Dubai Metro or coach: when to combine both
A group does not have to pick one. The Metro can carry the day legs between stations, and a vehicle can take the legs with the bags or without a station. Here is how a planner can split the trip, using what RTA and Dubai Airports publish and what our fleet holds.
What the Metro offers a group, in RTA’s own terms
We run no Metro and we sell no Metro tickets. Everything in this section comes from RTA or Dubai Airports, and RTA’s pages are the place to check it for your date.
The network has a Red Line, a Green Line and a tram line. The Red Line has stations at Dubai Airport Terminal 3 and Terminal 1, and none at Terminal 2. It also has Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, Business Bay, Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta, Jumeirah Golf Estates and EXPO 2020. The Green Line covers Old Dubai, with Baniyas Square, Gold Souq, Al Ras and Al Gubaiba, and Union and Burjuman are where the two lines meet. The tram list names Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Marina and a stop called Palm Jumeirah. Station names partly follow sponsors and change, so use the name RTA shows on the day.
RTA’s baggage policy allows two suitcases per passenger: one large, up to 81 x 58 x 30 cm, and one small, up to 55 x 38 x 20 cm. All luggage must be stowed in the luggage area of the cabin. RTA also lists wheelchair spaces on all trains and lift access to all station levels. For youth groups, RTA’s rule is that children under 8 may not travel without an adult, children from 8 to 11 need a parent’s permit, and from 12 they may travel without adults.
Dubai Airports publishes these hours: Monday to Thursday 05:00 to 24:00, Friday 05:00 to 01:00 the next morning, Saturday 05:00 to 24:00 and Sunday 08:00 to 24:00. Hours may extend on public holidays, so check RTA for your date. For the journey planner, use RTA’s Wojhati. The rules are on RTA’s Dubai Metro page.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteThe decision table
These are our readings of the published facts, not RTA rules. We found no group-size rule, no group ticket arrangement and no published journey time from the airport to any station, so none appears here.
| If your group… | The Metro suits | A vehicle suits |
|---|---|---|
| Carries only day bags | A station-to-station day leg | A hotel that is far from a station |
| Carries a suitcase or two each | Light travellers, if every bag meets the stated sizes | Most groups of 10 or more, who also need all those bags stowed together |
| Lands at Terminal 1 or 3 | A daytime arrival to a hotel beside a station | Any arrival with a long walk or a change at the other end |
| Lands at Terminal 2 | Nothing direct, since there is no station | The whole airport leg |
| Lands outside Metro hours | Nothing | The whole airport leg |
| Stays on the Palm or at a beach hotel | A tram stop named Palm Jumeirah is listed; what it connects to is not published | The door-to-door run, agreed in the written quote |
| Wants Old Dubai or Downtown for the day | Green Line and Red Line stops in the souk areas and at Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall | The way back, if the group has shopping bags |
| Flies from Al Maktoum (DWC) | Nothing, since DWC has no Metro; the airports describe a bus from Ibn Battuta or EXPO 2020 | The whole airport leg |
The bag count is the test that settles most of these. Our suitcase guide gives what each vehicle holds, and the terminals guide says which terminal your airline uses.
Three worked examples
These are examples to show the thinking, not real bookings and not promises. Adjust the numbers to your own group.
Example 1: twenty people, two cases each, a hotel near Downtown. That is 40 bags. The 30-seater mini coach holds 20, so the group needs the 50-seater coach, which holds 50 with 50 seats. RTA’s policy covers two cases each on its face, but twenty people with forty cases in cabins is a lot to stow, and our reading is that a vehicle starts to make sense here. Day two is different. With day bags only, the group walks to the nearest station and rides the Metro to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, then takes the coach back with the shopping.
Example 2: twelve people landing at 02:30. The Metro is shut, so a vehicle meets them. A Mercedes Sprinter seats 16 and holds 12 bags, so with one case each it fits. If each person has two, the group needs the 30-seater mini coach. Our big group arrival guide covers the wait in the hall. Once everyone is rested, the group uses the Metro for a daytime outing from the hotel.
