Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall Metro Station Overview
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall is the R25 station on the Dubai Metro Red Line, in Zone 6 beside Sheikh Zayed Road. The station is not inside either landmark. An 820-metre covered walkway with travelators links it to The Dubai Mall, a 15 to 20 minute walk. The station opened on 4 January 2010, the same week as the Burj Khalifa.
It sits between Financial Centre (R24) to the north and Business Bay (R26) to the south. There is no Green Line platform here; for the Green Line you change at Union or BurJuman. Trains run through every 3 to 4 minutes during the day.
First and last train from Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall 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 Centrepoint | 5:26 AM daily | 12:34 AM (Mon to Wed, Sun) 12:33 AM (Thu, Fri) 12:31 AM (Sat) |
| To Expo 2020 | 5:07 AM (Mon to Sat) 8:04 AM (Sun) | 11:34 PM (Mon to Wed) 11:31 PM (Thu, Sat, Sun) 12:35 AM (Fri) |
| To Life Pharmacy | 5:04 AM (Mon to Sat) 8:10 AM (Sun) | 11:30 PM (Mon to Wed) 11:35 PM (Thu, Sat, Sun) 12:31 AM (Fri) |
Book At The Top tickets before you arrive
The observation deck on levels 124 and 125 sells out from November through March, and same-day tickets at the desk are often gone by mid-morning.
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall Station opening hours and facilities
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall 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
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall 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.
The travelator belts back up near the mall end at peak times. Walk the central aisle instead of queueing for the belt and you save about five minutes. To skip the walk altogether, take the F13 feeder bus from outside the station to the mall entrance, free within 30 minutes on the same Nol card. The midpoint has toilets; the next set is inside the mall, so plan ahead if you have children with you.
How the walkway works
A glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge connects the station to The Dubai Mall. It opened on 26 December 2012, three years after the station, and replaced the shuttle buses travellers relied on before. The National reported that the bridge runs 820 metres and takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk end to end.
The link holds ten travelators, five in each direction. Each one runs 70 to 120 metres and moves at 0.5 metres per second, with a central aisle for walking. According to Gulf News, the bridge can carry more than 13,500 people per hour. The whole walkway is air-conditioned, which matters from May to October when street temperatures sit in the low 40s.
Getting to The Dubai Mall
The walkway exits into The Dubai Mall on the Lower Ground floor, near the Galleries Lafayette entrance. From there, the most-asked-for spots:
- Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo: 5 minutes through the central atrium
- Dubai Fountain: 8 to 10 minutes to the lake-facing exit
- KidZania: on the second floor, signposted from the Lower Ground floor
- Dubai Ice Rink: ground floor, with views from the upper levels
- Souk Al Bahar: across the bridge on the lake side
The mall has more than 1,200 stores across several floors. Pick up a paper map at the entrance or use the mall app, because first-time visitors often get turned around at least once.
Getting to Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa is a separate building next to the mall, so reaching it takes a few more minutes:
- Cross the walkway from the station to the mall, 15 to 20 minutes
- Follow the signs marked "At The Top" or "Burj Khalifa" through the mall corridors, 5 to 7 minutes
- Find the observation deck lift on the Lower Ground floor, by the ticket counter
Total time from the station gates to the foot of the tower runs 20 to 25 minutes for most people, longer if you stop for the views on the way.
Parking, taxis and buses
There is no Park and Ride at this station. The Dubai Mall has covered parking for about 14,000 cars with direct mall access, so most drivers park there rather than near the platforms. The nearest Park and Ride sites on the Red Line are Centrepoint to the east and Energy to the south.
A taxi rank sits outside the main exit, with RTA Dubai Taxi and Careem cars. Feeder buses serve the wider area, including the F11, F13 and F15, from the stop opposite the taxi rank. The station has step-free access throughout, with lifts between street, concourse and platform levels, and the walkway to the mall is step-free the whole way.
Avoid 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on weekdays. Trains heading north to Union and BurJuman fill up fast then, especially in winter. If you are here for the Dubai Fountain, the shows run every 30 minutes from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, and the 6:00 PM and 10:30 PM shows are far quieter than the 7:00 to 9:00 PM slots.
Fares from Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mall of the Emirates | 4 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
| Expo 2020 | 16 | 4 | AED 7.50 |
| Airport Terminal 3 | 12 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
| Union | 7 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
| Ibn Battuta | 11 | 2 | AED 5.00 |
Metro Stations Before and After Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall Station
- Financial Centre (R24): The stop after Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall on the Red Line going towards Centrepoint
- Business Bay (R26): The stop after Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall on the Red Line going towards Expo 2020
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo tickets
The aquarium sits inside The Dubai Mall, a 5-minute walk from the walkway exit. Booking ahead skips the ticket queue at the door, which builds up fast at weekends.