Dubai airport transfers: the complete guide

Dubai airport transfers start with one question: which airport? Most visitors land at Dubai International (DXB), but Al Maktoum International (DWC), Sharjah (SHJ) and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International (AUH) all serve the city. From DXB, a taxi to Downtown Dubai costs about AED 60 and takes 15 to 35 minutes. A pre-booked private transfer costs more but is a fixed price with meet and greet, parking and tolls included.

The right choice depends on three things: which airport you land at, how many people and bags you have, and what time you arrive. This hub pulls together what our dispatch team knows about Dubai airport arrivals, with links to a detailed guide for each airport and each option. If you already know you want a car waiting, go straight to our Dubai airport transfer service.

Which airport are you landing at?

Check the three-letter code on your ticket before anything else. “Dubai” on a booking can mean either of the first two below, and some fares use the other two.

Airport	Code	Road distance to Downtown Dubai	Who flies there	Detailed guide
Dubai International, Terminal 3	DXB	about 15 km	Emirates, selected flydubai flights, Qantas, United, Air Canada	Terminal 3 arrivals
Dubai International, Terminals 1 and 2	DXB	about 14 to 19 km	Most other international airlines (T1); flydubai and regional carriers (T2)	Terminal 1 and 2 arrivals
Al Maktoum International	DWC	about 50 km	Seasonal, charter and some scheduled flights	DWC to Dubai
Sharjah International	SHJ	about 38 km	Air Arabia and other carriers	Sharjah Airport to Dubai
Zayed International, Abu Dhabi	AUH	about 115 km	Etihad and other carriers	Abu Dhabi airport to Dubai

DXB is the big one: Dubai Airports says it welcomed 95.2 million guests in 2025.

Your Dubai airport transfer options compared

Option	How it works	Typical cost from DXB	Best for
Airport taxi	Dubai Taxi ranks outside every terminal, 24/7	AED 20 start plus AED 2.62 per km; about AED 60 to Downtown	Solo travellers and couples with light bags
Uber, Careem, Bolt	Book in the app, meet in the car park pickup zone	Quoted in the app; varies with demand	App users who want a fixed quote
Metro	Red Line stations at Terminals 1 and 3	Nol card fares	Budget travellers with no more than two bags
Bus	Stands at arrivals in Terminals 1, 2 and 3	Nol card fares, no cash	Budget travellers going to a bus-served area
Airline chauffeur	Emirates and Etihad, for eligible premium fares	Free if you qualify	First and some Business Class passengers
Hotel car	Booked through your hotel	Published hotel prices from about AED 400; free for some suite bookings	Guests who want it billed to the room
Private chauffeur	Chauffeur meets you in arrivals with a name board	Fixed price, all-inclusive	Families, business travellers, late arrivals, VIPs

Two points that surprise first-time visitors. The Metro limits you to two pieces of luggage including hand luggage. And no DXB terminal lets cars wait at the arrivals kerb, so every DXB pickup, from Uber to a Rolls-Royce, happens from the car park.

How much is an airport transfer in Dubai?

From about AED 30 by taxi to Deira to well over AED 1,000 for a Rolls-Royce. The detail is in our Dubai airport taxi fare vs private transfer guide; the headline numbers:

Trip or service	Price, September 2026
Taxi, DXB to Downtown Dubai	about AED 60 to 65 before Salik
Taxi, DXB to Dubai Marina or Palm Jumeirah	about AED 105 to 120 before Salik
Hotel car from DXB (Madinat Jumeirah’s published list)	AED 400 to 700, fees and VAT included
Mercedes S-Class transfer	AED 400 to 500 on published Dubai rate cards
Our private transfers	Fixed by car class: see the rate table on our airport transfer page

Our price includes the chauffeur, fuel, Salik tolls, airport parking, VAT, bottled water and Wi-Fi. There’s no surge pricing and no night surcharge. The fare you’re quoted when you book is the fare you pay, even if the flight lands at 3 a.m. or the traffic is terrible.

Where will you meet your driver?

Every airport does it slightly differently:

• DXB Terminal 3: your chauffeur waits in the arrivals hall after customs, in front of Exits 1 to 4. Some hotels and operators use DXB Greet & Go, a QR-code kiosk that shows your driver and car.
• DXB Terminals 1 and 2: same idea, then a short walk to Car Park A. Private cars haven’t been allowed on the Terminal 1 arrivals forecourt since June 2023.
• DWC: a compact terminal and free parking. The chauffeur meets you in the arrivals hall.
• Sharjah: the chauffeur meets you at the arrivals exit.
• Abu Dhabi: Etihad’s own chauffeurs meet eligible guests at a reception next to baggage belt 10; private chauffeurs meet you in arrivals.

We track every flight, so an early or late landing moves the pickup automatically, and airport pickups include 45 to 60 minutes of free waiting.

Do you qualify for a free airline chauffeur?

Check this before you book anything else. It’s worth real money.

• Emirates includes Chauffeur-drive for First Class and for Business Class Saver, Flex and Flex Plus fares on Emirates-operated flights. In Dubai there’s no mileage limit within the UAE. Book at least 10 hours ahead; the driver waits a maximum of 15 minutes. Details in our Emirates chauffeur service guide.
• Etihad includes a chauffeur between AUH and any UAE address for The Residence, First and Business Comfort or Deluxe fares, but only two guests and two suitcases per car. Economy passengers can use the free Etihad Shuttle to Dubai. Details in our Etihad chauffeur service guide.

When the airline car doesn’t fit (a Business Special fare, five people, a stop on the way), that’s when a private transfer earns its keep.

