Get from A to B

Dubai's backbone is the driverless Dubai Metro: the Red Line runs from Centrepoint past the airport (Terminals 1 and 3), Deira, BurJuman, Sheikh Zayed Road, Downtown (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall), Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Marina to Expo City and Life Pharmacy, and the Green Line loops through old Dubai on both sides of the Creek (Al Ras and Gold Souq for the Deira souks, Al Ghubaiba and Sharaf DG for Bur Dubai). Union and BurJuman are the Red-Green interchanges. The Dubai Tram runs along Al Sufouh Road and Jumeirah Beach Road between Dubai Marina, JBR and the Palm Jumeirah monorail. Everything (metro, tram, buses, water transport) is paid with a nol card, fares are charged by zones, and RTA buses fill the gaps. Abras still cross the Creek between Bur Dubai and the Deira souks, and Dubai Ferry and water taxis serve the Creek, the Dubai Water Canal and Dubai Marina. From 30 September 2026 Etihad Rail links Dubai (Al Yalayis station, Jumeirah Golf Estates) to Abu Dhabi in 1 h 4 min.

Lines and services

• MetroDubai Metro Red Line

  Centrepoint - Emirates - Airport Terminal 3 - Airport Terminal 1 - Al Garhoud - City Centre Deira - Al Rigga - Union - BurJuman - ADCB - Max - World Trade Centre - Emirates Towers (Museum of the Future) - Financial Centre - Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall - Business Bay - Onpassive (being renamed Garmin, Sep-Nov 2026) - Equiti - Mall of the Emirates - Insurance Market - Dubai Internet City - Al Fardan Exchange - Sobha Realty (Dubai Marina, tram) - DMCC (JLT, tram) - National Paints, then branches to Expo 2020 (via Jumeirah Golf Estates) or Life Pharmacy (via Ibn Battuta). End to end about 74 minutes (Wikipedia). Each train has a Gold Class cabin and a women-and-children cabin.

  Mon-Thu 05:00-24:00; Fri 05:00-01:00; Sat 05:00-24:00; Sun 08:00-24:00 (RTA timetable, Sep 2026)

• MetroDubai Metro Green Line

  e& - Al Qusais - Dubai Airport Free Zone - Al Nahda - Stadium - Al Qiyadah - Abu Hail - Abu Baker Al Siddique - Salah Al Din - Union - Baniyas Square - Gold Souq - Al Ras - (under the Creek) - Al Ghubaiba - Sharaf DG - BurJuman - Oud Metha - Dubai Healthcare City - Al Jadaf - Creek. The line serving old Dubai: Al Ras is by the Gold and Spice Souks, Al Ghubaiba is in Al Shindagha next to Al Ghubaiba bus station.

  Same as Red Line (RTA)

• TramDubai Tram

  11 stops on Al Sufouh Road and Jumeirah Beach Road: Jumeirah Beach Residence 1 and 2, Jumeirah Lakes Towers (for DMCC metro), Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai Marina (for Sobha Realty metro), Marina Towers, Mina Seyahi, Media City, Palm Jumeirah (for the Palm Monorail, Palm Gateway), Knowledge Village, Al Sufouh.

  Mon-Sat 06:00-01:00; Sun 09:00-01:00 (RTA timetable)

• BusRTA city buses

  119 internal lines incl. metro feeder lines; board at the front, press the bell to stop; the front section is reserved for women, children and families. Fares by zone with nol.

  04:00-01:00; route C01 runs 24h (RTA)

• BusIntercity buses (E100, E101 and others)

  RTA intercity lines run to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Hatta, Fujairah and Al Ain. To Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station: E100 from Ibn Battuta bus station and E101 from Al Ghubaiba bus station (route numbers as listed by Wikipedia, June 2025; a 2023 What's On article swaps them), AED 25. A non-stop RTA/Capital Express service also runs Al Quoz bus station - MBZ City bus station (Abu Dhabi) every 3 hours, AED 25, nol, contactless or cash (Oct 2025). H02 Hatta Express from The Dubai Mall bus station, AED 25, every 2 h 07:00-19:00.

