🇦🇪 Dubai · Getting around
Transport and the shape of the city in Dubai
A fast metro that runs along one road, and a city built for cars everywhere else — so where you live decides whether you need one.
The thing people get wrongDubai's metro is excellent along Sheikh Zayed Road and irrelevant off it. A flat two kilometres from a station is not a walk here for eight months of the year, so treat “near the metro” as meaning within a few minutes on foot, or budget for a car.
Indicative figures
- Single metro fareAED 3 – 7.50Silver card, one to three-plus zones; Gold class double.
- nol Silver cardAED 25Includes AED 19 of credit.
- 30-day nol passUp to about AED 350Silver class, all zones; cheaper for fewer zones.
- Salik tollAED 0 – 6 per gateAED 6 weekday peaks, AED 4 other times, free in the small hours.
- Airport to Downtown~25 minRed line metro, direct.
Checked . Ranges, not quotes — your Insider confirms the current numbers in Dubai before you commit to anything.
Metro, tram and bus
The Red Line runs the length of Sheikh Zayed Road from the airport out past the Marina, and the Green Line loops through the older districts around the Creek. Between them they serve the corridor where most new arrivals work and live, and nothing much else. The Dubai Tram links the Marina and JBR to the Red Line, and RTA buses fill the gaps but are slow.
- One nol card covers metro, tram, bus and the water bus. A Silver card costs AED 25, including AED 19 of credit.
- Fares are zonal: AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two and AED 7.50 across three or more on a Silver card. Gold class costs double.
- The Blue Line, a third metro line, is under construction and not yet open.
- Monthly and annual passes exist and pay for themselves quickly on a daily commute.
Driving, Salik and parking
Most residents drive. Fuel is cheap by European standards, roads are good, and the practical costs are tolls and parking rather than petrol. Salik gantries charge automatically as you pass: since 31 January 2025 a crossing costs AED 6 in the weekday peaks, AED 4 at other times and nothing in the small hours. Public parking also moved to peak and off-peak pricing in 2025, paid through the RTA or Parkin apps. Fines are issued by camera and accumulate quietly until you check.
- Salik: register the vehicle and keep the account topped up, or fines follow.
- Paid parking zones apply on weekdays, with higher rates at peak times; residential permits exist in some areas.
- Check fines regularly through the Dubai Police or RTA app rather than at renewal.
Taxis and ride-hailing
RTA taxis are metered, plentiful and inexpensive, and Careem and Uber both operate across the city. For most people arriving without a car, ride-hailing plus the metro covers the first month comfortably while the licence question is resolved. Airport runs are cheap enough that owning a car for that reason alone makes little sense.
Heat is a transport constraint
From roughly June to September, walking outdoors in the middle of the day is not a realistic option. Air-conditioned footbridges, metro station links and mall connections carry a surprising amount of pedestrian traffic, and a flat that is a pleasant ten-minute walk from the station in January is a different proposition in August. Factor the summer, not the viewing day.