From DXB Terminal 1 or Terminal 3, take a city-bound Red Line train to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall for the Metro Link into Dubai Mall. The standard Silver Nol fare is AED 5. That covers the rail journey, not a new card, a taxi or admission to an attraction.
Before choosing the Metro
Check your terminal and accommodation entrance. Terminal 2 has no Metro station: use the Terminal 2 connection guide. If your hotel is beyond the mall or on a different side of Downtown, compare the walk or road transfer with a direct taxi instead of assuming the station is door-to-door.
The luggage allowance is one large suitcase up to 81 × 58 × 30 cm and one small suitcase up to 55 × 38 × 20 cm. Both piece count and dimensions matter. See our luggage checklist.
Terminal 3 or Terminal 1 to Downtown
- Follow Metro signs from your arrival terminal. Time from landing to the platform includes immigration, bags and walking. Do not substitute a fixed terminal walking estimate for your own arrival circumstances.
- Buy or check your Nol card. A Silver card costs AED 25 with AED 19 credit. The AED 5 trip fare is deducted from the balance; AED 25 is not an additional fare for each journey.
- Choose a city-bound train serving Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall. Expo 2020 and Life Pharmacy services both cover this part of the line. Centrepoint is the opposite direction.
- Stay on the Red Line. From Terminal 3 it is 12 stop-to-stop sections to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall; from Terminal 1 it is 11. No Red–Green change is needed.
- Follow the Metro Link into Dubai Mall. The station is not the tower entrance. Follow your attraction’s entrance instructions once inside the mall and add the walking time to the rail estimate.
How much time should you allow?
Use the route tool as a rough rail-planning estimate, not an arrival guarantee. It does not measure immigration, baggage collection, platform waiting or the mall walk. Check RTA’s departure information for the travel date, especially if arriving close to opening or closing. The network closing hour is not the last departure from your airport station.
Terminal 3 route and fare · Terminal 1 route and fare
Compare the whole journey with a taxi
For a solo traveller with compliant bags and a destination accessible from the station, the Metro can substantially reduce transport cost. A taxi may be more practical outside rail hours, with oversized bags, or when the final address has an awkward connection. For a group, compare the total Metro ticket costs plus any last-leg taxi with one direct vehicle quote. Traffic, booking fees and destination change road fares; this guide does not promise a fixed taxi price.
Returning for a flight
Confirm the departure terminal on your booking. Board towards Centrepoint and alight at the correct terminal station. Work backwards from the airline’s check-in deadline, including the Downtown walk, platform waiting and airport procedures. Do not use the route calculator to choose the latest possible train for a flight.
Correction, 26 September 2026: corrected the airport-to-Downtown stop count and removed unsupported terminal, connection-time and fare-comparison assurances. Rail order and fares use the linked RTA map and fare schedule.