Sharjah Discovery Centre: Status, Tickets & Zones
The Sharjah Discovery Centre is closed until further notice. When its doors are open, it is a hands-on science and role-play centre where children aged 3 to 12 drive electric cars, check in at a toy airport and read the news and weather in a TV studio.
The Sharjah Museums Authority runs it, and the ticket structure is simple: one rate for children, one for adults and free entry for the youngest visitors.
Sharjah Discovery Centre key details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Status | Closed until further notice |
| Age range | 3 to 12 years |
| Location | Airport Road, between Interchanges 4 and 5, Sharjah |
| Hours when open | Saturday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Friday 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM |
| Child ticket (2 to 12) | AED 5 |
| Adult ticket (13+) | AED 10 |
| Under 2 | Free |
| Layout | Seven main zones, a theatre and two activity rooms |
| Operator | Sharjah Museums Authority |
| Opened | 18 March 1999 |
| Phone | +971 6 558 6577 |
Opening status & hours
The Sharjah Discovery Centre is closed until further notice. The hours it returns to on reopening are:
- Saturday to Thursday: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Friday: 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Five days a year the centre stays closed even in normal operation: the 29th and 30th of Ramadan, the first day of Eid Al-Fitr, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah (Arafah Day) and the first day of Eid Al Adha.
Ticket prices & free entry
A child aged 2 to 12 pays AED 5, an adult aged 13 or over pays AED 10 and children under 2 enter free. The target age range starts at 3, but the child rate starts at 2, so a two-year-old needs a ticket.
| Visitor | Price |
|---|---|
| Children under 2 | Free |
| Children 2 to 12 | AED 5 |
| Adults 13+ | AED 10 |
| Seniors 60+ with one companion | Free |
| People with disabilities with one companion | Free |
| ICOM membership card holders | Free |
Parents and guardians pay the adult rate, so two adults and two children cost AED 30 in total. A senior or a visitor with a disability brings one companion in free, which removes the adult charge for that pair.
Entry is free for everyone on International Museum Day (18 May) and on UAE National Day (2 and 3 December).
School & university visits
Government and private school trips cost AED 5 per child, and the version with hands-on workshops costs AED 15 per child. University trips are free, or AED 15 per student with workshops. The workshops run in the centre’s two activity rooms, which are set aside for handicrafts and schoolchildren’s sessions.
Booking a group visit takes three steps:
- Choose between the plain visit at AED 5 and the workshop visit at AED 15.
- Submit the request through the Sharjah Museums school booking portal.
- University groups use the separate academic booking form on the same Sharjah Museums site.
What children can do inside
The centre has seven main zones, and children move between them in any order.
- Water World: a small-boats pool for races, glass tanks with jellyfish models, fountain-design stations and a swinging boat ride.
- Airport: the Sharjah Kids International Airport starts with bags going under an X-ray scanner. Children then put on plastic wings and fly an imaginary route past the Cairo Tower, the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben.
- Body World: strength and reflex tests, plus a human skeleton that shows how the leg bones move.
- Build Town: construction cranes and blocks in different colours, shapes and sizes for building small models of houses.
- Drive Town: electric cars on tracks that resemble Sharjah streets, with traffic signals and road rules to follow.
- Sports World: football, basketball and wall climbing. A separate basketball section is set up for players with special needs.
- TV Studio: cameras, lighting and sound effects for recording programmes, and a live feed to a screen outside the studio where children read the news and the weather.
Other areas
- Supermarket: children plan daily meals and learn what a balanced diet looks like.
- Storyteller: educational stories told to small groups.
- Theatre: science shows, entertainment shows and competitions.
- Oil Refinery, Play with Colours, Kids Corner and Talking Globe: smaller activity points between the main zones.
Facilities on site
The centre has:
- a café and a gift shop
- a prayer room
- restrooms and a baby changing table
- a mothers’ room
- wheelchair access
- Wi-Fi
- on-site parking
Location & parking
The centre is on Sharjah Airport Road between Interchanges 4 and 5, opposite the Sharjah Classic Cars Museum and Sharjah International Airport. Drop the Google Maps pin into your navigation app and follow it to the airport-road stretch between those two interchanges. Parking is available on site.
Family alternatives nearby
The closest substitute is the Sharjah Classic Cars Museum, directly opposite, and the best match for the same age group is the Sharjah Science Museum.
- Sharjah Classic Cars Museum: open Saturday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and from 4:00 PM on Fridays. Tickets are AED 10 for adults and AED 5 for children, with more than 100 classic cars on display.
- Sharjah Science Museum: in Al Abar, Halwan, with a planetarium and more than 50 interactive exhibits. It runs on the same hours as the Discovery Centre and charges AED 5 for children aged 2 to 12 and AED 10 for adults.
- Arabia’s Wildlife Centre: about 30 km east of Sharjah city and fully air-conditioned. Adults pay AED 21 and children under 12 enter free. The catch is the distance and the Tuesday closure.
FAQ
Is the Sharjah Discovery Centre open?
No. The Sharjah Discovery Centre is closed until further notice.
How much is a Sharjah Discovery Centre ticket?
Children aged 2 to 12 pay AED 5, adults aged 13 and over pay AED 10 and children under 2 enter free. School trips cost AED 5 per child, or AED 15 per child with workshops.
What age is the Sharjah Discovery Centre for?
The centre is built for children aged 3 to 12. Children from age 2 need the AED 5 ticket.
Where is the Sharjah Discovery Centre?
It is on Sharjah Airport Road between Interchanges 4 and 5, opposite the Sharjah Classic Cars Museum and Sharjah International Airport.
Is entry free for seniors or people with disabilities?
Yes. Visitors aged 60 and over and visitors with disabilities each bring one companion in free.
What is the phone number for the Sharjah Discovery Centre?
The phone number is +971 6 558 6577, and the email address is info@sma.gov.ae.
Next steps
- Call +971 6 558 6577 to ask when the doors reopen.
- Take the children to the Sharjah Science Museum for a same-age alternative, or across the road to the Classic Cars Museum.
- Book school or university groups through the Sharjah Museums booking portals, with AED 5 per child for a plain visit and AED 15 with workshops.
- Plan the first visit around the two free days: 18 May and 2 to 3 December.
