Dubai to Al Ain, door to door.

Dubai to Al Ain private transfer: how it works

Al Ain is the UAE’s inland oasis city, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and right beside the border with Oman. It is about an hour and a half from Dubai by road, which makes it an easy one-way transfer and a rewarding day out. Our Dubai to Al Ain private transfer collects you from any address in Dubai and drives you to your door in Al Ain: a hotel, a family home, a university campus or an office.

Choose a one-way journey, a return on another day, or a return with the chauffeur waiting while you visit. Each option is quoted in writing before you book, with fuel, tolls and waiting time already included, and nothing is charged until you confirm.

The route and the drive

The usual route is the E66, the Dubai–Al Ain Road, which leaves the city past Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Outlet Mall and then runs straight across the desert, with red dunes and camel farms on either side. It is a wide, fast road and rarely congested once you are clear of Dubai. Outside the rush hours, typical times are:

• Deira, Mirdif and the DXB area: around 1 hour 25 minutes
• Downtown Dubai, DIFC and Business Bay: around 1 hour 30 minutes
• Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah: around 1 hour 45 minutes

Any toll on the route, such as a Salik gate passed on the way out of Dubai, is included in your quote. If you would like a coffee stop on the way, mention it when you book and it will be built into the timing; there are service stations along the E66 if anyone needs a break.

Al Ain at a glance

Al Ain is one of the UAE’s largest cities and has long been closely associated with Sheikh Zayed, who governed the region before becoming the country’s founding president. It is greener and lower-rise than Dubai, with date-palm oases running through the centre, tree-lined roundabouts and the bulk of Jebel Hafeet rising on its southern edge. Its cultural sites, including the oases, the Hili archaeological park and the ancient tombs on the slopes of Jebel Hafeet, are inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

A day in Al Ain with the car waiting

Many clients book Al Ain as a day trip, with the chauffeur staying with them from morning to evening. A comfortable plan looks something like this:

• Leave Dubai at around 8.30am and reach Al Ain Oasis, part of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage cultural sites, while it is still cool enough to walk the shaded palm groves
• Visit Al Jahili Fort or Qasr Al Muwaiji, then lunch in the city
• Drive up the mountain road to Jebel Hafeet in the late afternoon for the view across the desert
• Head back to Dubai after sunset, arriving in the evening

Your chauffeur drops you at each entrance, waits nearby with the car cool, and is a message away when you are ready to move on. Al Ain Zoo and the camel market are easy additions if you are travelling with children or want to see a side of the Emirates that few visitors find.

Business, study and family visits

Transfers to Al Ain are just as often practical: meetings with government and university offices, family visits, and students moving into or out of campus accommodation with a car full of belongings. For moves with a lot of luggage, the Mercedes V-Class or the HiAce gives you far more room than a sedan.

If your appointment has an uncertain finish time, book the return with waiting and the chauffeur stays nearby until you are ready. Extra time beyond the allowance on your quote is charged at the hourly rate written there, and nothing more.

Choosing the vehicle

One or two passengers travel comfortably in the executive sedan. Families usually prefer the luxury SUV, whose height and space make the 90-minute drive and the Jebel Hafeet road easy going. Groups of up to sixteen can travel together in the Mercedes Sprinter.

Planning further afield? See the other transfer routes from Dubai, including Hatta in the Hajar Mountains, or keep a car for the whole day closer to home with our car with driver for a day.

Related: Abu Dhabi & Intercity · Dubai to Hatta · Luxury SUV · All transfer routes · Book online