  Intercity bus network 04:00-01:00 (RTA)

• FerryAbras on Dubai Creek

  Traditional motorised abras: Bur Dubai Abra Station - Deira Old Souq, and Dubai Old Souq - Al Sabkha, AED 1 cash per crossing (RTA marine page). Petrol heritage abras (AED 2): CR3 Dubai Old Souq - Baniyas, CR4 Al Sabkha - Al Fahidi, CR5 Al Fahidi - Deira Old Souq, CR6 Al Seef - Baniyas; cash, nol and cards accepted. Air-conditioned abra BM2 Al Jaddaf - Dubai Festival City AED 2. Electric abra tour TR10 (Al Seef - Al Fahidi - Baniyas) AED 60 per 30 min or AED 120 per hour per boat.

  CR3 Mon-Sat 07:00-23:45, Sun 10:00-23:45; CR4 Mon-Sat 08:00-23:45, Sun 09:30-23:35; CR5 Mon-Thu 08:00-23:30, Fri to 23:40, Sat to 23:45, Sun 09:30-23:45; CR6 Mon-Sat 07:30-23:45, Sun 10:00-23:50; TR10 daily 16:00-23:00 (RTA flyer; may differ in Ramadan)

• FerryDubai Ferry

  FR1 Dubai Water Canal - Al Ghubaiba; FR2 Dubai Marina Mall - Bluewaters; FR4 Dubai Marina Mall - Palm Jumeirah - Atlantis (round trip); FR5 Sharjah Aquarium - Al Ghubaiba. Air-conditioned, up to 98 seats, Gold and Silver class. Fares: not verified (RTA shows them only in its booking tool).

  Not verified

• FerryDubai Water Taxi (Dubai Marina)

  BM1 hop-on hop-off between Marina Promenade, Dubai Marina Mall North, Marina Walk and Marina Terrace, AED 7 per stop (AED 7-21 full route); BM3 Dubai Marina Mall South - Bluewaters AED 7.

  Not verified

• TaxiDubai Taxi and RTA-licensed taxis

  Hail on the street or at ranks, queue at airport arrivals, or e-hail via S'hail, Careem (Hala Taxi), Bolt, Zed or Yango. Minimum fare AED 12 street pickup, AED 13 e-hail; waiting 50 fils/min; Salik toll gates added; AED 20 extra when passing through Sharjah; higher fares at peak times (Mon-Thu 08:00-10:00 and 16:00-20:00, Fri 08:00-10:00 and 16:00-24:00, Sat-Sun 16:00-24:00). Pay by cash, card, nol, Apple/Samsung Pay and more. Flag-fall and per-km rates: not verified (not shown on the RTA page as read).

  24h

• Ride-hailingCareem and Uber

  Named by What's On as the most popular ride-hailing apps in Dubai (2025).

  24h

• TrainEtihad Rail (Dubai - Abu Dhabi)

  Dubai station is Al Yalayis, in Jumeirah Golf Estates near Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311); opens 30 September 2026. Direct trains to Abu Dhabi station (Mohamed Bin Zayed City) in 1 h 4 min; Comfort from AED 39, Premium from AED 109; book on the Etihad Rail website or app. Opening-day departures from Dubai 06:14, 07:14, 13:14, 17:14, 18:14.

  First departure 06:14 from Dubai, last 18:14 (opening timetable, What's On 22 Sep 2026)

Common trips

• Al Fahidi / Bur Dubai waterfrontDeira souks (Gold Souk, Spice Souk)5 min

  Abra across the Creek: traditional abra from Bur Dubai Abra Station to Deira Old Souq (AED 1 cash), or CR5 Al Fahidi - Deira Old Souq Marine Station (AED 2)

  • Green Line from Sharaf DG or Al Ghubaiba to Al Ras (next to the souks)

• Deira souks (Al Ras)Al Shindagha (Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, Al Ghubaiba)

  Green Line one stop from Al Ras to Al Ghubaiba, under the Creek

  • Traditional abra Deira Old Souq - Bur Dubai (AED 1) then walk

• Dubai International Airport (Terminal 1 or 3)Downtown Dubai (Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall)

  Red Line direct to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall

  • Taxi from the arrivals queue

• Dubai International Airport (Terminal 1 or 3)Deira souks (Gold Souk, Spice Souk)

  Red Line to Union, change to the Green Line for Gold Souq or Al Ras

  • Taxi

• Deira souks (Al Ras / Gold Souq)Downtown Dubai (Burj Khalifa)

  Green Line to BurJuman or Union, change to the Red Line for Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall

  • Taxi

• Downtown Dubai (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall)Museum of the Future (Trade Centre)

  Red Line two stops towards Centrepoint to Emirates Towers

  • Taxi

• Downtown Dubai (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall)Dubai Marina

  Red Line to Sobha Realty (Dubai Marina) or DMCC (Jumeirah Lakes Towers)

  • Taxi

• Dubai Marina (Sobha Realty or DMCC metro)JBR beach and Palm Jumeirah

  Dubai Tram: Jumeirah Beach Residence 1/2 for JBR; Palm Jumeirah stop for the Palm Monorail (Palm Gateway)

  • Walk from Dubai Marina to JBR

• Dubai Marina MallBluewaters

  Water taxi BM3 from Dubai Marina Mall South (AED 7)

  • Dubai Ferry FR2 from Dubai Marina Mall (fare not verified)

• Al Ghubaiba (Bur Dubai)Dubai Water Canal

  Dubai Ferry FR1 Al Ghubaiba - Dubai Water Canal (fare and times not verified)

  • Taxi

• Bur Dubai (BurJuman)St Mary's Catholic Church (Oud Metha)

  Green Line one stop towards Creek to Oud Metha

  • Taxi

• Downtown DubaiMall of the Emirates

  Red Line to Mall of the Emirates

  • Taxi

• Dubai (Jumeirah Golf Estates, Al Yalayis station)Abu Dhabi (Mohamed Bin Zayed City station)64 min

  Etihad Rail direct train from 30 Sep 2026, Comfort from AED 39

  • E100 bus from Ibn Battuta or E101 from Al Ghubaiba to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, AED 25 (about 100 min from Ibn Battuta, about 135 min from Al Ghubaiba per What's On 2023)
  • Non-stop bus Al Quoz - MBZ City bus station, AED 25, every 3 h

• The Dubai Mall bus stationHatta

  H02 Hatta Express (AED 25, every 2 hours 07:00-19:00), then H04 hop-on hop-off loop in Hatta (AED 2 per stop)

  • Car or tour

To and from the airport

DXB (Dubai International)

• MetroZone fare with nol: Silver AED 3-7.50, Red ticket AED 4-8.50 depending on zones crossed (RTA, Sep 2026); zones for a given trip not verified

  Red Line stations Airport Terminal 1 and Airport Terminal 3; buy a nol card at the station. Luggage limit: two suitcases per passenger, 1 large (max 81x58x30 cm) and 1 small (max 55x38x20 cm).

• TaxiAirport taxi rates not verified (RTA lists a separate airport tariff but the figures did not load); minimum road fare AED 12 (RTA, 2026)

  Follow the taxi sign to the queue in arrivals at Terminals 1, 2 or 3 and pay by meter; or pre-book Careem, Uber or Bolt.

AUH (Zayed International, Abu Dhabi)

• BusAED 35 (What's On, Oct 2023; not re-checked)

  AUH Express shuttle between Ibn Battuta bus station and Abu Dhabi airport, hourly, 24/7 (2023 report). Emirates and Etihad also run shuttles for their own ticketed passengers.

Good to know

• Tap your nol card when you enter and when you leave the metro, tram or bus; not checking out risks being over-charged and riding without a valid tap is an AED 200 fine.
• The Gold Class cabin needs a Gold card (double fare) and the women-and-children cabins are only for them; sitting in the wrong area is an AED 100 fine.
• No eating, drinking or chewing gum on the metro (AED 100 fine) and no alcohol on public transport (AED 500).
• Keep at least AED 7.50 on a Silver or Gold card to be let through the gates.
• A 7-day all-zones pass (AED 110 on a Silver card) can pay off if you ride a lot; anonymous cards can only take the 7-day pass.
• On Sundays the metro starts at 08:00 and the tram at 09:00; on Fridays the metro runs until 01:00.
• Several metro stations carry sponsor names that change: Onpassive becomes Garmin between Sep and Nov 2026; listen for both names.
• Pack light for the metro: one large and one small suitcase per passenger, stowed in the luggage area.

Useful apps

• S'hail (RTA journey planner, taxi booking, nol)
• nol Pay (RTA)
• RTA Dubai (RTA)
• Careem (Hala Taxi, Careem Bike)
• Uber
• Bolt
• Zed
• Yango
• Etihad Rail app