Do you need help inside the airport too?

A chauffeur can’t go airside. If the hard part of your arrival is the walk from the gate, the immigration queue or the baggage hall, add a meet-and-assist service. At DXB, Marhaba’s arrival service starts from AED 136.50 and includes fast-track immigration and a porter; the Gold tier adds a porter all the way to the meeting point. Dubai Airports’ Al Majlis offers a fully private VIP terminal experience.

We compare them properly in Marhaba vs private meet and greet, including when it’s worth booking both.

Which car do you need?

Book on luggage, not just on seats. Our rule of thumb from the dispatch board:

Your group	Book	Why
1 or 2 people, up to 2 large cases	Business sedan (Mercedes E-Class, Lexus ES) or a Mercedes S-Class	Comfortable, and the boot takes two large cases
3 or 4 people with checked bags	Large SUV: GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade	A sedan boot won’t take four cases
5 to 7 people, or a family with prams	Mercedes V-Class	Seats and luggage space in one vehicle
Larger groups	Toyota HiAce VIP or Hyundai Staria van	One vehicle, one arrival
An occasion or a VIP guest	Rolls-Royce, Bentley or Mercedes-Maybach	The arrival is part of the event

For a VIP with heavy luggage, book two cars: the guest in the luxury car, the bags in a van. Some hotels list a luggage van in their own transport menus for exactly this reason.

Arriving at a hotel?

Some hotels have their own arrival quirks. Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal sit on the Palm’s crescent, reached through an undersea tunnel; Burj Al Arab is closed for restoration; Madinat Jumeirah is several hotels on one site. Our hotel guides cover them:

• Atlantis The Palm airport transfer
• Getting to and from Palm Jumeirah hotels
• Burj Al Arab arrival guide
• Which Dubai hotels are worth a special arrival

Departure transfers: when to leave for the airport

Two official benchmarks help. Emirates collects its Chauffeur-drive passengers in Dubai 2 hours 30 minutes before the flight. DWC’s FAQ tells passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure.

We build the pickup time back from those, adding time for where you’re starting and when. Salik’s peak toll windows, 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, are a good guide to when Sheikh Zayed Road and the airport roads are slowest. An evening flight from Dubai Marina needs an earlier pickup than the distance suggests; a 3 a.m. flight from Downtown doesn’t.

How to book a private airport transfer

1. Send the flight number and date. We track the flight, so the flight number matters more than the landing time.
2. Tell us the airport and terminal if you know it. If you don’t, the flight number tells us.
3. Count people and bags honestly, including prams, golf bags and boxes. This decides the car.
4. Ask for child seats if you need them.
5. Give the exact destination: hotel name and tower, or a full address and building name.
6. Say what name goes on the board. Your own, a company name, or something discreet.
7. Confirm and pay in cash, by card in the car, or by bank transfer on a corporate account. Cancellation is free up to 6 hours before pickup (24 hours for Rolls-Royce and Bentley).

Book on +971 55 500 7952 (phone or WhatsApp) or [email protected], 24 hours a day.

Transferring between flights at DXB

If you’re connecting rather than arriving, you probably don’t need a car at all. Dubai Airports’ transfers page explains the airside routes: transfer desks issue onward boarding passes, Terminal 3 passengers walk between B and C Gates and take the airport train to A Gates, and Terminal 1’s D Gates are a short train ride from the main building. Between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, connection buses run airside.

You’ll need a car in two cases: connecting between DXB and DWC, which means entering the UAE and collecting your bags (flydubai sets a 4-hour minimum), or connecting on separate tickets when you have to clear immigration anyway.

Frequently asked questions

How much is an airport transfer in Dubai?

A taxi from DXB costs about AED 30 to Deira, AED 60 to 65 to Downtown and AED 105 to 120 to Dubai Marina or the Palm, before Salik tolls. Hotel cars are published from about AED 400, and Mercedes S-Class transfers run AED 400 to 500 on published Dubai rate cards. A private transfer is a fixed, all-inclusive price.

What is the best option for airport transfers in Dubai?

For one or two people with light bags going somewhere central, a taxi from the rank is quick and good value. For families, groups, heavy luggage, late-night arrivals or business travellers, a pre-booked private chauffeur is better: fixed price, meet and greet in arrivals, flight tracking and the right size of car.

Is Uber or taxi cheaper from Dubai Airport?

It depends on the time and the car type. The airport taxi is metered at AED 20 plus AED 2.62 per km. Uber, Careem and Bolt quote a price in the app that moves with demand. Compare the app quote with the taxi estimate while you wait for your bags, remembering that app pickups are in the car park.

How do I transfer between flights at Dubai Airport?

On a single ticket, follow the transfer signs to the transfer desks and stay airside. Terminal 3 connects B and C Gates on foot and A Gates by train, Terminal 1’s D Gates are reached by train, and buses link Terminals 2 and 3. Changing between DXB and DWC means entering the UAE and collecting your bags.

How do I book a chauffeur for a Dubai airport pickup?

Send your flight number, passenger and bag count, destination and preferred car to a chauffeur company in advance. We take bookings 24/7 on +971 55 500 7952 or [email protected], track the flight, and include 45 to 60 minutes of free waiting and a name-board meet and greet in arrivals.

Can I take the Metro from Dubai Airport with luggage?

Yes, but with limits. The Metro Red Line stops at DXB Terminals 1 and 3, and passengers can carry up to two pieces of luggage including hand luggage. Terminal 2 and DWC have no Metro station. Trains run from 5 a.m. to midnight most days, later on Fridays and from 8 a.m. on Sundays.