Must-sees · Dubai · DXB
What to do during a layover in Dubai?
A few hours between flights at DXB? The airport is right in the city: the metro leaves from the terminal and the Burj Khalifa is forty minutes away. Here are eight ideas, with exact directions from the airport.
Before heading into town
First question: can you enter the Emirates? Many passport holders, including those from the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, do not need to apply in advance: permission to stay is granted free on arrival. For others, a 48- or 96-hour transit visa must be requested from your airline before travel. The official Ministry of Foreign Affairs list is authoritative.
Second question: how much time do you really have? Between the aircraft, immigration, travel and returning to the gate, a six-hour layover rarely leaves more than two or three hours in the city.
Plan my layover with LAYOVOTo reach the city, the metro Red line leaves from terminals 1 and 3: Union and the Creek are a quarter of an hour away, the Burj Khalifa around forty minutes. Buy a nol card at the station’s counters or ticket machines. By taxi, the airport starting fare is 20 dirhams, then the meter runs.
The metro runs Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 5 h to midnight, on Friday until 1 h, and on Sunday from 8 h to midnight. No station at terminal 2: take a taxi.
The time shown runs from the terminal 3 exit to the destination, including the wait for the metro; add a few minutes from terminal 1. Metro hours and taxi starting fares come from official websites; durations between stations and admission prices are LAYOVO estimates.
01 · Panoramic views · photography · 40 min–50 min from DXB
Burj Khalifa, the city from the sky
- A quick look
- 15 min–20 minThe tower from the Dubai Mall lake, free
- Take your time
- 1 hr 30 minGo up to the 124th and 125th floors
- Price
- ≈ 169 AED and upDepending on time and floor; rate to be checked on the official website.
Eight hundred and twenty-eight metres of steel and glass: the world’s tallest tower can be seen from everywhere, but it is from above that Dubai makes sense, with the city on one side, the desert on the other and the sea at the end of the avenues.
The At the Top observation deck occupies the 124th and 125th floors; the lift reaches them in barely a minute. Sunset is the most beautiful time… and the most expensive.
Tickets for At the Topon GetYourGuide
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront20 minBook a ride Public transportnol card, ≈ AED 5 to 8
- 10 min
- 22 min–26 min → Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall
- 12 min
DirectionsTaxi≈ 50–80 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
02 · Shopping · show · 40 min–50 min from DXB
Dubai Mall and the dancing fountain
- A quick look
- 20 minA fountain show in the evening
- Take your time
- 1 hr 30 minThe mall, aquarium viewed from the gallery and fountain
- Price
- FreeFree entry and fountain shows; aquarium visits require payment.
More than a thousand shops, an ice rink and a giant aquarium you can see for free from the shopping gallery: Dubai Mall is an air-conditioned city in itself, perfect when it is 40 °C outside.
In the evening, on the lake at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, the fountain’s jets dance to music more than a hundred metres high. The show lasts a few minutes and repeats at regular intervals.
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront20 minBook a ride Public transportnol card, ≈ AED 5 to 8
- 10 min
- 22 min–26 min → Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall
- 10 min
DirectionsTaxi≈ 50–80 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
03 · Neighbourhood · culture · 30 min–40 min from DXB
Al Fahidi, Dubai before the towers
- A quick look
- 30 minThe lanes and wind towers
- Take your time
- 1 hr 15 minThe neighbourhood, a museum and a coffee
- Price
- FreeFree access to lanes; some museums charge admission.
Before oil, Dubai was a pearl-fishing port. In the Al Fahidi neighbourhood beside the Creek, coral and gypsum houses have kept their wind towers, the predecessors of air conditioning.
It is a pleasure to get lost in its narrow, shaded lanes, among small galleries, courtyard cafés and tiny museums.
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront20 minBook a ride Public transportnol card, ≈ AED 5 to 8
- 10 min
- 12 min–14 min → BurJuman
- 2 min → Sharaf DG
- 8 min
DirectionsTaxi≈ 50–80 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
04 · Souks · walk · 30 min–40 min from DXB
An abra across the Creek and the souks
- A quick look
- 20 minAn abra crossing
- Take your time
- 1 hr 15 minThe abra, spice souk and gold souk
- Price
- ≈ 1 AEDThe abra crossing; free access to the souks.
