Travel Information

By plane

Dubai’s main airport is the Dubai International Airport. You can also enter Dubai by using Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) in the nearby emirate of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) in nearby Abu Dhabi. Frequent visitors from countries granted automatic visa on entry may wish to purchase an e-gate card to speed up immigration formalities and save passport pages. The e-gate card office is situated in the upstairs foodcourt area of the terminal 1 departures concourse. The card will cost AED 200. Note: If you intend to buy an e-gate card in Dubai, you must have entered UAE via Dubai airport.

Airlines are often having price wars to glamorous destinations like Dubai and this can work to your advantage by careful planning and comparison of the various airlines serving Dubai. Emirates[] is Dubai’s official airline carrier which connects Dubai to over 100 destinations while FlyDubai[] is Dubai’s low-cost carrier. Etihad[] has shuttle services from their exclusive check in facility in Sheikh Zayed Rd or Central Business District of Dubai to and from Abu Dhabi Int’l Airport, you can also fly with Sharjah’s low-cost carrier; Air Arabia[] which flies to over 46 destinations within the Middle East.Now it is possible for indians holding green card or valid us visa and passport validity no less then six months can get visa on arrival fo DM.100/-effective may 1st 2017.

Dubai International Airport

Dubai Airport Terminal 1 Interiors

Shops at Dubai Airport

Dubai International Airport (IATADXB) [] is the largest hub in the Middle East and the home base of Dubai’s flag carrier Emirates [] and its low-cost wing FlyDubai []. In fact, it has grown at such a furious pace that the present terminals are bursting at the seams, especially during the peak hours around midnight.

The Dubai International Airport has three terminals and another one in the making as of end 2010.

  • Terminal 1 is the main terminal, used by most major airlines and long-haul flights.
  • Terminal 2 serves regional and low-cost flights, including all FlyDubai flights.
  • Terminal 3 is used exclusively by Emirates.

Terminals 1 and 3 are directly connected to each other via the airside (no immigration needed for transfer), while Terminal 2 is located at the other end of the airport. Terminals 1 and 3 are models of modern airport design, but Terminal 2, despite the recent renovations, is still reminiscent of developing world airports, with long check-in lines, queue-jumping and every other passenger checking in 50 kg of luggage. Shuttle buses run between Terminals 1 and 3 every 20-30 min. Terminal 2 is not connected by shuttle so a 30 min taxi ride may be your only option. A low-cost option for traveling to Terminal 2 is to catch the metro to a nearby station, such as the Stadium or Airport Free Zone metro stations, and from there catch a taxi to Terminal 2 (should cost around 15 AED).

The airport is famous for its duty-free shopping []. However, prices in the airport’s duty-free stores are equal or higher than what you can find in the many malls of the city. One key exception is cigarettes where a carton of 200 is less than USD$30 for most brands. Alcohol here is very cheap, though. Alcohol is also available at an inbound duty free store situated in the baggage reclaim area and what is worthy of note is the fact that cans are on sale there – so you don’t have to lug them from your destination. The amount of alcoholic beverages and beers should not exceed 4 liters of alcohol beverages, or 2 cartons of beer (each consisting of 24 cans, not exceeding 355 ml for each can or its equivalent).

Taxi: Most visitors will opt for public taxis from the airport, which are readily available just outside arrivals, which use the meter and start at Dhs 25. Taxis are on the left when you come out of terminal 1.

Public transport: Terminals 1 and 3 are served by the Dubai Metro. There are also buses just steps from the baggage claim, the most useful for visitors being lines 401 and 402 (Dhs 3), which go to the Al Sabkha and Al Ghubaiba bus terminals respectively.

XNB ETIHAD BUS TRANSFER FROM AUH

XNB refers to the end point of the Etihad bus transfer from Abu Dhabi. The current location @September 2016 is on SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD near the NOOR BANK metro station, gps: 25.1544206, 55.2260164 at the Travel Mall The metro starts running at around 06:00 except on friday – between 10:30 and 11:00. You can take a bus from around 06:00 BUT you need to find a kiosk that sells the bus tickets, located at bus terminals and seemingly random places. but not at the Travel Mall.. hope this helps some one.

Al Maktoum International Airport (Dubai World Central, DWC)

Al Maktoum International Airport, better known internationally as Dubai World Central (IATADWC) [] opened for passenger transportation in October 2013. Dubai plans to develop the airport into the world’s largest passenger and cargo hub. Right now though only a handful of flights land and depart there every day (for example low cost flights with Wizzair).

Public Transport is limited right now to bus F55 and bus F55a (night bus) that connect to Ibn Battuta metro station. F55 runs between 06:00 and 22:00 on every full hour. The journey takes 43 minutes. F55a runs all the way to the Satwa Bus Station via Ibn Battuta that is located near Bur Dubai. F55a runs between 23:00 and 06:00 hourly on the hour. The journey from DWC to Satwa takes around 90 minutes.

