Dubai Metro and the Nol card: a complete guide

Dubai’s Metro is clean, cheap, air-conditioned and almost always faster than a taxi during the day. It is also the single biggest thing standing between a visitor and a large taxi bill. Here is everything you need to use it properly.

The two lines

• Red Line — the one you will use. Runs from the airport along Sheikh Zayed Road through Downtown, Business Bay, Al Barsha, the Marina and out to Expo City.
• Green Line — loops through old Dubai: Deira, the Creek, Bur Dubai, Al Fahidi.

They interchange at Union and BurJuman. If you are going between new Dubai and old Dubai, you will change at one of those two.

The nol card and ticket options

A nol Silver card is a pay-as-you-go option, but RTA also lists a paper nol Red Ticket and QR tickets for a single trip or a 1 Day Pass. Check the available option in nol Pay, S’hail or at the Metro station.

Use a separate card or ticket for each fare-paying passenger. Do not plan to tap one card through for several people travelling together.

What it costs

Fares are zone-based:

• Within one zone — AED 3
• Two zones — AED 5
• Three or more zones — AED 7.50

Do not confuse a card travel pass with a daily ticket: RTA lists a QR 1 Day Pass that ends at midnight on the day it is first used. Compare its current fare and coverage with your planned journeys before buying.

Matrix checked against RTA’s official nol fares on 11 October 2026. Gold travel-pass prices are double Silver in that table. Anonymous Silver and Gold cards support the 7-day pass only; 30-, 90- and 365-day passes require registration. Student and senior columns are RTA concession categories, not automatic discounts for every visitor, foreign student or older traveller. Confirm eligibility before buying.

A paper Red Ticket has a separate AED 2 issue fee, then regular fares of AED 4 for one zone, AED 6 for two adjacent zones or AED 8.50 for more than two; Gold fares are double. For Silver and Gold cards, RTA’s issuance service splits AED 25 into AED 6 issuance and AED 19 stored credit. The credit is included in the purchase price.

Children: RTA’s fare table says age 5 and below travel free, while its nol top-up service page says under 5. Both cover children under 5; confirm with the ticket office for a child aged exactly 5. We do not use the older brochure’s 90 cm condition to resolve that discrepancy.

Is a weekly pass better value?

A regular-class fare comparison, not a recommendation for every itinerary: the all-zone 7-day pass costs AED 110. Fifteen separate journeys at AED 7.50 total AED 112.50; fourteen total AED 105. Count charged journeys, not every train change, and choose the zones you actually need. This calculation excludes card issuance and transport outside the pass coverage.

Opening hours

05:00 to midnight Monday to Thursday and Saturday, 05:00 to 01:00 on Friday, and 08:00 to midnight on Sunday. It does not run in the early hours. If you land at 03:00, take a taxi — see getting from DXB to your hotel.

Stations that matter to visitors

• Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall — for Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and the Fountain. ⚠️ It is a 15-minute covered walk from the platform to the mall — not a two-minute one.
• Mall of the Emirates — directly connected to the mall.
• DMCC / Sobha Realty — for Dubai Marina; connects to the tram for JBR.
• Sharaf DG (formerly Al Fahidi) (Green Line) — for the old quarter and the abra station.
• Al Ras (Green Line) — for the Gold Souk and Spice Souk.

Rules people get caught by

• No eating or drinking anywhere in stations or trains — including water. Fines are real and enforced.
• The first carriage is Gold Class and the next section is women and children only. Men entering either by mistake get fined.
• Large luggage is restricted at peak times.
• Tap in and tap out. Forgetting to tap out charges you the maximum fare.

The tram, buses and the Palm monorail

The Dubai Tram runs through the Marina and JBR and connects to the Metro; the same Nol card works. Buses also take Nol and are cheap but slow.

The Palm Monorail operator currently announces a temporary service suspension for maintenance until further notice. Check the operator’s website before including it in your route, and arrange another way to your destination while service is suspended.

When to take a taxi instead

• After the last suitable train from your station in your direction; check S’hail or station information rather than assuming the network closing time is your last departure.
• Three or more people travelling together — the fares stack up and a taxi becomes competitive
• Anywhere the Metro does not reach: the Palm, most of Jumeirah, Kite Beach, the desert camps
• Peak-hour Sheikh Zayed Road traffic is when the Metro wins hardest — do not take a taxi at 08:00 or 18:00

Common questions

Can I pay with a bank card at the gate?

Do not assume that a bank card is itself a ticket at the gate. Use a valid nol card or ticket under RTA’s current options; paying for or topping up a ticket with a bank card is a different transaction.

Can two people share one Nol card?

Do not rely on one card for several people on the same journey; arrange a separate card or ticket for each fare-paying passenger.

Is there a Metro to the Palm?

The Metro does not directly serve the Palm’s attractions. Choose your station and onward transport using RTA’s map for your destination; the former Nakheel station is now Al Fardan Exchange. Do not rely on the Monorail while its service is suspended.

Does the Metro go to Abu Dhabi?

No. Use the intercity bus from Al Ghubaiba station.

Ticket options, fares and hours can change; check the relevant RTA service and your journey before buying. editorial policy.