Board the Red Line shuttle towards Centrepoint and ride eleven stops to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall. If your shuttle terminates at National Paints, change across the platform to the next Centrepoint-bound train, with no need to tap your Nol card again, then carry on for the rest of the trip.
11 stops, 0 changes at the interchange. 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 54 to 79 | 16 to 24 min | Door to door, luggage, families |
Ibn Battuta sits on the Life Pharmacy branch, so most Ibn Battuta to Downtown trips need a short cross-platform at National Paints (R38) where the branch meets the main Red Line. The shuttle from Ibn Battuta runs as a separate service; once at National Paints, walk across to the through-platform and board the next Centrepoint-bound train. Same line, same paid area, no second tap.
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.
Ibn Battuta Mall to Burj Khalifa is the western-Marina-to-Downtown trip on a Friday afternoon. Pre-book the At The Top time slot to skip the gate queue.
Usually yes, once, across the platform at National Paints. Ibn Battuta sits on the Life Pharmacy branch shuttle, which terminates at National Paints (R38). From there, take any northbound Red Line train marked Centrepoint to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall (R25). Same line, same paid area, no second Nol card tap. The cross-platform change adds a few minutes.
The trip crosses two zones (Ibn Battuta is Zone 2, 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 National Paints and the short waits between stations. The walk from Burj Khalifa station to The Dubai Mall adds another 15 to 20 minutes.
The Red Line forks at National Paints (R38) into two branches. The Life Pharmacy branch runs west to Ibn Battuta and three further stops, while the Route 2020 branch runs south to Expo 2020. The Life Pharmacy branch is run as a shuttle, so trains from Ibn Battuta terminate at National Paints and you change to a through service into the city.
Yes. Ibn Battuta has lifts to and from the platform, the cross-platform change at National Paints is step-free, and Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall has lifts to the walkway level. The Red Line trains have wide doors throughout. The walkway has travelators most of the way.
Friday and Saturday late afternoon, when day-trippers from Ibn Battuta Mall head to Downtown for the Fountain Show, and weekday evening commute peaks. The Life Pharmacy shuttle runs less often than the trunk service, especially on Sunday mornings when it starts later.
No. A taxi from Ibn Battuta to Burj Khalifa is around AED 54 to 79 and 16 to 24 minutes depending on traffic, against AED 5 on the Metro. The taxi is door to door, but the Metro saves about 90 per cent of the fare during operating hours.
The Life Pharmacy branch closes earlier than the trunk. The last shuttle from Ibn Battuta runs around 11:30 PM Sunday to Thursday and just past midnight on Friday. After the shuttle stops, a taxi is the only way back into Downtown from Ibn Battuta.