Two big malls, one day, one group.
Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates are about 15 to 20 minutes apart by road, and most groups want both. Here is what the malls say about getting there, what we cannot confirm yet, and how a driver can hold the day together.
Why a group treats this as a two mall day
Dubai Shopping Festival runs from 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027, and for many visitors that means a shopping day. A family of nine, a tour group of thirty or a club on an end-of-season trip usually asks the same thing: can we do Dubai Mall in the morning and Mall of the Emirates after lunch, and still be back at the hotel for dinner?
You can, with some planning. The malls are on opposite sides of the Sheikh Zayed Road corridor. A modelled free-flow route puts the drive between Downtown and Mall of the Emirates at roughly 15 to 20 minutes and about 16 km. It is a model with no traffic in it, so allow more on a festival weekend or after the working day.
We have no mall by mall DSF promotions for 2026/27 yet, because the organiser has not published them. Mall of the Emirates was on last year’s list of partner malls. Ask each mall about its own offers nearer the date.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteWhat Dubai Mall tells visitors
Dubai Mall lists normal trading hours of 10:00 to 23:00 from Monday to Thursday and 10:00 to 00:00 from Friday to Sunday. Those are the standard hours for retailers. Hours can change during the festival and on public holidays, so check the mall’s own page for the day you go. We have not found a festival or holiday extension.
| Day | Dubai Mall standard hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 10:00 to 23:00 |
| Friday to Sunday | 10:00 to 00:00 |
The mall’s visitor pages also state a courtesy dress code, and smoking only in designated areas. For Mall of the Emirates we could not read the opening hours, so we do not quote any. Use the mall’s own site.
The public ways in, before any private option
The mall publishes its own getting-here advice, and for many people it is enough.
- Metro: the nearest station to Dubai Mall is Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, reached over the Metro Link Bridge. For Mall of the Emirates, check the RTA journey planner for the nearest Metro or bus stop.
- Buses: feeder bus routes serve Dubai Mall. The mall’s wording for its listed bus routes is a tourist drop-off area in front of the Zabeel Parking Main Entrance. Mall of the Emirates has a bus station, and it is where the RTA’s seasonal route 106 to Global Village starts.
- Taxi and ride-hailing: quick for two to four people with light bags, less so when you are twelve.
Those options work well on a quiet weekday. They are slower for a group that wants to arrive together, split up inside, regroup at a fixed time and leave with the car full of shopping bags.
Drive times from where groups stay
Our own route model, run on 29 October 2026, gives the approximate times below. They are free-flow estimates with no traffic and no event congestion, rounded to the nearest five minutes. The upper figure adds about a quarter for ordinary traffic. Allow much more on weekend evenings and during the festival.
| From | To Dubai Mall | To Mall of the Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Airport (DXB) | 15 to 20 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Dubai Marina | 20 to 25 minutes | 10 to 15 minutes |
| JBR | 25 to 30 minutes | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Palm Jumeirah (Atlantis) | 25 to 35 minutes | 20 to 25 minutes |
| Business Bay | 5 to 10 minutes | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Deira | 15 to 20 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes |
| Sharjah (Al Majaz) | 25 to 35 minutes | 35 to 45 minutes |
The pattern is simple. A Marina or JBR hotel is close to Mall of the Emirates and further from Dubai Mall. A Downtown or Business Bay hotel is the other way round. That helps you decide which mall goes first. Start at the far one, so the group finishes near home.
How a driver fits a shopping day
We are Dubai Bus Services, a private company. We are not appointed by Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates or the festival organiser, and our vehicles are not part of any mall scheme. A booking with us is a vehicle and a driver for your group.
A shopping day tends to work in one of three ways.
- Drop and return: the vehicle drops the group at the first mall, leaves, and returns at an agreed time to move everyone to the second.
- Wait at the mall: the driver stays on call and the group can put bags in the vehicle between visits. That suits the hourly chauffeur style of booking.
