Getting from the airport to the city in United Arab Emirates

• The Metro Red Line has stations inside Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. It is cheap, fast and air conditioned, and it runs to Deira, Downtown and Marina.
• You need a Nol card, bought from a machine or a counter at the station. A Silver Nol costs a few dirhams and then you load credit.
• The Metro does not run all night and starts late on Friday mornings. Check the hours if you land at 03:00, which many long-haul flights do.
• Taxis are metered, regulated and honest, with a fixed airport surcharge. Expect roughly AED 50 to AED 90 to most of the city.
• Careem and Uber both operate and quote an all-in fare.
• Terminal 2 has no metro station. It handles flydubai and some regional carriers, and you need a taxi or bus.

• No metro. The airport is about 30 km from the city and a taxi runs roughly AED 70 to AED 100.
• Public buses are cheap and slow.
• Many Abu Dhabi hotels include a transfer. Ask.

The UAE is seven emirates and they are separate places.

• A cheap hotel "in Dubai" is sometimes in Sharjah, which is a different emirate with different rules, notably no alcohol at all.
• Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman are an hour or more from Dubai in traffic that can double it.
• Check the actual address before booking on price. The commute between emirates at rush hour is genuinely bad.
• Dubai to Abu Dhabi is about 90 minutes by road, and buses run frequently and cheaply between the two.

• DXB is enormous and the walk from gate to immigration can be 20 minutes. Add it to your connection time.
• Immigration uses smart gates for most nationalities and is quick.
• Arrivals halls are cold and the outside is not. In summer the temperature difference between the terminal and the taxi rank is startling.
• Have your hotel address written down including the emirate and the nearest landmark. Addressing in the UAE works by landmark rather than street number.