Getting around Dubai: metro, taxis, Nol cards & the abra

The short answer

The Dubai Metro is your backbone — clean, fast, cheap, and air-conditioned — with taxis filling the gaps at prices that won't hurt. Add a Nol card on arrival and you have the whole city covered. During my March 2025 trip this was exactly my mix: metro for the long hops, taxis for the late nights and door-to-door legs.

The Dubai Metro: Red and Green lines

Two lines cover nearly everything a first-time visitor needs:

• Red Line — the tourist workhorse. Runs from Rashidiya through the airport (Terminals 1 & 3), Deira, Union, Downtown/Bur Dubai, Business Bay, Mall of the Emirates, and down Sheikh Zayed Road to Jebel Ali and Expo. Key stops: Airport T3, Union, BurJuman, Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall, Business Bay, Mall of the Emirates, Jebel Ali (transfer).
• Green Line — old Dubai. Connects Deira (souks, waterfront), Baniyas Square, the Creek stations, and Al Qusais. Your line for the Gold Souk, Spice Souk, and the abra.

Hours: roughly 5:00 AM to midnight, extended to about 1:00 AM on Thursday and Friday nights. Confirm current hours with the RTA before late-night planning.

The trains are driverless — sit at the front of the Red Line through the Marina and JLT for the best free views in Dubai.

Nol cards: the fare table

Buy a Nol Silver card at any metro station (around AED 25, which includes ~AED 19 of credit). It also works on buses, trams, abras, and the monorail — one card for the whole RTA network.

Option	Approx. cost	Notes
Nol Silver card	~AED 25 (incl. ~AED 19 credit)	Best for a multi-day trip; reusable, top up as needed
1 zone	~AED 3	Short hops
2 zones	~AED 5	e.g. airport to Downtown
3+ zones	~AED 7.50	e.g. airport to Marina/JBR
Red Ticket (paper)	AED 4 / 6 / 8.50	Per-trip paper ticket — fine for a single ride, worse value over days
1-day Red pass	~AED 20	Unlimited metro + bus for a day; decent value on a busy sightseeing day
Gold class	~Double standard fare	Quieter cabin, front-car views

Fares and card prices do change — check the RTA before you go rather than budgeting to the dirham.

Taxis: cheap enough to use daily

RTA-licensed cream taxis are plentiful and metered. Expect roughly:

• Base fare: ~AED 5 daytime, ~AED 5.50 at night
• Per km: around AED 2.10 in the daytime
• Airport pickups: an AED 25 surcharge applies from DXB

A 10-km cross-town ride lands around AED 25–30 (~$7–8) — for two or three people that's competitive with, or cheaper than, three metro fares plus the walk. At night, when the metro is closed, taxis and Careem are your default.

Careem and Uber both operate in Dubai with comparable pricing to street taxis. Careem is the local favorite; the Hala option in Careem is effectively a metered taxi dispatched through the app — useful at 1 AM outside a mall.

Ride-hailing note: normal cars on Careem/Uber are the affordable option; skip the "limo" tier unless you want the experience.

The tram, the monorail, and the abra

• Dubai Tram — connects the Marina, JBR, and Al Sufouh, linking to the metro at Jebel Ali and Sobha Realty stations. Your Nol card works on it. Essential if you're staying in the Marina/JBR area.
• Palm Monorail — runs the length of Palm Jumeirah from the mainland to Atlantis. Scenic but separate ticketing (not Nol); worth it as a ride in itself.
• The abra — the traditional wooden boat across Dubai Creek, ~AED 1 per person. It runs constantly between Bur Dubai and Deira and connects the souk districts on both banks. Do it once; it's the best-value minute of your trip.

Getting from the airport

Option	Approx. cost	Time	Notes
Red Line metro	~AED 5–7.50	20–35 min	Serves T1/T3 directly; cheapest by far
RTA taxi	~AED 50–80	15–30 min	Door to door; adds AED 25 airport surcharge
Careem / Uber	~AED 60–90	15–30 min	Good if your hotel is off the metro

I stayed at the Conrad Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road — the metro put Downtown and the airport both within easy reach, which is the argument for staying on the Red Line.

A practical transport plan

1. Day 1: Buy a Nol Silver card at the airport metro station. Top up AED 40–50 to start.
2. Default to the metro for anything on the Red/Green lines — it's faster than traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road at rush hour.
3. Taxi the gaps: old Dubai at night, hotel-to-Creek runs, anything after metro hours.
4. One abra ride across the Creek — plan it between the souks.
5. Tram + walk for a Marina/JBR day; monorail up the Palm to Atlantis.

Budget-wise, most visitors spend AED 30–60 (~$8–16) per day on transport with a metro-plus-taxis mix. For the full budget breakdown, see our Dubai on a budget guide.