How to Get from Dubai International Airport to Downtown Dubai: Every Option, Priced (2026)
Every way from Dubai International (DXB) to Downtown Dubai with the price, the journey time and the catch, drawn from the AfterYouLand Dubai guide and checked against the operators.
Cheapest is the Metro Red Line at AED 5, about 25 minutes to Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. Fastest is a taxi at about 20 minutes. Door to door is that taxi at about AED 45 to AED 55 to Downtown, or a pre-booked transfer at a fixed price.
Kiwitaxi, booked before you fly. The driver waits at arrivals with a name sign, and the price is fixed when you book. Affiliate link: AfterYouLand may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
1 The options, compared
Metro Red Line.
The default arrival ride from Terminals 1 and 3: buy a Silver Nol card at the station machine and ride direct to Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall.
Taxi.
The fastest option and the only simple one from Terminal 2; the meter starts at AED 20, or AED 25 for a van, and Salik tolls add AED 4 a gate.
RTA bus.
The same fare as the metro and the guide fallback from Terminal 2, which has no station; slower than both, and it stops often.
Pre-booked transfer.
A driver meets you in arrivals with a name board, which is worth it after a red eye; the guide rates the meet at arrivals setup after late landings.
Fixed price, agreed before you land. The alternative is Welcome Pickups, linked in the Dubai guide.
2 Late night and first trains
The guide prints no metro hours for DXB, so plan on its stated pattern instead: pre-book a transfer if you land late, or take a taxi, which runs door to door at about AED 45 to AED 55.
The guide gives no first train time either. What it does state is the shape of the day: Red Line stations inside Terminals 1 and 3, the AED 5 fare, and about 25 minutes to Downtown.
3 Groups and luggage
The metro is so cheap that the taxi never catches it on price: even split four ways it runs about AED 11.25 to AED 13.75 a head against AED 5 on the train, before tolls.
Luggage: the metro ride is a single seat from the terminal station to Downtown, but Terminal 2 arrivals start with no station at all. With big cases, or any Terminal 2 landing, the taxi earns its premium.
4 Where you board
Metro
Terminals 1 and 3 have their own Red Line stations. Buy a Silver Nol card at the machine (AED 25 with AED 19 credit) and ride toward Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. The fare to Downtown is AED 5.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 has no metro. It serves mostly regional and low cost carriers. The guide fallback is the RTA bus at AED 5, about 40 minutes, or a taxi from the rank for the 20 minute ride.
Taxi and pre-booked
Taxis wait at the ranks outside each terminal. The meter starts at AED 20 for a normal car and AED 25 for a van. A pre-booked driver waits inside arrivals with a name board.
5 Questions
About AED 45 to AED 55 to Downtown. The meter starts at AED 20 for a normal car, or AED 25 for a van, and Salik tolls add AED 4 per gate on the way.
The Metro Red Line, at AED 5 to Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall station in about 25 minutes. The RTA bus costs the same AED 5 but takes about 40 minutes.
About 20 minutes by taxi, about 25 minutes on the Metro Red Line, and about 40 minutes on the RTA bus.
No. Terminals 1 and 3 have their own Red Line stations, but Terminal 2, mostly regional and low cost carriers, has no metro. From Terminal 2, take a taxi or the RTA bus.
If you land late, land at Terminal 2, or want a fixed price, yes: a driver meets you in arrivals with a name board. Otherwise the metro at AED 5 is hard to beat from Terminals 1 and 3.
6 Sources
- RTA: Dubai metro fares, Nol cards and taxi rates, rta.ae. Last verified October 2026.
- Dubai Airports: terminal and transfer information, dubaiairports.ae. Last verified October 2026.
- Visit Dubai: official visitor information, visitdubai.com. Last verified October 2026.
All prices and journey times are taken from the AfterYouLand Dubai guide, checked in October 2026.
First night in Dubai.
Downtown puts the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall at the end of your metro ride, and the guide mid range pick sits a short walk from both. Al Barsha, by Mall of the Emirates, is the budget base with its own metro station. The guide scores the first night areas and names its hotel picks.
See where to stay in the guideThis page is the transfer chapter of the full guide: the Dubai first hour guide covers landing, money, data and your first night.
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