For one dirham, abras, old wooden water taxis, cross the Creek in a few minutes among dhows loaded with goods: the city’s most beautiful crossing is also its cheapest.
On the other bank, in Deira, the spice souk smells of saffron and incense, while the gold souk lines up windows gleaming like treasure chests.
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront20 minBook a ride Public transportnol card, ≈ AED 5 to 8
- 10 min
- 10 min–12 min → Union
- 4 min → Gold Souq
- 5 min
DirectionsTaxi≈ 50–80 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
05 · Museum · architecture · 35 min–45 min from DXB
The Museum of the Future
- A quick look
- 15 minThe building from outside
- Take your time
- 2 hrThe complete experience
- Price
- ≈ 149 AEDAdult rate to be checked on the official website.
A stainless-steel ring without a single corner, pierced by Arabic calligraphy that forms its windows: the building is a work of art in itself, set on a green hill beside the motorway.
Inside, you embark on a journey to 2071: a space station, an Amazon rainforest recreated as a DNA library, and a floor for reconnecting with your senses.
Museum of the Future ticketson GetYourGuide
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront20 minBook a ride Public transportnol card, ≈ AED 5 to 8
- 10 min
- 18 min–22 min → Emirates Towers
- 5 min
DirectionsTaxi≈ 50–80 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
06 · Panoramic views · photography · 40 min–50 min from DXB
The Dubai Frame, between yesterday and tomorrow
- A quick look
- 20 minThe frame from Zabeel Park
- Take your time
- 1 hrThe gallery, walkway and glass floor
- Price
- ≈ 50 AEDAdult rate to be checked.
A golden picture frame 150 metres high, standing in Zabeel Park: go up to see old Dubai and the Creek on one side, and Sheikh Zayed Road’s skyscrapers on the other.
At the top, a glass walkway connects the two uprights: part of the floor turns transparent beneath your feet.
Dubai Frame ticketson GetYourGuide
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront15 minBook a ride Taxi≈ 50–80 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
07 · Beach · photography · 1 hr 5 min–1 hr 20 min from DXB
Jumeirah Beach and the Burj Al Arab
- A quick look
- 30 minThe view of the Burj Al Arab
- Take your time
- 1 hr 30 minA swim and the sunset
- Price
- FreePublic beach; showers and changing rooms on site.
White sand, turquoise water and, at the end of the beach, the Burj Al Arab’s sail on its island: Umm Suqeim’s public beach offers Dubai’s most famous postcard view, for free.
The water is warm almost all year. Late in the day, the low light turns the hotel’s sail golden while the city lights up behind it.
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront30 minBook a ride Public transportnol card, ≈ AED 5 to 8
- 10 min
- 35 min–40 min → Mall of the Emirates
- 15 min
No metro to the beach: from Mall of the Emirates, finish by taxi (≈ 10 min). Direct taxi recommended.
DirectionsTaxi≈ 80–100 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
08 · Walk · evening · 1 hr–1 hr 15 min from DXB
Dubai Marina and JBR beach
- A quick look
- 40 minThe Marina promenade
- Take your time
- 1 hr 30 minThe promenade and JBR beach
- Price
- FreeFree access to the promenade and beach.
A forest of towers around a canal where yachts lie at rest: walk along the Marina promenade, past terraces and reflections, to the lively beach at Jumeirah Beach Residence.
This is the neighbourhood farthest from the airport: save it for a long layover, ideally in the evening when the towers light up.
How to get there from DXB
Straight to the door, no transfersPickup at DXB and destination prefilled · price shown upfront35 minBook a ride Public transportnol card, ≈ AED 5 to 8
- 10 min
- 45 min–50 min → Sobha Realty
- 10 min
DirectionsTaxi≈ 100–120 AED metered (20 AED airport starting fare)
A good habit: leave some breathing room
The best layover gets you back to the airport relaxed, rather than taking in the most sights. Choose a neighbourhood, leave a margin for immigration on your return and consider the heat: between May and September, favour indoor visits and evening walks.
You may also like these articles
Off the beaten path6 unusual places to discoverDubai6 places · directions from DXB
Stay at the airportWhat to do at the airportDubaiDubai International
Must-seesWhat to visit during a layover inIstanbul9 visits · directions from IST
Off the beaten path6 unusual places to discoverIstanbul6 places · directions from IST