A Dubai Metro platform with the train doors open and the station's curved ceiling above.

Layover guideDubai · DXB · DWC

Getting out of the airport in Dubai

Metered RTA taxis from the rank, or the Metro Red Line straight out of Terminals 1 and 3.

Jpbowen / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxis are metered and regulated by the Roads and Transport Authority. The rank is outside each terminal's arrivals hall.

The RTA publishes a minimum fare of AED 12 for a street pickup and AED 13 for an app booking, and a waiting charge of 50 fils per minute. It does not publish an airport flagfall or a per-kilometre rate on its fares page, so treat the fare quotes on aggregator sites as unverified.

Fares are stated to change at peak hours and around major events, so the meter is the authority rather than an estimate you were given in advance.

The Metro Red Line serves Terminals 1 and 3 directly and is the cheapest way into the city, but it does not run all night. Check the last service before you plan on it after a late arrival.

Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai: taxi fares · checked 2026-08-17

The rest of Dubai

The whole guide

Ride-hailingCareem and Uber both operate legally.Local laws that catch crew outDrinking in public, kissing in public and swearing are all criminal offences, including online.Staying connectedA visitor SIM is registered against your passport and capped at two per network, and an unregistered line is cut off rather than warned.WeatherThe number that matters is the overnight low: about 29.7C in summer, so the night never cools down.Eating near the crew hotelsAlcohol is legal in licensed venues and illegal everywhere else, and in Ramadan the daytime rules extend to your car.What to buyVAT is 5% and refundable over AED 250, and the authority's own refund terms are better than the government portal still says.TippingNo authority publishes a tipping norm for Dubai, and the percentages already on your bill are not tips.