Example 3: twenty-eight people on the Palm, one day in Old Dubai. We found no published detail on what the Palm Jumeirah tram stop connects to, so the planner checks RTA’s journey planner before building a day around it. In our plan the mini coach takes the group from the hotel to Old Dubai, and the group walks the souk area with day bags. The coach collects them again at the pick-up point written in the quote. If the group wants to cover two areas, one short Green Line hop between stations replaces a second vehicle move. The Old Dubai half-day guide has the sequence.
Checks before you commit to a Metro leg
- Count the bags and measure the biggest. A golf bag, a pram or a sports bag does not fit the sizes RTA lists.
- Match the terminal to the flight. Our hotel-area guide gives the road times we plan with, approximately, outside the rush hours: Deira and Bur Dubai often 5 to 15 minutes, Downtown around 15 to 25, the Marina and the Palm around 35 to 45.
- Compare the flight time with the hours above, including the Sunday opening at 08:00.
- Check where your hotel sits against the station list and the walk. Names such as Dubai Mall or Marina cover a wide area.
- Decide who is the group leader at each change, and who counts heads on the platform.
If your group arrives by Etihad Rail, our Dubai Station first and last mile guide covers the Metro bridge and the vehicle option.
How we quote the vehicle legs
Tell us the people count, the bag count, the largest odd item and each leg. We reply with a fixed written quote that names the vehicle and the pick-up point for each leg, with the Metro legs left out because we do not run them. Ask for it through the booking page. For an airport leg alone, see our airport transfer page, or the hourly chauffeur service for a day that mixes stops.
Entry rules depend on your passport. Check the official UAE government visa page: u.ae visa information.
Keep reading
- Dubai Airport to your hotel: Metro, bus, taxi rank, app ride, hotel transfer or a driver in arrivals: how to reach your hotel from DXB, area by area.
- DXB Terminals 1, 2 and 3 for group leaders: Which DXB terminal each airline uses, where a driver can and cannot wait, the Metro limit, and the drive from each terminal to the Marina, JBR, Palm and Downtown.
- Coach rental Dubai: Mini coaches and 50-seat coaches with a driver for tours, conferences, schools and teams, sized to the group and quoted in writing.
- Dubai airport transfer for groups: Vans, Sprinters, mini coaches and 50-seat coaches for groups landing at DXB or DWC, with the luggage and the split flights planned.
- Loading time for group luggage at the airport: A method to estimate the minutes between meeting the driver and leaving the airport with 20 to 70 people, with stated assumptions and six worked groups.
- Senior travel groups in Dubai: For organisers of over-60s groups: how long a day on the road can be, how many stops to plan, where rests go and which vehicle fits the group.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
Does the Dubai Metro go to every airport terminal?
No. The Red Line has stations at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Terminal 2 has no station. Al Maktoum (DWC) has no Metro either.
How much luggage does RTA allow on the Metro?
RTA’s policy is two suitcases per passenger: one large up to 81 x 58 x 30 cm and one small up to 55 x 38 x 20 cm, stowed in the luggage area of the cabin.
What are the Metro hours?
Dubai Airports publishes Monday to Thursday 05:00 to 24:00, Friday 05:00 to 01:00 the next morning, Saturday 05:00 to 24:00 and Sunday 08:00 to 24:00. Check RTA for your date, since hours may extend on holidays.
Is there a rule for large groups on the Metro?
We found no published group-size rule or group ticket arrangement, so we do not state one. Check the current notice from RTA before you plan around it.
Can a group use the Metro for part of the trip and a vehicle for the rest?
Yes. Use the Metro for day legs between stations when the bags are small, and a vehicle for the airport legs, heavy luggage and places without a station. We quote only the vehicle legs.
Which Metro station is nearest the Palm Jumeirah or the Burj Al Arab?
We could not source that. RTA’s tram list includes a stop named Palm Jumeirah, and no station name matches the Burj Al Arab. Check RTA’s journey planner, or ask us to plan a vehicle for the whole run.
Do you sell Metro tickets or run the Metro?
No. We run vehicles with drivers. Metro rules, hours and tickets come from RTA.
How do I get a quote for the vehicle legs?
Send the people count, bag count and legs through the booking page and ask for a fixed written quote.
Planning the legs? Ask for a fixed quote.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.