Board a Green Line train from Gold Souq marked Etisalat by e& and ride two stops to Union. Walk across the concourse inside the paid area, board any Red Line train marked Centrepoint, and ride five stops to Airport Terminal 3.
7 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 3 (Silver Nol) | ~25 min | Cheapest, no traffic |
| Taxi | AED 37 to 54 | 21 to 31 min | Door to door, luggage, families |
Gold Souq is on the Green Line, the airport on the Red Line. Change at Union, the primary Green-to-Red interchange, which happens inside the paid area with no second Nol tap. At Gold Souq board a Green Line train marked Etisalat by e& (it runs through Union) and ride two stops. Then on the Red Line from Union, all trains marked Centrepoint stop at Terminal 3, so the first arriving train is the right one. Whole trip stays in Zone 5 for AED 3 on a Silver Nol card.
Airport Terminal 3 station sits directly under the Emirates and Qantas terminal, with a covered escalator link from the platform up into the arrivals concourse.
For more on the area around Airport Terminal 3, what is close by and worth a stop, see the Airport Terminal 3 station guide.
Yes, once at Union. Take the Green Line from Gold Souq (G22) two stops to Union (G20), then walk across the concourse to the Red Line and take any northbound train five stops to Airport Terminal 3 (R13). The change happens inside the paid area, so there is no second Nol tap.
The trip stays inside a single fare zone (both stations are in Zone 5). On a Silver Nol card it is AED 3, on a Gold Nol card AED 6, on a Blue personal card AED 3, and on a single-use Red ticket AED 4 plus AED 2 to buy the ticket itself.
About 25 minutes from platform to platform, including the change at Union and the short waits between stations. The change itself adds about 5 minutes.
Union is the closer Green-to-Red change for airport-bound trips because Terminal 3 sits north of Union on the Red Line. BurJuman would require you to backtrack through Union anyway, adding four extra stops and about 10 more minutes.
Yes. Gold Souq has lifts to and from the platform, the Green and Red Line trains have wide doors and dedicated luggage space, and Airport Terminal 3 has lifts to the terminal level. Union is fully step-free between the two lines.
The Metro at AED 3 is much cheaper than a taxi at AED 37 to 54. The taxi is faster door to door but the Metro saves about 90 per cent of the fare and avoids the Deira afternoon slowdown.
Early morning and late evening, matching Emirates flight peaks. The morning long-haul departures around 8:00 to 10:00 AM see the highest passenger numbers with bags on the Green Line into Union.
The last Green Line train from Gold Souq towards Etisalat by e& (which passes through Union) runs about 11:40 PM Sunday to Wednesday and 12:42 AM on Friday. Aim to be at Union at least 15 minutes before the last Red Line train from there to Airport Terminal 3.