Which Dubai Airport is best to fly or closest to City?

There are two airports that serve Dubai; Dubai Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum Airport (DWC). Dubai airport is closest to the city centre just 22 miles away, its fast public transport (Dubai Metro train) will get you to central Dubai in 42 minutes. Al Maktoum airport is the furthest from central Dubai at 25.7 miles and there are no public transport serving this airport except taxis which takes 35 minutes to the city centre. From these airports, you can visit any attractions in and around the city.

Compare airport distances and transfer times to the center of Dubai by public transport below.

Distance to Central Cities:

Al Maktoum Airport: 25.7 miles / 41.4 km
Dubai Airport: 22 miles / 35 km

Dubai Airport to the Central Dubai Journey Times:

By Train (Dubai RTA Metro Red Line): 42 minutes
By Bus (Dubai RTA Bus Line 10): 75 minutes
By Taxi: 30 minutes

Al Maktoum Airport to Central Dubai Journey Times:

By Taxi: 35 minutes

Dubai airport is the best airport to fly into when flying to Dubai. It is closer to the major attractions and the city centre, from the airport passengers can get to Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa in 33 minutes. The airport is served by good public transport links by metro train, and bus which is very convenient with direct lines from the airport to the city centre and some of the top attractions. It takes around 42 minutes to central dubai by train. Dubai airport is served by top airlines such as Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air India, British Airways, Emirates, KLM, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and more handle both domestic and international flights to most cities in the world. Although it is best to fly into in Dubai, you should expect some flight delays, long queues and a lot of crowd, the airport has 3 terminals but is served by inter-terminal shuttle for passenger transfer between terminals.

DWC (Al Maktoum airport) is the second international airport serving Dubai. The airport handles both domestic and some seasonal international flights to other cities in the world through airlines such as Aeroflot, Azur Air, Belavia, Condor, flydubai, I-Fly, Neos, Nordwind Airlines, Pegas Fly, Smartlynx Airlines Estonia, TUI fly Deutschland, Ural Airlines, and Wizz Air. It is further away from the city centre and its attractions, it is only served by taxi to central Dubai with a journey time of 35 minutes. The airport is still under construction and currently has a single functional terminal building which handles fewer crowd compared to DXB, so it experiences shorter queues and less flight delays.

Dubai airport is a better option for travellers flying into Dubai because of its close proximity to the city centre and its top attractions. The airport benefits from its fast and comfortable public transport services that will get you to central Dubai in 42 minutes by train. But as the major airport serving Dubai. You should expect to experience longer queues at security/immigration, flight delays at the airport.

Dubai is one of the cities in the world with amazing sights to see, and from Dubai airport passengers can get to Burj Khalifa in 33 minutes using the metro train at the airport for $1-$2. Alternatively, you can use taxi or Uber from $12-$15 each. Some of the other attractions to see in the city include Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, The Dubai Mall, Palm Jumeirah, Palm Islands, Palm Islands, Dubai Marina, Al Fahidi Fort, The Dubai Fountain, Jumeirah Beach, Ski Dubai, Dubai Creek, Madinat Jumeirah, Wild Wadi Water Park, The World, Dubai Spice Souk, Aquaventure Waterpark, Jumeirah Mosque, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Al Bastakiya, The Lost Chambers Aquarium, Dubai Dolphinarium, Saeed Al Maktoum House, Emirates Towers, Grand Mosque, Public Beach, Dubai Zoo, Dubai Miracle Garden, The Walk, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Heritage Village, Dolphin Bay, Palm Jebel Ali, IMG Worlds of Adventure, Al Mamzar Beach Park, Dubai Opera, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Jumeirah Public Beach, Deira Island, At The Top Burj Khalifa, Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Burj Khalifa Lake, Motiongate Dubai, Legoland Dubai, Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and many more.

From Dubai Airport by:

Train (Dubai RTA Metro Red Line): $1-$2 - https://www.rta.ae/links/timetables/en/timetables.html Train runs every 10 minutes, last train takes off by 12:00AM night (1:00 am Thur & Fri.)

Bus (Dubai RTA Bus Line 10): $5- https://www.rta.ae/links/timetables/en/timetables.html Bus runs every 30 minutes from 05:45-12:00 midnight.

Taxi: $22 - $27 -http://dtc.dubai.ae/en/Pages/default.aspxAvailable 24/7.

Uber: $26-$35 - https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate// Available on demand.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at

From Al Maktoum Airport by:

Taxi: $22-$27 -http://dtc.dubai.ae/en/Pages/default.aspxAvailable 24/7 at the airport.
But Private taxes are cheaper than Airport taxis, here to Book at

Hotel prices can vary greatly depending on how far in advance you book, the demand for rooms, and which hotel you book but the prices below will give you a rough idea and you can do further research and hotel booking at https://www.tripindicator.com/hotel.html

Dubai Airport Hotels: From $250 per day .
Al Maktoum Airport Hotels: From $66 per night

All of the airports mentioned offer competitive prices and a range of cars to suit your needs. Prices are based on the type of car, driver age, length of hire, and demand but you can get a rough idea for each airport below.

Dubai Airport Car Rental:
Budget Cars: (Honda Fit, Ford Figo etc) $67.20 per day
Intermediate Cars: (Peugeot 408, Toyota Corolla, etc) $68.62 per day
Luxury Cars: (BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E Class etc) $310.54 per day

Compare prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/car-hire/dubai-airport.html

Al Maktoum Airport Car Rental:
Budget Cars: (Honda Fit, Ford Figo etc) $67.20 per day
Intermediate Cars: (Peugeot 408, Toyota Corolla, etc) $68.62 per day
Luxury Cars: (BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E Class etc) $310.54 per day

Compare prices here - https://www.tripindicator.com/

Dubai Airport (DXB) is the main airport serving Dubai and major airlines operate from this airport with flights to many major cities across the globe.

Dubai Airport has 3terminal buildings with four concourses. T1 houses concourse D, while T3 has concourse's A, B, & C, T2 is not a modern terminal like T1 & T3.Al Maktoum Airport still has most parts under construction, it is set to have 3 terminals once completed, one will handles Emirates passengers, another for International flights and the last for budget airlines. But as it stands, only one terminal is operational at the airport for now and it handles domestic and seasonal international flights.

Dubai Airport is 35 km to the city centre making it the closest airport to central Dubai. The fastest mode of transport is by taxi which takes just 30 minutes to get to where all the main attractions are in central Dubai.

At DXB, Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre (5-star), Roda Al Bustan (5-star), and Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai (4-Star). At DWC, Aloft Dubai South (3-Star)- $180, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa (5-star), and easyHotel Dubai Jebel Ali (1-Star).

If you are using any of the Dubai airports, it is important that you know some of the best things to do near the airports such as a visit to the tallest building in the world ‘Burj Khalifa' , Dubai Fountain, The Dubai Mall, Al Majlis, Zen Gardens, rest in a five star hotel, Enjoy a good meal at the airport restaurants, go on raptor team tour, desert safari Dubai, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, and many more.