Board the Green Line towards Creek and ride one stop to Union. Change to the Red Line towards Life Pharmacy or Expo 2020, with no need to tap your Nol card again, then stay on for seven stops to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall.
8 stops, 1 change at Union. The line colour shows which train you are on at each point.
For one or two people, the Metro wins on cost and predictability. For a family with luggage, or in a hurry, a taxi is door to door and skips the walk.
| Option | Cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro | AED 5 (Silver Nol) | ~25 min | Cheapest, no traffic |
| Taxi | AED 40 to 59 | 16 to 24 min | Door to door, luggage, families |
Baniyas Square is the easy starting point for old Deira's souks, and one Green Line stop south at Union puts you on the busiest interchange in the city. Boarding at the back of the Green Line train at Baniyas Square puts you closest to the cross-platform change at Union, which saves you about a minute against walking the long way along the platform.
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.
Baniyas Square drops you at the Spice Souk and Naif area, and eight Metro stops later you are at Burj Khalifa. Pre-book the At The Top time slot before you set out from Deira.
Yes, once. The Green Line runs one stop from Baniyas Square (G21) south to Union (G20), where you change across the platform to the Red Line. The Red Line then runs seven stops south to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall (R25). The change is on the same level, no second Nol card tap.
The trip crosses two zones (Baniyas Square is Zone 5, Burj Khalifa is Zone 6). 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 25 minutes from platform to platform, including the cross-platform change at Union and the short waits between stations. The walk from Burj Khalifa station to The Dubai Mall adds another 15 to 20 minutes.
Yes. Union is the busiest interchange on the network and the platforms are aligned so the change between the Green and Red Lines is across the platform on the same level. No second tap, no second fare, and signs in English and Arabic point at both line colours.
Yes. Baniyas Square has lifts to and from the platform, Union is fully step-free at the interchange, and Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall has lifts to the walkway level. The Red and Green Line trains have wide doors throughout. The walkway from Burj Khalifa station has travelators most of the way.
Late afternoon and early evening, when commuters and Downtown visitors overlap on the southbound platform. From November to March the winter tourist season piles onto the same trains. Off-peak mornings into early afternoon are the comfortable window.
No. A taxi from Baniyas Square to Burj Khalifa is around AED 40 to 59 and 16 to 24 minutes depending on traffic, against AED 5 on the Metro. The taxi is door to door, but the Metro saves around 90 per cent of the fare during operating hours and beats the road at peak.
The last southbound train from Baniyas Square towards Creek (via Union) runs about 12:43 AM every day. From Union, the last Red Line train towards Expo 2020 runs about 11:00 PM Sunday to Thursday and just past midnight on Friday.