United Arab Emirates Getting There

Getting There by Air

The national airlines are Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihadairways.com).

Approximate Flight Times

From London to Abu Dhabi or Dubai is 7 hours; and from Sydney to Dubai is 14 hours 45 minutes.

Main Airports

Abu Dhabi (AUH) (website: www.abudhabiairport.ae) is 32km (20 miles) east of the city (journey time - 40 minutes). To/from the airport: Buses and taxis are available at the airport. Al-Ghazal taxis operate a fixed-rate service. Facilities: Duty-free shop, bank, bar, snack bar, bureau de change, post office and car hire.

Dubai (DXB) (website: www.dubaiairport.com) is 4km (2.5 miles) southeast of the city (journey time - 10 minutes). To/from the airport: Buses (tel: 800 9090; website: www.rta.ae) and taxis are available at the airport. Bus stations are opposite both Terminal 1 and 2. Facilities: Duty-free shops, bank, post office, shops, car hire, restaurant, snack bar and bar. The airport consists of four terminals.

Sharjah (SHJ) (website: www.shj-airport.gov.ae) is 10km (6 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: Taxis are available at the airport. Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, restaurants, snack bars, ATM and bureau de change.

Ras al-Khaimah (RKT) (website: www.rakairport.com) is 15km (9 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: Taxis are available at the airport. Facilities: Duty-free shop and restaurant/snack bar.
Departure Tax
AED30 from some airports, usually incorporated into the ticket price.

Getting There by Water

Main ports: Jebel Ali, Rashid and Zayed (Abu Dhabi), Khalid (Sharjah), Saqr (Ras al-Khaimah) and Fujairah.

Cruises regularly call at Abu Dhabi and the cruise terminal in Dubai, and there are passenger services to the USA, the Far East, Australia and Europe. There are regular sailings between Sharjah and Bandar-é-Abbas (Iran).

Getting There by Road

There is a good road into Oman and also a good one into Saudi Arabia, which connects with the Trans-Arabian Highway on the overland route to Europe.

Buses
run daily between Dubai or Abu Dhabi and Oman. There are also services between Dubai or Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia and between Abu Dhabi and Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
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