Sharjah International Airport

Sharjah International Airport (IATASHJ) [ located in the emirate of Sharjah. It is only 30 min by road from Dubai and takes an increasing number of international flights as Dubai airport struggles to keep up with demand. Be aware that during morning rush hour from Sharjah and afternoon rush hour into Sharjah, travel times to cross the border between the two emirates normally run more than one hour and can run over two hours. Traffic can be bad between Sharjah and Dubai 24 hours per day, so plan accordingly. The principal carrier here is Air Arabia [], a low-cost carrier serving the Middle East and South Asia. The airport is fairly basic but is being expanded. A taxi ride to Dubai will typically cost Dhs 50. A Bus service by Air Arabia also runs from the Airport to the Rashidiya Metro Station in Dubai. Rashidiya metro station is located close to the Dubai International Airport.

By car

Dubai’s only international road border is with Oman at Al Wajajah. Expatriate residents of Oman will require an official permit to exit Oman by road. Visitors do not require the permit. There is an OMR 3.000 charge per vehicle to exit Oman and, if returning, retain the charge receipt as it will be required to renter. Ensure that insurance is valid for the UAE (preferably before commencing the journey). Temporary UAE insurance can be purchased at the border for a premium price. GCC Nationals (and others?) can cross at the UAE-Saudi border in the South West of the country, check in advance as this a long way to have to drive back to Riyadh or Abu Dhabi if you don’t get in.

There are also road borders between the neighbouring Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Oman at the Al Buraimi Oasis which divides the sister cites of Al Ain and Al Buraimi, Oman.

By bus

The Government of Dubai operates a network of buses linking Dubai city with the capitals of the other six emirates of the UAE. The buses run under the name Emirates Express and operate from various bus terminals in Dubai.

  • To/From Abu Dhabi: Buses operate every 40 minutes from 6.20am from both Dubai’s Al Ghubaibah bus station and Abu Dhabi’s main bus station. The two-hour journey cost Dh25.
  • To/from Sharjah: Frequent buses run between Dubai and Sharjah. There are several different routes and buses depart from various bus stations in Dubai including Al Karama, Gold Souq, Baniyas Square, Jebel Ali and Al Ittihad Square. Fares are at Dh7 as of DECEMBER 2010.
  • To/From Al Ain: Buses operate every hour from both Dubai’s Al Ghubaibah bus station. The two-hour journey cost Dh15.
  • To/from Fujairah: The bus to Fujairah leaves from the Rashidiya Metro station and takes about 3 to 4 hours.

For timetables see the website [].

  • To/from Muscat, Oman: al-Khanjry Transport runs a bus from the Ruwi Terminal in Muscat to al-Rigga in Dubai, leaving every day at 6:00am and 3:00pm and also 10:00pm from Deira (ticket office next to Caravan Restaurant 700m from Deira City Centre Metro Station). The journey takes about 6 hours, depending on how much time is spent at customs. From Dubai the buses leave at 7:00am and 3:00pm. 60Dhs (one way)/100Dhs (return). Show up at least 30 minutes before departure. (Prices and schedule accurate as of December 2013.)

By boat

Dubai is a trading hub for dhows from around the Indian Ocean. Travellers wanting to arrive in the city this way will probably need to make their own arrangements with the captain of the vessel.

Dubai has an international cruise terminal [] at Port Rashid. During wintertime Costa Cruises has based one of its cruise ships (Costa Luminosa) at Dubai.

A boat service by Valfajre Shipping Company [] leaves Bandar Lengeh on Sundays and Tuesdays at 6:00pm, docking at Port Rashid in Dubai. Crossing the Persian Gulf takes roughly 6 hours, and a two way first class ticket costs as of February 2010 US$145 (IR 1,450,000) and also two way economy class ticket costs US$122 (IR 1,220,000)

By metro

Dubai’s 52-km long Red Line, opened in September 2009, is the third metro in the Arab world after Cairo and Algiers. As of May 15, 2010, 21 stations are open and the rest are scheduled to open by the end of the year. While the line does not serve the old city center, it’s handy for zipping along Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road and includes stops at the airport, Burj Khalifa and the Mall of the Emirates. The Green Line, which burrows through the city core, has been open as of September 9, 2011. A further two stops, Al Jadaf and Creek, are complete but will open at a later date pending development. Transfers are possible at Union Square and Khalid Bin Al Waleed. There are also Blue and Purple lines under construction with opening dates in the next few years.

Single tickets range from Dh2-8.50, or double that for use of the “Gold” first class carriage. Train run every 3-5 minutes from 5:50 AM to Midnight every day except Thursday and Friday, when services are extended to 5:50 AM to 1 AM and limited to 1 PM to Midnight, respectively. All stations are air-conditioned and there’s a large network of feeder buses. Trains run every 2 minutes during morning and evening rush hour.