Al Ain is part of Abu Dhabi emirate, but it sits about 160 km inland against the Omani border. From Zayed International the drive is long, mostly straight and toll-free, one of the simpler UAE airport transfer routes we run, and it never touches Abu Dhabi island.
How the Abu Dhabi airport to Al Ain transfer works
Every flight lands at Terminal A. Send your flight number, Al Ain address and suitcase count on WhatsApp and we reply with a fixed fare for the car. Your driver tracks the flight, waits at the customs exit with a name board and walks you to the short-stay car park. You get 60 minutes of free waiting. The arrivals routine is set out on our Abu Dhabi airport transfer page.
The road: E11 to the E22, then 108 km of desert
From Terminal A the car takes Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street (E10) and a short run on the E11, about 19 km, before turning inland onto the E22 Al Ain Road. That’s the long leg, about 108 km. Along the way you pass Mohamed bin Zayed City, New Al Nahda, the Al Wathba camel racetrack, Al Khatm, Al Khaznah and Abu Samrah. Around Al Maqam, on the edge of Al Ain, the E22 becomes Khalifa bin Zayed Street for the last 20 km or so.
There’s a second road. Sweihan Road (E20) and the E16 make a route about 8 km shorter, but OpenStreetMap routing puts it at about 102 minutes against 97, so it’s the fallback if the E22 is blocked.
No tolls on either. The four Darb gates are on the bridges onto Abu Dhabi island, and the Ghantoot and Al Qurm gates are on other roads entirely. Our Salik and Darb toll guide has the full gate list.
Where we drop in Al Ain
Most drops are in the city centre or around Al Ain Oasis, 157-159 km from the airport. The oasis is part of the “Cultural Sites of Al Ain”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, along with Hili. Al Ain Zoo, Al Jahili Fort and Qasr Al Muwaiji are in the city too.
Jebel Hafeet is the exception. The summit road adds about 16 km and close to half an hour: 11.7 km of mountain road with 60 turns, ending at a car park by the Mercure hotel. The city’s eastern edge is the Omani border at Al Buraimi, which is Oman, not the UAE, so give us an exact address in Al Ain.
Which car for the drive to Al Ain
Ninety minutes is a long time with a case on your lap, so book for the luggage you actually have.
| Who’s travelling | Large cases | Car we’d book |
|---|---|---|
| One or two business travellers | 2 | Lexus ES or Mercedes E-Class |
| A couple on a special trip | 2 | Mercedes S-Class |
| Family of four or five | 4 | GMC Yukon Denali |
| Family of six, or five with a pram | 5 | Chevrolet Suburban or Mercedes V-Class |
| Group of up to ten | 7 | Toyota HiAce |
| Group of up to twelve | 9 | Mercedes Sprinter |
Child seats are available on request; tell us each child’s age when you book.
Taxi, bus or private car to Al Ain
Abu Dhabi’s airport taxis start at AED 20 and run AED 1.82 a km, and on 6 October 2026 Abu Dhabi Mobility launched a new Arabia Taxi fleet at the airport. On a 157 km run, a metered taxi gets expensive and you can’t choose the car. The bus is cheap but slow: no direct service from the terminal, so you go into the city first, as the questions below explain. There’s no Etihad Rail line to Al Ain.
Our view: one traveller on a budget with a day to spare can use the city bus station. A family, anyone landing at night, or a group heading for a Jebel Hafeet hotel should book a car.
Timing: night landings, Fridays and race days
With no toll windows, timing comes down to the two ends. The open E22 runs outside both cities, so a landing between midnight and dawn usually gets close to the clear-road time. Friday prayer is at 12:45 across the UAE this year, so roads near mosques slow down around midday on Fridays.
Jebel Hafeet has been a fixed stage finish of the UAE Tour cycling race since 2019, and the Jabal Hafeet Mercure Challenge climb runs each January. On those days, ask us to check for road closures before you plan a summit drop.
The return trip, and flying via Dubai
For a flight out of AUH, we pick up anywhere in Al Ain and run the same E22 in reverse. Staying in Al Ain for a while? Our chauffeur service in Abu Dhabi covers the emirate, Al Ain included. If your flight lands at DXB, the Dubai airport to Al Ain transfer takes the E66 instead, also toll-free. Trips on to other emirates are covered by our intercity transfer service.
