Zayed International Airport to Dubai
About 145 km northeast of AUH; the hourly AUH Express coach runs to Ibn Battuta for AED 35, or a taxi covers it in roughly 1h20.
Dubai, the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, the Marina and Palm Jumeirah, is a 140 km motorway hop up the E11 from Abu Dhabi's airport, and a common onward leg for visitors doing both emirates.
How far is Dubai from Zayed International Airport?
Dubai is 145 km (90 miles) from Zayed International Airport by road, about 1h 25m by car outside rush hour. In a straight line it is 106 km. By public transport, AUH Express coach (to Ibn Battuta) takes about 1h 50m and costs AED 35.73.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: AUH Express coach (to Ibn Battuta) is the cheapest way at AED 35.73 (1h 50m, with no change). A taxi from AED 250.11 saves roughly 25 min and takes you to the door.
What it costs for your group
The bus / shuttle is charged per person, while a taxi is one price for the whole car โ so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus / shuttle (per person) | Taxi (per car) | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo ยท 1 traveller | AED 36 | AED 250 | Bus / shuttle |
| Couple ยท 2 travellers | AED 71 | AED 250 | Bus / shuttle |
| Family of 4 ยท 4 travellers | AED 143 | AED 250 | Bus / shuttle |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority isโฆ | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | AUH Express coach (to Ibn Battuta) | From AED 35.73, about 1h 50m, no change needed. |
| Speed | Abu Dhabi silver taxi (metered) | 1h 25m and door-to-door, from AED 250.11. |
| A group of 4 | AUH Express coach (to Ibn Battuta) | Four tickets still come to about AED 142.92 โ less than a car. |
| A late-night arrival | AUH Express coach (to Ibn Battuta) | It runs through the night (Hourly ยท 24/7). |
By transport mode
Bus / shuttle
A direct airport coach to Ibn Battuta Bus Station in Dubai for AED 35 (~โฌ9), with luggage space and hourly departures around the clock. Pay with a Nol card; from Ibn Battuta the Dubai Metro Red Line carries on into the city.
Where to catch it: Dedicated AUH Express stand at the Terminal A transport plaza.
Best for solo & budget travellersTaxi
Metered intercity fare of about AED 250-320 for the ~1h20 drive, plus Salik toll gates on the way into Dubai. Fastest door-to-door if you're not counting dirhams.
Where to catch it: Silver-cab rank at arrivals; tell the driver it's a Dubai run so they set out with the meter and toll expectations clear.
Best for small groups in a hurryPrivate transfer
A single agreed price (~AED 260-430) covering the emirate crossing and tolls, so you avoid the meter creeping up in the Dubai rush-hour crawl. Good for a firm hotel drop-off.
Where to catch it: A driver greets you at arrivals and heads straight for the E11 without a rank queue.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsCar rental
From ~โฌ25/day. Check the one-way/cross-emirate policy and Salik toll billing at the desk; most Abu Dhabi rentals are fine to drive and drop in Dubai.
Where to catch it: Collect at the arrivals counters and join the E11 Sheikh Zayed Road north.
Best for travellers who want to exploreDubai & Abu Dhabi in photos
Buying tickets in Abu Dhabi
The A1 express bus runs from Zayed International Airport (AUH) to the city centre and Abu Dhabi Mall for a flat 4 AED. Drivers do not take cash, so before boarding you must buy a Hafilat smart card from the vending machines or Smart Travel kiosk in the arrivals hall. The card costs about 10 AED plus a small minimum balance you then load as credit. Tap on when you board. The A1 runs 24/7, roughly every 30 minutes by day and hourly in the evening and overnight (the A2 also runs 24/7, hourly), and takes around 45 minutes to the bus station.
Taxi scams & safety in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi's official airport taxis are metered and low-scam: join the marked rank and confirm the meter is running. Fares are regulated, with a higher AED 20 flag fall for airport pickups, so you rarely need to haggle. Careem and Uber also operate from AUH via app pickup points and give you an upfront price, useful for late arrivals. Skip anyone touting rides inside the terminal, and if a driver quotes a flat off-meter fare instead of using the meter, decline and take the next queued cab.
Step-free access in Abu Dhabi
Zayed International is accessible throughout the terminal, and the main decision is how you arrange the onward car.
- The terminal has lifts and ramps throughout, wheelchair-accessible shops and restaurants, dedicated seating in lounges and priority lanes through security and immigration.
- Accessible taxis can be pre-booked on +971 600 535353 or through the Abu Dhabi Taxi app. Airport staff will also arrange one on request, but booking ahead avoids the wait.
