UAE: How to travel to Dubai’s most popular spots by bus for less than Dh10

From Dh3, or even for free, you can reach top locations like Burj Khalifa, Dubai Frame

Last updated:
Zainab Husain, Features Writer
6 MIN READ
Public transport users in Dubai can take advantage of the Metro, tram and bus routes to get to the most popular locations in the emirate.
Public transport users in Dubai can take advantage of the Metro, tram and bus routes to get to the most popular locations in the emirate.
Supplied

Dubai: For less than Dh10, you can explore landmarks in Dubai like the Dubai Frame, Burj Khalifa or Dubai Miracle Garden. All you need to do is hop on a Dubai Bus and have a nol card.

Public transport users in Dubai can take advantage of the Metro, tram and bus routes to get to the most popular locations in the emirate. The average bus fare for a single trip is around Dh3, however seasonal bus routes and the Hatta bus can cost slightly more, since these buses do not make any stops and take passengers directly to their location. The bus routes mentioned below are from other public transport points like Metro stations, so you can easily take advantage of the public transport infrastructure, to explore Dubai on a budget.

How to get a nol card

Before starting your trip, you must buy a nol card. You can buy it from the kiosks at every Metro station in Dubai. You can either buy a red, silver or gold nol card, or you can get an unlimited travel pass, where you can take multiple trips on any line of public transport, except for buses across emirates.

1. Dubai Miracle Garden

Bus 106: Mall of the Emirates Bus Station

If you want to visit Dubai Miracle Garden, which reopened on September 29, you can take a special bus that takes commuters from Mall of the Emirates bus station to Dubai Miracle Garden. The bus station is next to the Mall of the Emirates Metro station that falls on the Red Line.

Duration: Approximately 30 minutes
Cost: Dh5 for a single trip.

2. Burj Khalifa

Bus F13: Dubai Mall Metro Station

You can easily visit the iconic Burj Khalifa by taking Dubai Metro, which has a station on the Red Line – Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station. There is also a Metro Link Bridge, which allows visitors to get to Dubai Mall, after a 10- to 15- minute walk. But if you wish to avoid walking, you can instead take a feeder bus from the Metro station and reach the Dubai Mall entrance.

When you are in the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station, follow the signs for Dubai Mall Metro Bus Stop 2. From there you will be able to take the F13 bus to Dubai Mall. Once you are at the mall, follow signs directing you towards Burj Khalifa.

Duration: From 5 to 10 minutes.
Cost: Dh3 for a single trip

3. Dubai Frame

Bus F09: Al Jafiliya Bus Station

You can take this feeder bus directly from the Max Metro Bus Stop (Red Line) in the Al Jafiliya area, and it will drop you off at the Dubai Frame bus stop.

Duration: Five minutes
Cost: Dh3 for a single trip.

How to find the timetable for Dubai public buses?

If you want the current up-to-date timings for public buses and route details, you must download the S'hail app from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), which is available for both Apple and Android devices. The app allows commuters to plan their journey in Dubai using public transportation and gives them an estimated trip cost, too.

4. Dubai Safari Park

Bus F10 – Rashidiya Bus Station

Dubai Safari Park officially opened for its new season on Thursday , October 5, and if you are planning to go visit the open-air zoo, you can take the feeder bus from the Rashidiya Bus Station, which is located near the Centrepoint Metro Station on the Red Line.

Duration: Around one hour.
Cost: Dh3 for a single trip

5. Dubai Parks and Resorts

Bus DPR1 – Ibn Battuta Bus Station

Dubai Parks and Resorts, which is one of the largest theme parks in the Middle East, has its own RTA shuttle bus service.

To catch this bus, take the Dubai Metro Red Line towards Jebel Ali and depart at Ibn Battuta Metro station. Outside the Metro station is the Ibn Battuta Bus Station. From there, take the public shuttle bus for Dubai Parks and Resorts.

6. Bluewaters Island

Bus F57: Jebel Ali Metro Station

If you plan to visit the popular man-made island, the easieast and cheapest way to get there is on the F57 bus route from the Jebel Ali Metro Station on the Red Line. Just make sure you follow the signs for Jebel Ali Metro Bus Stop Landside.

Duration: Approximately 10 minutes.
Cost: Dh3 for a single trip

7. Wild Wadi

Bus EB1: La Mer South

Wild Wadi is one of the most popular outdoor water parks in the UAE, and is located in Jumeirah, next to the Burj Al Arab and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

You can travel for free to the water park on RTA’s new electric bus route – eB1, which travels between La Mer South and the Al Sufouh Tram Station. The route also stops at Burj Al Arab and Umm Suqeim Park.

Duration: 15 minutes
Cost: Free

8. Global Village

The bus routes for Global Village are not active yet, but will start once Global Village is reopened on October 18.

Four Dubai bus routes for Global Village

• Bus 102: From Centrepoint Metro Station in Rashidiya
• Bus 103: From Union Metro Station
• Bus 104: From Al Ghubaiba Bus Station
• Bus 105: From Mall of the Emirates Bus Station

Duration: Around 30 minutes or up to an hour depending on the route.
Cost: Between Dh5 to Dh10 for a one-way trip.

Travel from Dubai to Hatta by bus

For Dh25, you can travel from Dubai to Hatta on the Hatta Express Bus (H02). The bus service operates from 7am to 7pm at a frequency of every two hours.

You can find the Hatta Express Bus stop at Dubai Mall’s main entrance, in the Tourist Bus parking lot. The bus is easy to spot, because of its distinct green and blue logo and ‘Hatta Express’ printed on it.

‘Hatta On and Off’ bus

If you want to visit Hatta’s top tourist attraction, you can travel on the ‘Hatta On and Off’ bus (H04) for only Dh2. 

The route starts and ends at Hatta Bus Station and passes by four landmarks - Hatta Wadi Hub, Hatta Hill Park, Hatta Dam, and the Heritage Village.

It operates from 7am to 9pm daily at a frequency of 30 minutes.

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