Dubai Airport to Palm Jumeirah, to the lobby.

Dubai Airport to Palm Jumeirah by private transfer

The Palm is one of the longer runs from DXB without leaving Dubai. It sits out in the sea beyond Jumeirah, past Al Sufouh and Dubai Marina, and the drive takes you most of the way across the city. After a long flight with children or a lot of luggage, that is the part you want to hand over. Our driver meets you in the arrivals hall, takes you to a vehicle parked a few minutes away and drives you to the door of your hotel or villa.

This page is for people travelling from DXB to Atlantis The Palm, Atlantis The Royal or any of the other hotels, residences and villas on Palm Jumeirah. The price is set per vehicle, not per person, and it is written in a quote before you confirm. Nothing is charged until you reply to accept. Comparing every way of getting out of the airport? Our guide to getting from Dubai Airport to your hotel covers the Metro, taxis and apps.

The drive: route and timing

Most of the trip is on the big roads that run along the coast side of the city. From DXB the driver heads away from the Creek and through the centre on the main highway, then follows the signs for Palm Jumeirah and the Marina, which is where the road turns towards the sea. Which highway is quickest depends on the hour, and the driver decides on the day. You may pass a Salik gate or two on the way. They are listed on your quote and included in the total, so the route does not change the price.

Outside the rush hours it is around 35 to 45 minutes to the Palm. In the weekday peaks, mornings and from late afternoon until about eight, allow much longer, and plan on an hour or more if the roads along Sheikh Zayed Road are backed up. Late at night the trip sits at the quick end of the range. Friday and Saturday evenings are busy too, because the Marina, the beach clubs and the Palm’s restaurants fill up.

On the Palm itself, add a few minutes. The island has a trunk road, a crescent around it and the fronds, and Atlantis is at the far end of the crescent. It takes longer to reach than a hotel near the trunk, and a villa at the tip of a frond takes longer again. Tell us your exact address or hotel so that we plan the last part properly.

Where the car stops: Atlantis, crescent hotels and villas

Palm Jumeirah has a lot of drop-off points, and they work differently. Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal have their own entrances and arrival areas, and they are busy with cars at check-in time. The beach resorts on the crescent, such as the Fairmont, One&Only, Raffles, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, W Dubai and Waldorf Astoria, each have a forecourt, a different gate and their own procedure for guests arriving by car. Villa owners and guests staying in a private home need the exact frond and plot number, plus any gate code or contact name.

We do not decide for the hotel. Send us the name and, for a villa, the address, and the driver is briefed on where to stop. For a coach or a mini coach, ask your hotel where a large vehicle can drop off. Not every forecourt takes one, and we would rather you found that out before the day.

One other point on timing. Most hotels have a standard check-in time in the afternoon, and a morning arrival from an overnight flight often has to wait. Ask the hotel about early check-in or a luggage hold before you fly. If a room is not ready, the driver can still drop your bags at the lobby and you can go straight to the beach.

Which vehicle for your group and your bags

Seats are passenger seats. Bags are medium suitcases. Size the vehicle on whichever number runs out first.

The Palm is a holiday destination, and holiday luggage is bigger than business luggage. Four people with a suitcase each and a pram fit a luxury SUV. The same four with two cases each and golf clubs do not. We would rather you told us the real count and let us recommend the right vehicle than find out in the arrivals hall.

What the transfer costs

We do not publish a fixed one-way fare for this route, because the right figure depends on the vehicle, the pick-up time and where on the Palm you are going. It is quoted per vehicle: the whole car, van or coach, with the driver, fuel, any Salik on the route, airport parking and the waiting allowance written on the page. Nobody is charged per head and there is no meter. Send the details and the quote usually comes back within the hour.

If you want the vehicle for the day, an arrival followed by sightseeing or a day at Aquaventure, a day rate applies instead. That starts from AED 900 per day for the 13-seater van and from AED 1,450 per day for the 50-seater coach, for up to 10 hours within Dubai with driver and fuel. Our bus rental price guide lists every vehicle with its starting price.

For a sense of how the planning works, here are three illustrations. They are not quotes.

Example: a family of five, 7am arrival. They land at Terminal 3 after an overnight flight with five bags and a pram. A luxury SUV takes the five people and five bags, and the pram goes in the back. The hotel room won’t be ready until the afternoon, so the driver drops the luggage at the lobby.

Example: a wedding party, 14 people. Two flights land an hour apart. A 16-seat Sprinter collects them in one run, with a short wait in the arrivals hall written on the quote, and takes everyone to the same crescent resort.

Example: a corporate group of 38, arriving for a dinner. A 50-seater coach meets them, with a separate drop at the villa of the host. The coach drop-off point is confirmed with the hotel beforehand.

Atlantis, the Palm and the Metro: what else is there

There is a public route to the Palm, and for a light traveller it works. It is the Metro towards the Marina area, the tram and then the Palm monorail, which runs along the trunk of the island to Atlantis. With suitcases it is a lot of changes, and the monorail does not reach every hotel. Most guests with luggage take a taxi from the rank, use their hotel’s own transfer or book a car.

It’s worth asking your hotel what it offers. Some resorts run airport transfers for guests, most of them paid and booked in advance. Don’t assume it is free, and check what happens if your flight is late. Our Uber vs taxi guide has rough taxi and app fares by area if you want to compare them with a fixed quote.

Leaving the Palm for the airport

The return needs more margin than the arrival. For an international flight most airlines ask for around three hours before departure, and the road back to DXB takes 35 to 50 minutes outside the rush hours, so a pick-up around four hours before the flight is a good starting point. Leave earlier on a weekday morning, when the roads towards the airport are slow.

Tell us the flight time and terminal and we propose a pick-up time on the quote. The driver is at your hotel ten minutes early. For a group, we recommend the hotel brings the luggage down in advance, so that loading happens while people finish checking out. If your flight is late at night, book the vehicle for the day and the bags stay on board while you have a last afternoon on the beach.

From Al Maktoum Airport, or to the rest of Dubai

Groups landing at Al Maktoum International (DWC) in Dubai South reach the Palm in around 40 to 55 minutes outside the peaks, and the process is the same: tracked flight, name board, a vehicle that fits. Check the airport code on every ticket. DXB and DWC are around 60 km apart.

Staying elsewhere? We run the same airport transfer to Downtown Dubai, and for larger parties our group airport transfer page explains how split arrivals and luggage vans work.

What to send us

• Names, flight numbers, terminals and landing times
• The hotel name, or the villa address with any gate details
• The luggage, counted, plus prams, golf bags and bikes
• Children’s ages, if you want child seats (free on request in our cars, SUVs and vans)
• The return flight, if you want both journeys on one quote

Use the quote card on this page or the booking page. You can also send it on WhatsApp to +971 54 126 1681 or by email to info@dubaibusservices.com. Changes and cancellations follow the terms on your written quote. For coaches and busy dates between October and April, book at least two weeks ahead.

Prices for these vehicles

Starting prices with driver and fuel, within Dubai. Hourly hire has a minimum number of hours, confirmed on your quote. Monthly prices are for a daily staff route; the route, hours and working days are confirmed on your quote. Your written quote gives the exact price for your date and route.

Related: Dubai Airport to Downtown Dubai · Dubai airport transfer for groups · Dubai Airport to your hotel · Meeting your driver at DXB · 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.
• 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.
• Dubai to Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH): From any Dubai address to Zayed International, timed back from your flight and quoted in writing.
• 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.
• Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) transfer: Groups landing at Al Maktoum International (DWC): the one terminal, drive times to the Marina, JLT, Expo City and Downtown, and the right van or coach.