- Split by interest: half the group wants the shops and half wants the sights. Two smaller vehicles can move them separately and bring them together for dinner.
Pick the size from your head count. The Mercedes V-Class suits a family of up to seven, the 13-seater van a group of eight to thirteen, the 30-seater mini coach a larger party, and the 50-seater coach a full tour group. Shopping adds bags, so tell us how many.
Private coach drop-off rules at both malls are not published where we can read them. We do not assume a bay. We confirm the drop-off point with the mall before the day and write it into your plan.
A sample day, with times left open
Here is a shape, not a schedule, because the festival hours are not out. A group staying in the Marina is collected after breakfast and driven to Dubai Mall, about 20 to 25 minutes or more. The group shops until mid afternoon, and the vehicle then moves them to Mall of the Emirates, about 15 to 20 minutes. Dinner is there, and the drive home to the Marina is short.
A Downtown hotel group runs it the other way: Mall of the Emirates first, then Dubai Mall after lunch, with the hotel a few minutes away at the end. Either way, agree a fixed regroup time and a meeting point inside each mall before you split up.
Before you fly
Entry rules depend on your passport. Check the official UAE government visa page before you book.
December is peak season, and the larger vehicles go first. If you are building a longer trip, the city tour by private minibus page shows how a day with a driver is laid out, and the quote guide explains what a written quote lists.
Asking for a quote
Send us the date, the number of people, your hotel, which mall comes first and when you want to be back. We reply with a fixed written quote before you accept. Use the booking page.
Keep reading
- Dubai Shopping Festival 2026/27 group plan: Dubai Shopping Festival runs 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. What is confirmed so far, what is not, and how a group can plan around it.
- Emirates Dubai 7s group transport: Getting a group to the Emirates Dubai 7s at The Sevens Stadium, 27 to 29 November 2026: what the organisers run, where it stops short and how a pre-booked vehicle fits.
- Emirates city check-in and home check-in: Late flight, early checkout: how Emirates city check-in and home check-in work in Dubai, the 24, 6 and 4 hour rules, who cannot use them, and how that changes the airport run.
- Big group arrival at DXB: How to land 30 or more people at Dubai International and get them onto the right coach: flight lists, luggage, split arrivals and a group leader who is easy to find.
- Airport transfer or day hire?: One airport ride and one tour day in Dubai: when two separate bookings make sense, when one driver for the day does, and what to ask for in the quote.
- Big 5 Global 2026 transport: Big 5 Global runs 23 to 26 November 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre. Hours, the Metro, taxi and bus, parking, hotel-area drive times, and where a private vehicle fits.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
How far apart are Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates?
About 15 to 20 minutes by road and roughly 16 km, according to our free-flow route model. It has no traffic in it, so allow more on a busy evening or festival weekend.
What are Dubai Mall’s opening hours?
The mall lists 10:00 to 23:00 from Monday to Thursday and 10:00 to 00:00 from Friday to Sunday. Hours can change during the festival, so check the mall before the day.
What are the hours at Mall of the Emirates?
We could not read them, so we do not quote any. Check the mall’s own website for the day you plan to go.
Can a coach drop a group at Dubai Mall?
The mall lists a tourist drop-off area in front of the Zabeel Parking Main Entrance for its bus routes. We have no published rule for private coaches, so we confirm the drop-off point with the mall before the day.
Is there a Metro to Dubai Mall?
Yes. The nearest station is Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, reached over the Metro Link Bridge. For Mall of the Emirates, use the RTA journey planner.
Can the driver wait while we shop?
Yes, if you book it that way. The waiting hours and the stops go into the written quote. A driver can also drop you, leave and come back at an agreed time.
Do you sell mall vouchers or festival offers?
No. We sell vehicle and driver time only. Offers and promotions are set by the malls and the festival organiser.
How much does a vehicle cost?
Ask for a fixed written quote. It depends on the date, the group size and the hours you want the vehicle, and we put it in writing before you accept.
Planning a shopping day? Tell us the two malls.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.