Al Ras Metro Station Overview
Al Ras is a Green Line station in Zone 5, on the Deira side of the Creek. It is station G23, between the Gold Souq station on the north side and Al Ghubaiba on the south side, the latter being the cross-Creek hop on the abra.
Despite the name "Gold Souq" being on the next station up the line, Al Ras is actually the closer stop for the Gold Souk and Spice Souk lanes, with Exit 2 leading straight onto Al Khor Street and into the middle of the souk cluster. The station's Exit 2 is also one of the few on the network with a distinctive Arabic-arch design rather than the standard glass-and-steel canopy.
First and last train from Al Ras Station
These times come from the official RTA timetable. For the exact minute on the day you travel, the RTA S'hail app is the live source.
| Direction | First train | Last train |
|---|---|---|
| To Creek (Green Line) | 5:06 AM (Mon to Wed, Sat, Sun) 5:16 AM (Thu, Fri) | 12:47 AM daily |
| To Etisalat by e& (Green Line) | 5:08 AM daily | 12:38 AM (Mon to Wed, Sun) 12:40 AM (Thu to Sat) |
Book an Al Shindagha heritage walking tour
A guided walk through the heritage quarter, the abra crossing and the souk lanes is the easiest way to read this side of the Creek. Most start within five minutes of Exit 2.
Al Ras Station opening hours and facilities
Al Ras station keeps the standard RTA opening hours, the same right across the network:
- Monday to Thursday: 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM
- Friday: 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM
- Saturday: 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM
- Sunday: 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM
Al Ras has the standard Dubai Metro facilities, confirmed in the official RTA passenger guide. The station is step-free, with lifts to all levels, tactile guidance paths, and dedicated wheelchair spaces on every train. Nol card machines and a ticket counter sit inside the concourse, alongside bilingual signage and information screens. Du Wi-Fi covers the network.
Every regular train carries three cabin types: Gold Class at one end, a Women and Children cabin with pink signage, and Standard cabins. Door pictograms on the platform show where each cabin stops. The station has at least one bus connection, dedicated Metro Police, CCTV throughout, and emergency call points on every platform and train.
For the Gold Souk and Spice Souk, use Exit 2. It comes out at the corner of Al Khor and Al Ras Street, with the Gold Souk to the left under the wooden arches and the Spice Souk to the right along the Creek edge. Most first-timers head for Gold Souq station one stop further up the line by mistake; this exit is closer to both markets.
The exit that gives the station its character
Al Ras Exit 2 has the Arabic-arch entrance design, one of only a handful on the network that departs from the standard glass-and-steel canopy. The arch was added to suit the heritage character of the surrounding Al Shindagha quarter, which is the oldest urban area in Dubai. The exit lands at the corner of Al Khor and Al Ras Street, in the middle of the most-trafficked pedestrian junction on the Deira souk side. The Gold Souk’s main arch entrance is a two minute walk to the left under the wooden canopies; the Spice Souk runs along the Creek edge to the right. The station has been the de facto Gold Souk stop since the Green Line opened on 9 September 2011.
Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House and the heritage cluster
A five to ten minute walk south from Exit 2 along the Creek edge brings you to Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, the 1896 residence of the late ruler of Dubai and grandfather of the current ruler Sheikh Mohammed. The house is now a free public museum, open 8 AM to 9 PM most days, with rooms covering early Dubai oil and pearl-trade history through original photographs, documents and currency. The building is the centrepiece of the larger Al Shindagha Museum complex, which has expanded into several restored coral-stone houses around it. The walk back along the Creek passes the Heritage Museum (also free) and ends at the Deira Old Souk Abra Station, where the wooden abras cross to Bur Dubai.
The honest Gold Souk loop
The most-used pattern for first-time visitors to the souks is the loop: arrive at Al Ras by Metro, walk the Gold Souk’s main lanes, cross to the Spice Souk by the Creek edge, take the abra to Bur Dubai for AED 1, and walk through the Al Fahidi heritage quarter on the other side to either Sharaf DG or Al Ghubaiba for the Metro back. The full loop takes about ninety minutes at a slow pace and covers the most-photographed parts of old Dubai for the price of one Nol tap each way. Gulf News profiles the souk lanes regularly as one of the most-recommended single afternoons in the city.
Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, the 1896 ruler's residence and now a free museum, is a five minute walk south from Exit 2 along the Creek. Inside, the rooms cover the early Dubai oil and pearl-trade history through original photographs and documents. The house is open 8 AM to 9 PM most days and is one of the easiest free heritage visits in the city.
Fares from Al Ras Station
Fares depend on how many zones your trip crosses, not how many stations you pass. A Silver Nol card costs AED 3 within one zone, AED 5 across two zones, and AED 7.50 for three or more zones, per the RTA Nol fares page. A personal Blue Nol card pays the same as Silver. Gold Class costs double: AED 6, 10 or 15 across the same bands.
Without a Nol card, the Red ticket is a separate, higher tariff of AED 4, 6 or 8.50 by zone band, and the blank ticket costs AED 2 to buy. Children aged five and under travel free, and travel is free for People of Determination.
| Destination | Stops | Zones | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall | 9 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
| Mall of the Emirates | 13 | 3 | AED 7.50 |
| Expo 2020 | 25 | 5 | AED 7.50 |
| Airport Terminal 3 | 8 | 1 | AED 3.00 |
| Union | 3 | 1 | AED 3.00 |
Metro Stations Before and After Al Ras Station
- Gold Souq (G22): The stop after Al Ras on the Green Line going towards Etisalat by e&
- Al Ghubaiba (G24): The stop after Al Ras on the Green Line going towards Creek
Get a Dubai travel eSIM
A prepaid eSIM gives you data the moment you arrive, useful for offline maps through the narrow souk lanes.