See the Get in section for the United Arab Emirates for visa and customs regulations.

By plane

Dubai is a five-hour flight from Europe and three hours from most parts of the Middle East, the Near East, and the Indian subcontinent.

Dubai's main airport is the Dubai International Airport (DXB IATA). Its eventual replacement, Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC IATA), is open to passenger flights and serves several destinations. You can also enter Dubai by using Sharjah International Airport (SHJ IATA) in the neighboring emirate of Sharjah.

Airlines often have price wars to glamorous destinations like Dubai and this can work to your advantage by careful planning and comparison of the various airlines serving Dubai. Emirates is the flag carrier of the emirate of Dubai, and connects Dubai to over 100 destinations while FlyDubai is Dubai's low-cost carrier. Etihad has shuttle services from their exclusive check-in facility in Sheikh Zayed Rd or Central Business District of Dubai to and from Abu Dhabi Int'l Airport, you can also fly with Sharjah's low-cost carrier; Air Arabia which flies to over 46 destinations within the Middle East.

1 Dubai International Airport (DXB IATA). This is the largest hub in the Middle East and the home base of Dubai's flag carrier Emirates and its low-cost wing flydubai. It has grown at such a furious pace that its terminals are bursting at the seams, especially during the peak hours around midnight. UAE and Gulf Cooperation Council nationals, UAE residents, and visa-on-arrival guests with biometric passports can use the Smart Gates after their initial arrival, during which they must first visit a staffed immigration counter. Terminal 1 and 3 have their own metro station from which it takes 15-20 min to the city center of Dubai. (updated Jan 2026)

2 Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC IATA). It's mostly served by low-cost carriers. The airport is in Jebel Ali at the far south-western end of Dubai, nearly 60 km from central Dubai and about 110 km from Abu Dhabi. Taxis are available. The local bus line F55 goes to the Expo 2020 metro station. At night the bus line N55 goes from the airport to the Al Ghubaiba bus station in the city center of Dubai. Bus line F55 and N55 depart about every 30 min. Taking public transport from the airport to the city center of Dubai takes at least 2 hours both during the day and at night. A train line is planned. The airport has grand ambitions to be the largest airport in the world. (updated Jan 2026)

3 Sharjah International Airport (SHJ IATA) (in the emirate of Sharjah). It is 30 min by road from Dubai and takes an increasing number of international flights as Dubai Airport struggles to keep up with demand. The principal carrier here is Air Arabia, a low-cost carrier serving the Middle East and South Asia. The airport is fairly basic but is being expanded. A bus service by Air Arabia also runs from the Airport to the Rashidiya Metro Station in Dubai. Rashidiya metro station is located close to the Dubai International Airport.

4 Zayed International Airport (AUH IATA) (in Abu Dhabi). E102 bus service connects Dubai (Ibn Battuta Bus Station) directly with Abu Dhabi Airport. It will cost 25 dirham if you are using a nol card (cannot be purchased at Abu Dhabi Airport as of September 2022) or 35 dirham if you buy a ticket at a counter at the Abu Dhabi Airport.

By car

Dubai's only international road border is with Oman at Al Wajajah. Expatriate residents of Oman will require an official permit to exit Oman by road. Visitors do not require a permit. There is a charge per vehicle to exit Oman and, if returning, retain the charge receipt as it will be required to re-enter. Ensure that insurance is valid for the UAE (preferably before commencing the journey). Temporary UAE insurance can be purchased at the border for a premium price.

There are also road borders between the neighbouring Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Oman at the Al Burami Oasis which divides the sister cities of Al Ain and Al Burami, Oman.

Dubai is a very car-oriented city and most visitors will choose to take taxis instead of the public transportation system. You can easily find them in the taxi queue or you just simply wave at one on the road, but this could be just difficult during rush hours. Also, some of them even refuse short rides in jammed areas.

Signage is terrible in Dubai, and taxis often get lost. The best thing to do is navigate from well-known landmarks, such as hotels. GPS devices are often outdated. Street and road names can be very confusing, because the different transliterations from Arabic, you will notice that the slight variance in the spelling is very important.

You can find a lot of car rental agencies that will give you a vehicle with very cheap rates and only an International Driving Permit, if you don't have an UAE one. Some agencies also offer a car hire service with drivers, an option much more comfortable for visitors, especially if the driver speaks English and knows the way around the city better than most taxi drivers.

Some of the best car rental companies are: Careem Car Services, which offers an easy booking system with a real-time tracking app and, if you need it, you can hire a car with a child seat. Ahdab International Luxury Transport is a highly experienced team of professionals but their rates tend to be quite expensive.

By bus

The Government of Dubai operates a network of buses linking Dubai city with the capitals of the other six emirates of the UAE. These bus lines start with an "E" and the timetables are integrated into Google Maps.

From Abu Dhabi: Buses operate frequently from Abu Dhabi's main bus station to Dubai's Al Ghubaibah or Ibn Battuta bus station. The two-hour journey costs 25 dirham (Jan 2026).

From Sharjah: Frequent buses run between Dubai and Sharjah. There are several different routes and buses go to various bus stations in Dubai. The price is 12 dirham (Jan 2026).

From Al Ain: Buses operate every hour to Dubai's Al Ghubaibah bus station. The two-hour journey costs 30 dirham (Jan 2026).

From Fujairah: The bus from Fujairah takes about 2 hours and arrives at the e& (etisalat) Metro station. The fare is 30 dirham (Jan 2026). The timetables of this bus line E700 are not integrated into Google Maps. Instead check the RTA Wojhati Journey Planner.

From Ras Al-Khaimah : Buses go every 30 min from the "RAK Bus Station" to Dubai Union metro station. The price is 30 dirham (Feb 2026). Timetables can not be seen in Google Maps, but in the Sayer app of Ras Al Khaimah. On the start page of the app you need to swipe to the right and then touch on "Bus routes". In the app you can also purchase the bus ticket.

From Muscat and Sohar in Oman, Al Alkhanjry operates three departures every day. Tickets can be booked through their website. It’s 90 dirham (Jan 2026) from Muscat to Dubai.

For bus travel from Saudi Arabia, SAPTCO offers daily bus services from cities such as Dammam and Riyadh.

By boat

Dubai is a trading hub for dhows from around the Indian Ocean. Travellers wanting to arrive in the city this way will probably need to make their own arrangements with the captain of the vessel. Most of the dhows sail to Iran; some also head to Yemen and Somalia. Emulating Michael Palin and heading to India on a dhow is difficult-to-impossible.

Dubai has an international cruise terminal at Port Rashid. During wintertime, Costa Cruises has bases at least two of its cruise ships (Costa Luminosa & Costa Fortuna) in Dubai.

Valfajr Shipping Company runs a boat service that leaves Bandar Lengeh and Bandar Abbas in Iran supposedly every second day and docks in Port Rashid in Dubai, returning the following day. Crossing the Persian Gulf takes roughly 6 hours. The ticket includes Iranian-style lunch.