- Accessible parking is available at the pick-up areas if someone is collecting you.
- Special assistance runs 24/7. Most airlines include it free; request it when you book, or at least 48 hours before the flight.
Getting from AUH to Dubai
So the ticket said Abu Dhabi but the plan says Dubai, you would not be the first. Plenty of people book into Zayed International because the fare was cheaper, then realise the Burj Khalifa is a 140 km drive up the E11 in a different emirate entirely. It is a easy run, and you have four sensible ways to close the gap. Here is how each one actually plays out from Terminal A.
What the 140 km up the E11 is really like
The road between the two emirates is the E11, the long coastal motorway that turns into Sheikh Zayed Road once you cross into Dubai. It is wide, fast and mostly featureless desert-and-flyover until the skyline suddenly stacks up ahead of you. Budget roughly an hour and twenty minutes door to door in normal conditions, though the last stretch into Dubai can gum up badly at rush hour. Two things shape every option below: the distance itself, and the Salik toll gantries that clip your car as you enter the city.
The AUH Express coach: cheapest by a mile
If you are travelling light on cash, the airport's own coach is hard to argue with. The AUH Express runs from a dedicated stand at the Terminal A transport plaza straight to Ibn Battuta Bus Station in Dubai for AED 35, about โฌ9 โ with proper luggage holds underneath and hourly departures around the clock. You pay with a Nol card, the same card that then gets you onto the Dubai Metro. Because Ibn Battuta sits on the Red Line, you can roll off the coach and carry on into the centre without ever flagging a cab.
It is the obvious pick for a solo traveller or a couple watching the budget, and the 24/7 schedule means a 3 a.m. Landing is not a problem. The trade-off is time and effort: budget closer to two hours end to end once you factor the metro leg, and you will be hauling your own bags across a bus station rather than being set down at your hotel door.
A metered silver taxi: point at Dubai and go
The silver cabs at the arrivals rank will happily take a Dubai fare: just tell the driver it is a cross-emirate run up front so the meter and toll expectations are clear before you pull away. Expect somewhere around AED 250 to 320 (roughly โฌ63 to โฌ81) for the drive, plus the Salik gates on the way in. That is the fastest door-to-door option on this list and there is no booking, no waiting for a pickup; you simply join the queue and leave.
Where it stings is uncertainty. The meter keeps ticking in the Dubai crawl, so a jam near Marina can push the final number up, and you are trusting the rank to have a driver willing to do the long haul at the moment you arrive. Fine if you are not counting dirhams and want to be moving within minutes.
A pre-booked car: one price for the whole crossing
Booking an intercity transfer such as Welcome Pickups swaps the metered gamble for a single agreed figure, think somewhere around AED 260 to 430 (about โฌ65 to โฌ110), that already folds in the tolls. On a 140 km inter-emirate haul that fixed price is the real draw: it does not move whether the E11 is clear or the Dubai rush hour has seized up, so what you are quoted is what you pay. Your driver meets you inside arrivals and heads straight for the motorway without the rank queue.
It suits anyone who wants a firm hotel drop-off, families who would rather not wrestle luggage at a bus station, and small groups splitting one car โ divide that figure four ways and it undercuts a lot of alternatives. For a late arrival where you just want a known name and a known cost, it is the calm choice.
Hiring a car if Dubai is only the start
If you plan to keep driving once you land, day trips, both emirates, a loop out to the desert, pick up a hire car at the arrivals desks. Hertz, Europcar, Sixt and local outfits all have counters, rates start from around โฌ25 a day, and you join the E11 northbound directly from the airport. Two things to settle at the desk before you sign: the cross-emirate or one-way policy, since you will be dropping in a different emirate, and how Salik tolls get billed back to you. Most Abu Dhabi rentals are cleared to drive and return in Dubai, but confirm it rather than assume.
Bottom line: solo and thrifty, take the AED 35 coach and hop the metro at Ibn Battuta; in a hurry with bags, grab a metered silver taxi; travelling as a group or wanting a fixed, no-surprises price to the hotel door, book a transfer; and only hire a car if the driving keeps going after Dubai. Wrong emirate on the boarding pass, right city within the hour.
AUH to Dubai โ FAQ
How far is Dubai from Zayed International Airport?
How much is a transfer from Zayed International Airport to Dubai?
What's the cheapest way from Zayed International Airport to Dubai?
How do I get from Zayed International Airport to Dubai at night?
How much is a taxi from Zayed International Airport to Dubai?
Other destinations from Zayed International Airport
