Dubai International is one of the busiest airports in the world and one of the easiest to leave. There is a metro station inside two of its three terminals, a taxi rank that never runs out, ride hailing that works properly, and a private transfer industry for anyone who would rather not think about it. The only genuine complications are which terminal you are in and how far from a station your hotel sits.
The terminals
Terminal 3, the Emirates and flydubai hub, enormous, with its own metro station.
Terminal 1, most other international carriers, also with a metro station.
Terminal 2, on the far side of the airfield, used by a mix of regional and low cost airlines, with no metro and a taxi or shuttle instead.
Al Maktoum International, a separate airport out towards Abu Dhabi, used by some carriers and charters, and a long way from the city.
Free inter terminal transfers exist but take time, so check which terminal your flight uses rather than assuming.
The options
The Metro Red Line is the cheapest by a wide margin, runs from Terminals 1 and 3, and takes you along the main spine of the city. Buy a travel card at the station.
Metered taxis from the official rank, plentiful, with a higher starting fare from the airport than from the street.
Ride hailing apps, from designated pickup points rather than the kerb, at broadly similar prices with surge at peak times.
Private transfers, pre booked, which cost more and remove every decision, and are worth it for a late night arrival with children.
Hotel cars, which are the most expensive option available and should be treated as such.
Practical notes
Immigration is usually quick and is largely automated for many nationalities, and the queue depends entirely on which wave of flights you arrived with.
Luggage on the metro is allowed within reason, and rush hour with two large suitcases is unpleasant rather than forbidden.
The Gold Class carriage and the women and children carriage are separate and enforced, and entering the wrong one carries a fine.
Eating and drinking on the metro, including water, is fined.
Taxi drivers take cards in most vehicles now, and having some cash is still easier.
Do not go with anyone offering a ride inside the terminal. Use the official rank or the app pickup area.
From Al Maktoum
It is far. The drive to the central hotel districts is substantial and there is no metro connection of the kind Terminal 3 has.
Taxis are available and the fare reflects the distance.
Pre booking a transfer genuinely makes sense here in a way it does not at the main airport.
Check which airport your ticket is for, because the two are named similarly enough for people to get it wrong.
Where this fits in a Dubai trip
The transfer is a twenty minute decision that people worry about for weeks.
For entry requirements, which vary considerably by passport and are the thing to confirm before anything else, our guide to Dubai visas and entry covers the ground.
For how the metro, tram and buses actually work once you are here, including the travel card, our guide to Dubai’s metro and transport covers the system.
And if you are not leaving the airport at all, or only for a few hours, our Dubai layover guide covers what is worth doing with the time.
The short version
Check which terminal you land at, because Terminal 2 has no metro. Take the Metro Red Line if you land during operating hours and your hotel is near a station, since it is a fraction of the taxi fare. Take a metered taxi from the official rank otherwise, and never from someone who approaches you inside the building. Pre book a transfer only for a very late arrival, a lot of luggage, or an arrival into Al Maktoum. And check the metro’s hours against your landing time before you assume.
