Al Noor Island Sharjah: tickets, hours, getting there

Al Noor Island is a small, car-free island in Khalid Lagoon in Sharjah city, open since 2015, with a Butterfly House, outdoor art, a children’s playground, a café and evening lighting. You walk over on a pedestrian bridge behind Al Noor Mosque. The Standard Pass is AED 50 for adults and AED 30 for children, and the Butterfly House is open daily 9am to 6pm.

Our Sharjah visitor guide covers the island in a few lines. This page covers the passes, the hours, what each part of the island is and how to get there.

Opening hours

The key point for planning: the island stays open late, but the Butterfly House closes at 6pm. If the butterflies are the reason you are going, arrive in the daytime and stay on for the lights.

Tickets and passes

These are the options on the island’s official experiences page, with the island’s own descriptions of what each includes:

The island takes bookings through Discover Shurooq (discovershurooq.ae). The pages we checked do not say whether walk-up tickets are sold, so book ahead or call the island before you go.

What is on the island

The Butterfly House

The Butterfly House is the main draw: a building of perforated, sculpted steel that has won several architecture awards, holding hundreds of butterflies. It is designed to show children the cycle from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. The species the island names include the Tailed Jay, Pink Rose, Emerald Swallowtail, Malachite, Great Eggfly and Red Lacewing. Visit Sharjah adds that there is a dedicated children’s area where you can see butterflies at different stages of life.

Art and sculpture

The art on the island is outdoors and part of the walk. The island lists:

• Torus by David Harber, a mirror-polished stainless steel ring
• Flutter by Chris Wood, lines of dichroic glass panels inspired by butterfly migration
• OVO by ACT Lighting Design, an egg-shaped structure of wood, LED light and water
• Columns by the Austrian designer Susanne Schmögner, a series of painted columns
• The Swing by Azza Al Qubaisi, on the western shore, a tribute to pearling
• Fossil Rocks, large crystal and stone pieces placed in the shaded woodland

Lighting, landscape and the Literature Pavilion

After dark the sculptures, ponds and meadows are lit; the island does not publish a schedule for the light displays. The about page also lists a Literature Pavilion among the island’s features.

Noor Café

Noor Café serves breakfast, lunch and evening meals, with international and Arabic dishes and hot and cold drinks, in a shaded spot by the bay.

Al Noor Island with children

• The kids playground has open space, rope climbing and rope swings among the trees.
• The Butterfly House is built around teaching children how butterflies grow.
• The Explorer Pass, with its map and explorer toy kit, is aimed at families who want to go round on their own.
• On the Island Self-Guided Tour, the child price applies to ages 3 to 12. The island does not state the age band for the Standard Pass child price.

Getting to Al Noor Island

The island’s address is Buhairah Corniche Road, Khalid Lagoon, Sharjah. Visit Sharjah says a pedestrian bridge behind Al Noor Mosque connects the island to the mainland. No cars go onto the island.

• From Dubai by bus: RTA route E308 runs from Stadium Bus Station in Dubai to Al Jubail Bus Station in Sharjah for AED 12 a trip, and other RTA routes also end at Al Jubail (see our Sharjah guide). From Al Jubail, take a taxi to Al Noor Mosque. Plan the exact trip in RTA’s Wojhati journey planner.
• By taxi or car: ask for Al Noor Mosque on Buhairah Corniche. The island’s pages do not give parking details, so check when you call.

Private events and capacity

The island is hired out for weddings, birthdays, corporate events and shoots, including exclusive bookings of the whole island. It also states a maximum capacity of 200 visitors at a time. Both are reasons to check availability before a long trip from Dubai.

How long to spend, and a sample visit

The Standard Pass is listed as one hour. Add time for the art trail and the playground and most visits fit into an afternoon:

1. Mid-afternoon: the Butterfly House, well before it closes at 6pm.
2. Late afternoon: the sculptures and the playground.
3. Dusk: a drink or meal at Noor Café, then the lit paths after dark.

Where to check prices and hours

• Al Noor Island experiences: passes, prices and hours.
• Al Noor Island contact page: address, phone numbers (+971 6 506 7000 and +971 56 992 9983) and opening hours.
• Visit Sharjah: the emirate’s tourism page for the Butterfly House.

For hotels, restaurants and services nearby, see the Sharjah directory.

Checked against the official sources listed on this page on 7 October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm on the official site before you go. See our editorial policy.