Getting Around | Places of Interest | Shopping | Restaurants | Sport & Leisure | Tours & Safaris |
Abras
Traditional wooden barges, locally referred to as abras, provide a ‘water taxi’
service across the creek between 6:00am and 12:00pm. The journey time is about
five minutes and the cost is 50 fils. Abras can also be rented for an hour or so
at a negotiable rate, (DHS70-100 per hour) which is a particularly pleasant way
to experience the unique architecture of the creek skyline by day and the
spectacular lights on the waterway at night.
Air
CityLink, an amphibious air taxi service between the two Emirates of Abu Dhabi
and Dubai is the first of its kind in the UAE. Operating 22 flights a day, the
service provides the visitor with local transportation facilities at a
reasonable price. The 30-minute service operates from the Abu Dhabi Corniche to
the Dubai Creek Marina at the Golf and Yacht Club.
There are no scheduled internal flights in operation in the UAE, however planes
are readily available for charter. There are numerous small landing fields in
addition to the six international airports.
Buses
The major tourist hotels provide shuttle bus services for guests. Dubai
Municipality operates a reasonable public bus service from 6:00am to 11:00pm.
Adult fares are DHS1-3.50 depending on the destination and should be paid to the
driver on boarding. Passes, timetables and bus maps are available from the bus
stations in Deira and Bur Dubai. Routes and bus numbers are posted in both
Arabic and English. There is a 24-hour shuttle bus from Dubai
International Airport to Deira and Bur Dubai that costs just DHS3.
Air-conditioned buses depart every hour for Hatta and twice a day for Muscat,
Oman (5-6 hours). Inter-Emirate travel to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Northern
Emirates is run by Dubai Transport minibuses; however, you can only board them
in Dubai.
Car Hire
Cars and 4-wheel drives are readily available for hire, the road network is
excellent and there are intriguing places to visit far from the cosmopolitan
cities. Limousines are offered by the main car hire companies on an hourly or
daily basis.
Driving in the City
The car is the most popular method of transport in Dubai, as in the other
Emirates. Dubai has an excellent and well-signposted road network and the
majority of roads have two to four lanes, many of which operate on a roundabout
and U-turn system. In general fast, close driving is to be expected and visitors
are advised to drive defensively. Outside of Dubai, road signposts are rare,
making a good road map or guide essential.
Taxis
Taxis are readily available, offering an efficient, relatively inexpensive
service and are really the best way to get around. They can be flagged down on
the street, pre-booked by telephone or picked up outside your hotel. Taxi
drivers are usually familiar with the main souks, shopping centres, hotels and
major landmarks.
For metered taxis the pick-up fare ranges between DHS3-4 and the distance tariff
is charged at DHS1.17 per kilometre. Fixed fares are applied to journeys outside
the city boundaries. In non-metered taxis expect to pay DHS5 for short journeys
and DHS10-15 for longer journeys within the city.