Public transport in Dubai is a complex and extremely well organised transport network, but if you go for the first time and don’t do a bit of research beforehand, you’ll find yourself a bit overwhelmed. But I don’t want to leave things unclear so I’ll briefly tell you everything you need to know about public transport in Dubai.
Public Transport in Dubai
Dubai is divided into 7 zones, and 4 of them are connected by the two metro lines (see the map). I recommend you to choose accommodation close to a metro station because this way you will have easy access to the most important tourist attractions in the city and you won’t always have to rely on taxis or Uber. It’s true that some areas, such as the Burj Al Arab, are not connected to the two metro lines, but there are buses.
How much does a metro/bus trip to Dubai cost?
To use public transport, you need an NOL card, and for tourists there are the following options.
- Red Ticket –
- Silver Card – a prepaid card
- Travel Pass for 24 hours
The cost of a journey varies depending on the type of NOL card you have and the areas you travel to. See image below:
If you stay more than three days in Dubai, I recommend the silver version of the NOL card. It is cheaper, and the only thing you need to be careful about is that you always have a minimum of 7.50 dirhams before you start your trip. The silver card is a pre paid card.
If you think you’ll be making more trips by metro or bus every day, it might be more convenient to get a travel pass for 24 hours, every day or on days when you know you’ll be travelling a lot by public transport. Read more..
How do I get to Global Village and Mircle Garden by public transport?
For Global Village and Mircle Garden the above rules do not apply. To get to the two tourist attractions you must take the bus and pay a separate ticket. In other words, you use your NOL card for these trips but the zone fare rule does not apply.
For Global Village:
- 102 from Rashidiya metro station.
- Bus 103 from Union metro station, which passes through Al Rebat Street.
- 104 from Ghubaiba bus station, passing through Al Jafiliya metro station.
- Bus 106 from Mall of Emirates metro station
The service runs daily from 15.15 – 23.15 with a journey time of 30 minutes. A journey costs AED 10
To Miracle Garden:
- Bus 105 from Mall of Emirates station – a bus ride costs AED 5.
How to get from Dubai airport to the centre of Dubai
Dubai Airport has three terminals. While Terminal 2 is a 10-minute drive from the other two, T1 and T3 are connected by a metro line. The metro runs frequently from DXB Terminals 1 and 3, with both stations on the red line. The Red Line runs from 5 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday; 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (the second day) on Fridays and 8 a.m. to midnight on Sundays.
How much does a metro ride cost in Dubai from the airport?
So, if you want to go from the airport to the Burj Khalifa or Dubai Mall, the price of a metro journey is AED 5 (with Siver Nol Card) or AED 6 (with standard ticket/Red Nol Card).
Terminal 2
If you are flying with Wizz Air or another low-cost airline, you will land/depart from Terminal 2. In this situation, the metro will not help you, and we recommend taking a taxi/Uber. We’ve noticed that taxis have better prices than Uber, but it’s good to do a bit of research. A hassle-free option is to book a transfer through Welcome Pickups – the largest platform of its kind in the world. Check here to see how much a transfer from the airport directly to your accommodation could cost you,
Attention! Free shuttle buses between terminals (Terminal 1 to Terminal 3) are available at Dubai Airport. There is no shuttle bus giving service in Terminal 2.
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