Dubai International Airport is the main airport in Dubai, but there are other airports inside and outside the emirate. Some travellers land at the airport in the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah and the new major airport of Al Maktoum International has opened. 

Dubai International Airport - to and from the airport

Airport Code: DXB

Dubai's major international airport. Most of Dubai's tourists arrive here, although the new Al Maktoum International has been open to traffic for some years. All direct flights from Scandinavia use Dubai International Airport.

The airport has a website at www.dubaiairports.ae. Visit it for the status of departures, arrivals and information on the airport's services.

Here's how to get from your flight to the city, or to your hotel.

Taxi

Taxis are available outside all three terminals, 24 hours a day. Taxis in Dubai always use meters and taking a taxi is cheaper than in many other cities. However, taking a taxi from the airport is a bit of an exception, as a start-up fee of 20 dirhams is charged.

Usually the starting fare is 3 dirhams and after that the journey costs 1.60 dirhams per kilometre. Each time a toll is passed, 4 dirhams are added. More about taxis in Dubai on the website for the Dubai Taxi Corporation.

Pre-booked transfer from the flight

The most convenient way to arrive in Dubai is to have a booked car and driver waiting for you. It's more expensive than taking a taxi, but still very affordable for a Swedish traveller. See price and book.

The lowest price is if you are a slightly larger group. If 5-7 people share a car, the cost is about 140 SEK per person. For 3-4 people, it is about 180 SEK per person, for two people about 245 SEK and a single traveller pays about 420 SEK for transport to a centrally located hotel.

Metro

From Dubai Airport you can take the Dubai Metro into the city. Stations are located under Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Trains run every 10 minutes and services run from 05.50 (05.30 on Thursdays) until midnight except on Thursdays and Fridays when trains run until 01.00.

Important to remember is that the metro is closed on Friday morning and starts at 13.00.

The price of the trip varies with the length of the journey, how many zones you are going to travel, but under three kilometres costs 2 dirhams. For more on the metro and how to buy a ticket, see our page on Dubai Metro.

Bus

Bus stops into the city are located at Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Buses run 24 hours a day, but exact timetables can be found here route planner.

Riding the bus is very cheap, but be aware that drivers don't take cash. If you are going to travel by bus, you need to get a so-called NOL-Card (public transport card) in advance. Ticket offices to buy the NOL-Card are located in all terminals at the airport.

Sharjah International Airport - to and from the airport

Airport Code: SHJ

The airport in the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah is only about 15 kilometres from Dubai, making Sharjah Airport a kind of second airport for Dubai.

For a long time taxis were the only way to get from Sharjah Airport to Dubai, but now there is a bus line (No 111) from Sharjah Airport to the Dubai Metro terminal at Al Rashidiya. The fare is 10 dirhams and there is one bus per hour from 05.30 to 23.30. More information about the airport available here.

If you're a group or a family, it may be worth booking a private transfer to Sharjah airport. The price of a minibus from your hotel in Dubai to Sharjah airport is around SEK 840.

Al Maktoum International Airport - the next big airport

Airport Code: DWC

Dubai is growing at a record pace as a hub for the world's airlines, not least the ever-expanding Emirates, Dubai's own airline.

To make sure that no bottlenecks in the expansion will occur, Dubai's next international airport is already ready. Located in Jebel Ali, Al Maktoum International Airport received its first aircraft in 2010 and aims to create the world's largest airport with a capacity of 260 million travellers per year. The airport's IATA code is DWC. More about the airport is available at read on Wikipedia.

So far, very few Swedish travellers land at Al Maktoum.

Taxfree in Dubai

Dubai International Airport is home to perhaps the world's best duty-free shopping - and certainly the world's largest in terms of sales volume. It's a huge organisation. The stores cover 33,000 square metres and the company that runs them employs more than 5,500 people.

Dubai's duty-free has won numerous awards in various global airport polls. In addition to the usual range of perfumes, alcohol, sweets and clothes, you can also buy gold jewellery in every conceivable form, at pretty good prices. The shops are located in all terminals and are open 24 hours a day.

Dubai airport duty free prices

The airport offers a mighty shopping experience in terms of range and service, but in terms of price, Dubai Airport is not among the cheapest. It's quite possible that the bottle of whisky or perfume you buy here is actually cheaper at other airports. Maybe even when you land at Kastrup or Arlanda after your trip.

Keep an eye out for promotions and offers, and you could find a bargain. For those who like designer clothes, expensive perfumes and fine jewellery, the selection is second to none. You may also save a few quid compared to buying elsewhere.

If you don't want to have to walk around the shops, you can actually pre-order your duty-free shopping online and pick it up at the airport. You can do this at online.dubaidutyfree.com/ddf.

Airport hotels in Dubai

Dubai International Airport is home to the five-star Dubai International Hotel, with 341 rooms, for travellers who don't have time to get into the city. The hotel book cheapest here.

Around the airport there are additional options, several offering free transport to and from the airport. On this page you will find our tips for airport hotels in Dubai.

Here are Dubai's airports

(Page updated 2017-03-16. All price examples are from that date.)