From Dubai Airport to your hotel.

How to get from Dubai Airport to your hotel

There are five practical ways to get from Dubai Airport to your hotel: the Metro, a public bus, a taxi from the rank, an app ride with Uber or Careem, or a driver who meets you in the arrivals hall. Some hotels arrange their own transfers as well. Which is right comes down to the terminal you land at, how much you are carrying and where you are staying.

Start with the map. Dubai International (DXB) is close to the old centre, on the Deira side of the Creek. Hotels in Deira and Al Garhoud are minutes away. Downtown Dubai and DIFC are around 15 to 25 minutes by road outside the rush hours, while Dubai Marina, JBR and Palm Jumeirah are more like 35 to 45. That distance decides more than anything else on this page.

The Metro from Terminals 1 and 3

The Red Line of the Dubai Metro stops at Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and you can walk to both stations from the arrivals halls. Terminal 2 has no station. From the airport the line runs through Deira and Bur Dubai, then along Sheikh Zayed Road past Downtown (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station) and Al Barsha to the Dubai Marina area. Allow about half an hour to Downtown and about an hour to the Marina. Then add the walk.

You need a Nol card or ticket from the machines or counters in the station. Fares depend on how many zones you cross and are a small fraction of a taxi fare. Gold Class carriages cost more and are quieter, and some carriages are reserved for women and children.

Our view: the Metro is excellent with a carry-on and one medium case, and hard work with more. RTA limits the number and size of bags, trains are packed at rush hour, and some stations are a long, hot walk from the hotels they are named after. Trains also stop for part of the night, starting early in the morning and finishing around midnight on most days, with different hours on some days of the week. If you land late or travel heavy, check RTA’s current timetable and luggage rules first.

Buses from the airport

RTA buses serve the terminals and connect with bus stations and Metro stops across the city, and you pay with the same Nol card. They cost least of any option. They are also slow, stop often and have very little room for suitcases. Routes and times change, so check RTA’s journey planner before you rely on one, especially at night.

The taxi rank outside arrivals

Each terminal has an official taxi rank right outside the arrivals exit, with marshals putting you in the next car. Taxis run on the meter, start with a higher charge for airport pick-ups and take up to four passengers. For most people this is the easy answer. Walk out, queue, and you can be at a Downtown hotel in around 20 minutes outside the rush hours.

Give the driver the hotel’s full name and its area, because several Dubai hotels have near-identical names. Rough fares by area, and how the rank compares with app rides and a booked car, are in our guide to Uber vs taxi from Dubai Airport.

Uber, Careem and app taxis

Both apps work at DXB. They don’t use the taxi rank; the app tells you which pick-up area to walk to for your terminal. You see the price before you confirm and can share the trip with whoever is waiting at the hotel. Two things to check first: that the car category takes your luggage, and what the price does when a lot of flights have just landed. It goes up.

Hotel transfers and airline chauffeurs

Some hotels and resorts, mostly the bigger beach and island properties, offer airport transfers to their guests. Expect to pay. Most need booking a day or two ahead, and some are shared with other guests or run at fixed times. Ask the hotel before you fly what it offers, what it costs and exactly where its driver will stand.

A few airlines include a chauffeur with certain premium tickets in Dubai. Who qualifies depends on the airline, the cabin, the fare and the route, and the rules change from year to year, so check your booking rather than assume.

A driver waiting in arrivals

A pre-booked transfer is the least effort after a long flight, and with children it is usually the right call. The driver tracks your flight, waits in the arrivals hall with a name board, takes the trolley and walks you to a car parked a few minutes away. Airport parking and Salik are on the quote. Child seats are fitted free on request, and the price is fixed in writing before you travel. Our guide to meeting your driver at DXB covers the walk from the aircraft door to the car.

We match the vehicle to the group. Up to three travellers fit an executive sedan, families usually take a luxury SUV or the seven-seat Mercedes V-Class, and bigger parties go in a 13-seater van or a Mercedes Sprinter. See airport transfers for how bookings work at DXB and DWC.

Choosing by hotel area

• Deira and Al Garhoud are minutes away by taxi. If your hotel is near a Red Line station, the Metro is a good option here.
• Downtown, DIFC and Business Bay are around 15 to 25 minutes by road. The Metro gets you to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station in about half an hour, but the walk on to many hotels is long.
• Jumeirah and Al Barsha take around 25 to 35 minutes by road, and a taxi or car is simpler than the train.
• Dubai Marina and JBR are around 35 to 45 minutes by road, or about an hour by Metro plus the walk or the tram.
• Palm Jumeirah is around 35 to 45 minutes by road. By public transport it means several changes, so with luggage take a car to the lobby.
• Expo City and Dubai South are a long way from DXB. Check if your flight lands at Al Maktoum International (DWC), which is far closer; our Expo City Dubai page has the drive times.
• Sharjah or Abu Dhabi is an intercity trip, not a hotel run. The intercity transfers page gives the journey times.

Terminal 2 and late-night arrivals

Terminal 2 is used mainly by flydubai and some regional airlines. It sits on the far side of the airport from Terminals 1 and 3 and has no Metro station, but taxis, app rides and buses serve it just as they do the others. If someone is meeting you, tell them the terminal: the drive between them takes around 15 to 20 minutes.

Many long-haul flights land between midnight and dawn, while the Metro is shut. Then it is the taxi rank, an app ride or a pre-booked car. The rank works all night, though queues build when several wide-bodies arrive together. Gathering a family or a group at 3am is where a driver who is already standing in the hall pays for itself.

Related: Uber vs taxi vs transfer at DXB · Meeting your driver at DXB · Airport Chauffeur · Expo City Dubai chauffeur · Get a quote

Keep reading

• 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.
• Dubai Airport to Downtown Dubai: From DXB to Downtown, Business Bay and DIFC hotels: the crossings, the rush hours, the drop-off at each tower and a vehicle sized to your bags.
• Group transfers for tour operators: A planning guide for tour operators and destination management companies: arrival waves, manifests, hotel driveways, luggage, coach sizes and what to send for a quote.
• Uber vs taxi vs transfer at DXB: The taxi rank, Uber or Careem, or a driver waiting in arrivals: what each costs from DXB and when it’s worth it.
• Dubai transport costs: What it costs to get around Dubai by Metro, bus, taxi, app, private car, van or coach, with per-person sums for families and groups.
• Dubai to Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH): From any Dubai address to Zayed International, timed back from your flight and quoted in writing.