The Dubai airport to Abu Dhabi transfer, road by road
This is the longest of our UAE transfer routes out of Dubai International, and the one where the choice of road matters most. Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall at Terminal 1, 2 or 3 with a name board, as on every Dubai airport pickup, and the car waits in the terminal car park.
From Terminal 3 the usual line runs along Nad Al Hamar Road and Al Rebat Street to Business Bay Crossing, then Al Khail Road onto Sheikh Zayed Road, the E11. That’s 48 km through Al Safa, Al Barsha and Jebel Ali. Hessyan, about 60 km out, is the last Dubai locality. By Ghantoot, around km 72, you’re in Abu Dhabi emirate and the E11 has become Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Road.
Yas Island comes up at about km 132. For the city, the driver takes the E12 across Yas and Saadiyat, then Sheikh Khalifa Bridge and the Mina Zayed tunnel onto Corniche Road.
Tolls on the way: Salik, Ghantoot and the bridge
That line passes up to five Salik gates: Business Bay Crossing, the Al Safa pair (charged once within an hour), Al Barsha and Jebel Ali. Then Darb takes over. The Ghantoot gate on the E11 has charged AED 4 a crossing around the clock since 4 May 2026, says Abu Dhabi Mobility. Sheikh Khalifa Bridge charges AED 4 from 7am to 9am and 3pm to 7pm, Monday to Saturday.
When Sheikh Zayed Road is solid, the driver can swing inland on the E311, which skips its gates. Our Salik and Darb guide explains both systems. Your fare is fixed before the trip, so none of this changes what you pay.
How long does the Dubai airport to Abu Dhabi taxi ride take?
Plan on 1 hr 45 min to 2 hr from DXB to the Corniche on clear roads, and up to 2 hr 45 min if you land into the evening rush. OpenStreetMap routing gives 121 minutes for the 163 km, which tends to run long on open motorway. Yas Island and Zayed International are about 15 minutes closer.
| You land at DXB | What the roads are doing | Typical drive to the Corniche |
|---|---|---|
| 1am-6am, any day | Salik free, Darb bridges free, Ghantoot still charges | 1 hr 45 min - 2 hr |
| 6am-10am, Monday to Saturday | Salik peak, Darb bridge peak 7am-9am | 2 hr - 2 hr 30 min |
| 10am-4pm, Monday to Saturday | Salik low-peak, Darb bridges free until 3pm | 1 hr 45 min - 2 hr 15 min |
| 4pm-8pm, Monday to Saturday | Both peaks at once | 2 hr 15 min - 2 hr 45 min |
| Sunday, daytime | Salik flat rate, no Darb bridge charge | 1 hr 45 min - 2 hr 15 min |
TomTom’s 2025 traffic index puts Dubai’s slowest hour at 6pm, when trips take about three quarters longer than free flow. In Ramadan, Salik moves its peak to 9am-5pm and the commute moves with it.
Where in Abu Dhabi we drop you
Yas Island is the simplest stop: the Yas Plaza hotels, W Yas Island, Hilton Yas Bay and Etihad Arena are all reached without a Darb bridge. Saadiyat, with the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the beach hotels, comes next on the E12 and is also short of the bridge.
The Corniche, Al Khalidiyah and Emirates Palace are on Abu Dhabi island, so they mean one bridge crossing. Terminal A at Zayed International is about 132 km from DXB, close to the Yas drive. For a car during your stay, our chauffeur service in Abu Dhabi works by the hour.
Bus or taxi instead of a private car?
A Dubai Taxi from the rank runs on the meter for all 163 km, with Salik added at each gate. RTA’s E101 bus leaves Ibn Battuta for Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station, and the E100 leaves Al Ghubaiba; Abu Dhabi Mobility prices the corridor at AED 25. The catch is reaching them: Ibn Battuta is at the far end of the Red Line, the Metro allows two bags per person, and on Sundays it opens at 8am.
Our view: a solo traveller with a backpack landing at midday can take the Metro and bus. A family, two people with suitcases or anyone landing after midnight should book the car.
Going the other way: Abu Dhabi to DXB for a flight
Leave Abu Dhabi island between 3pm and 7pm and you cross a Darb bridge at peak, pass Ghantoot again and reach Dubai inside the Salik evening peak. Tell us your departure terminal, because Terminal 2 has no link to T1 or T3. Dubai Airports limits waiting at the departures drop-off, so the driver unloads and moves on.
Landing in Abu Dhabi instead? The Abu Dhabi airport to Dubai transfer covers the drive from Terminal A. For hotel-to-hotel trips, see our intercity transfers between emirates.
Which car for two hours on the E11
One or two executives who want to work in the back should book the Mercedes S-Class: three seats, two large cases. A family of five with four big suitcases bound for Yas needs a GMC Yukon Denali, or the Mercedes V-Class if there’s a pushchair too. A team flying in for ADIPEC at ADNEC, 2-5 November 2026, fits a Toyota HiAce with ten seats. Child seats are fitted on request, so tell us each child’s age.
