Board the Red Line towards Life Pharmacy or Expo 2020 and ride twelve stops to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall.
12 stops, 0 changes at the interchange. The line colour shows which train you are on at each point.
Coming off a long flight, the lifts at Airport Terminal 3 station are signposted from the arrivals walkway and easier with a loaded trolley than the travelator. Keep at least AED 7.50 on a fresh Nol card; the gate needs that much to let you through, and the trip itself only takes AED 5.
A covered, air-conditioned walkway with travelators links the station to The Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, around 820 metres in all.
For more on the area around Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall, what is close by and worth a stop, see the Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall station guide.
The station links to The Dubai Mall by a covered walkway, but popular At The Top time slots sell out fast, especially from November to March. Worth pre-booking before you fly.
No. The Red Line runs straight from Airport Terminal 3 (R13) south through the city centre to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall (R25). One train, twelve stops, no platform change.
The trip crosses two zones. On a Silver Nol card it is AED 5, on a Gold Nol card AED 10, on a Blue personal card AED 5, and on a single-use Red ticket AED 6 plus AED 2 to buy the ticket itself.
About 30 minutes from platform to platform, including the short waits between stations. The walkway from the station to The Dubai Mall adds another 15 to 20 minutes.
Terminal 3 is the Emirates and Qantas terminal at Dubai International. If you are flying flydubai, Air Arabia or Wizz Air, you are at Terminal 1 instead, one stop north on the Red Line at Airport Terminal 1 (R14).
Yes, and Metro is set up for it. Use the lifts from arrivals down to the station, and at Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall use the lifts again to reach the walkway. The Red Line trains have low floors and wide doors. The walkway has travelators most of the way, so you are not pushing bags the full distance.
Late afternoon and early evening, when day-trippers head to The Dubai Mall and tourists return from Downtown. From November to March the winter tourist season adds to the peak. An off-peak start (morning into early afternoon) is more comfortable, especially with bags.
No. A taxi from the airport rank to Downtown is usually AED 50 to 90, against AED 5 on the Metro. The taxi is door to door and works any hour, but the Metro saves you about ninety per cent of the fare during operating hours.
The last southbound train from Airport Terminal 3 runs about 11:58 PM most nights, just past 1:00 AM on Friday, and around 11:58 PM on Saturday. If you land later than that, the taxi rank outside arrivals is staffed around the clock.