5% VAT

| Group size | Per person | Billed for at least |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| 15–29 people | AED 370 | 21 people |
| 30–49 people | AED 320 | — |
| 50+ people | AED 290 | — |

A group smaller than a band's "billed for at least" figure is still served, and is invoiced for that many people.
Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 26–29 are billed as 30 people at the rate for 30–49 people; groups of 46–49 are billed as 50 people at the rate for 50+ people.

Payment: 50% advance on signature. 100% cleared 3 working days before the event. Numbers lock 7 days prior.

## Why this is not the retail version

A Sharjah day tour retails around **AED 180–250** and it is a coach, a guide and two museums — genuinely fine, and available to anyone.

The commercial argument here is different from every other package in this catalog, because **the entries genuinely are almost free.** Islamic Civilisation is AED 10. The Calligraphy Museum is nothing. Heart of Sharjah is nothing. Al Noor is AED 35. The whole cultural content of this day costs AED 55 a person, and pretending otherwise would be insulting.

**What is being paid for is the sequencing and the guide.** Four sites in seven hours, in an order that puts the indoor gallery at midday and the outdoor island at dusk, with a licensed guide who can hold a room in the astronomy gallery rather than reading placards aloud. Left to organise itself, a company doing this arrives at Al Noor at two in the afternoon in August and leaves after ten minutes.

**Against D-01 Capital Culture at AED 450:** the Louvre and Qasr Al Watan are the more famous day and they cost AED 128 a person in entries alone. This is the cheaper culture day, it is thirty minutes from Dubai rather than ninety, and for a team that has already done Abu Dhabi it is the one they have not seen.

**It is also year-round**, which D-01 is and B, C and E are not.

## Timeline

- **11:00** — Bus departs client office. Coffee and pastries on board
- **11:45** — Museum of Islamic Civilisation. Guided, 75 minutes — the astronomy and manuscript galleries, not a lap of the building
- **13:15** — Arabic set-menu lunch, reserved section, Al Majaz
- **14:30** — Arts Square — Sharjah Art Foundation spaces and the Calligraphy Museum
- **15:45** — Heart of Sharjah — the restored quarter on foot, with the guide
- **17:00** — Coffee break at a heritage house
- **17:45** — Al Noor Island — the butterfly house and the light installations as the sun goes
- **19:00** — Bus departs
- **19:30** — Arrival at drop point

## Included

- Return coach transfer from client office
- Coffee and pastries on the outbound journey
- All entries — Museum of Islamic Civilisation, Calligraphy Museum, Heart of Sharjah, Al Noor Island
- Licensed guide for the full day
- Arabic set-menu lunch at a reserved restaurant section
- Afternoon coffee break in the heritage quarter
- Branded welcome setup
- Photographer, half day — 40+ retouched stills, and an edited 90-second reel within 5 working days
- Event coordinator on site

## Not included

- Sharjah Biennial or special-exhibition surcharges where they apply
- Alcohol — Sharjah is a dry emirate
- 5% VAT

## Weather and backup plan

- **Trigger:** Rain affects only the Heart of Sharjah walk and the island. A forecast high above 38°C moves the island leg later, not out.
- **Fallback:** Five of the seven hours are indoor and unaffected. In rain, the Heart of Sharjah walk shortens to the covered souq and the courtyard museums; Al Noor's butterfly house is enclosed and runs regardless. There is no scenario in which this day cancels — which is why it is the year-round culture answer.
- **You are told by:** By 09:00 on the day for any timing change.

## Customisation options

- Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum: AED 45/person
- Calligraphy workshop with a practising calligrapher: AED 120/person
- Dinner at Al Majaz waterfront after the island: AED 65/person
- Mleiha archaeological extension — becomes a 12-hr day: AED 140/person
- Arabic coffee ceremony at a heritage house: AED 1,400/event
- Videographer + edited reel: AED 1,200
- Private curator-led gallery tour: AED 2,200/event

## Questions about Sharjah Arts

### How much does Sharjah Arts cost per person?

AED 370 per person for 15–29 people; AED 320 per person for 30–49 people; AED 290 per person for 50+ people. All figures exclude 5% VAT. A group below a band's minimum chargeable size is billed at that minimum: 21 people in the 15–29 band. Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 26–29 are billed as 30 people at the rate for 30–49 people; groups of 46–49 are billed as 50 people at the rate for 50+ people.

### How long does Sharjah Arts take, and when does it start?

7 hrs. Ideal start: 11:00 pickup — the museums open late morning and the island is best at dusk. Departure window: 10:30–12:00.

### What is not included in Sharjah Arts?

Sharjah Biennial or special-exhibition surcharges where they apply; Alcohol — Sharjah is a dry emirate; 5% VAT. These are stated before enquiry rather than raised at invoice time.

### What happens to Sharjah Arts if the weather turns?

Trigger: Rain affects only the Heart of Sharjah walk and the island. A forecast high above 38°C moves the island leg later, not out. Fallback: Five of the seven hours are indoor and unaffected. In rain, the Heart of Sharjah walk shortens to the covered souq and the courtyard museums; Al Noor's butterfly house is enclosed and runs regardless. There is no scenario in which this day cancels — which is why it is the year-round culture answer. You are told: By 09:00 on the day for any timing change.

### How far in advance do we need to book Sharjah Arts?

The booking lead time is 10 days. Ramadan and December dates book out first.

## Read before you book

- [Sharjah museums culture day for a company team](https://offsyte.ae/blog/sharjah-museums-team-culture-day/): A guided day across Sharjah's Museum of Islamic Civilisation, Arts Square and Heart of Sharjah for a company team, from AED 290 a head, excl. VAT.

Request a proposal: https://offsyte.ae/enquire/?package=D-03 · proposals@offsyte.ae