The Dubai Ferry has now been running in the Emirate for a number of years and is popular with tourists mainly as it allows visitors to see the sights of Dubai from the water.
If you take the ferry between Al Ghubaiba and Dubai Marina then you will get a great view of the coastline and the Palm Island. It is a leisurely trip along the coast that is great just to see the sights from the sea.
The RTA is constantly updating and reassessing the needs of its marine transport system and the Dubai Ferry is being frequently improved and expanded.
Since 2009 Dubai has built up its public transport network including the opening of the Dubai Metro and the Dubai Tram. It now transports millions of passengers each year.
In most countries the term ‘ferry’ would imply a boat that takes you from one place to another for more of a public transport purpose. However, although the Dubai Ferry is run by the RTA (Roads and Transport Authority), the Ferry is more of a tourist trip as many of the trips that are run on the Dubai Ferry, start at one of the ferry stations, tour round areas of local interest, and return to the same station, with each trip lasting for an hour to 90 minutes.
Added to the circular and commuter routes, there are routes that go from one port to another to enable people to get a good view of the shoreline and the canal within Dubai.
There are a number of stations served by the Dubai Ferry at either end of Dubai in Al Ghubaiba, Dubai Marina and although there were also some stations running through the Dubai Water Canal, these have stopped for now.
The ferry runs multiple times a day from each location, for a duration of 60-90 minutes (frequency and times may change so check out the routes page for more info) and the boats are designed for comfort with a snack bar on board and facilities for two classes of passenger as well as two spots for those in wheelchairs.
There are tickets available for gold class and silver class passengers just like on the Dubai Metro, so you can choose your level of comfort. As the ferries are very new they are also very modern and stylish.
The Dubai ferry was opened in 2011 and each boat can take up to 100 passengers. Although it is scheduled to run at certain times, the round trips will only run if there are a minimum of 10 passengers on each trip. (One way trips will run however many people are on them).
The boats can also be hired for private use from the RTA on hourly rental charter packages either with or without seats installed. Contact the RTA on 800 9090 for more info (this site is not run by the RTA but provides information for those who want to use the Dubai Ferry.)
The Dubai Ferry can be a great option for tourists as it enables them to see the city from the sea and get a view of some of the most popular parts of Dubai including the Burj al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah at a great price. Other options for this kind of tourist trip exist but are usually much more expensive so it is worth taking a trip on the Ferry if you are on holiday in Dubai.
Hi,
can i go with the ferry from Al Jaddaf to dubai marina, how long does it take, what´s the price and does the ferry start at 12:00
Thank´s for answering
Yes as you can see from the timings on that page you can get the 12.00 to Dubai Water Canal Station and then change to get the ferry to the marina at 13.50. Each route costs 50 dirhams as per the tickets page.
Hi
I am trying to book 2 Gold Tickets from Ghubaiba To Dubai Marina for Friday 3rd April 2020 at 1pm via the Burjh Khalifa website however it does not accept ? It says 90 then 30 day Ahead ?
Can you help please?
Thanks
Kevin
Availability of tickets on the website does vary. I thought that currently you could only book tickets for the round trip from the Marina and not for the trip from Al Ghubaiba.
Thank you ….. how much time do we need from the Cruise Terminal to the Ferry Terminal at Ghubaiba ?how do recommend we travel To the Ferry Terminal please?
Hello. Are the circular trips from Dubai Marina at 3 and at 5 o’clock exactly the same? I am interested for the combo tickets with Burj Khalifa, so i have to choose between the two departures.
No, the 3pm goes to Burj al Arab and the 5pm goes to Atlantis.
Is the ferry running today the 8th of Jan 2020.
What are the timings today from Ghubaiba?
As this site is not run by the RTA we do not post daily updates so please contact the RTA if you are in doubt that a service may be running (i.e. weather conditions etc)
What are the ferry timings for Jan 1st 2020?
Hi, check out the news section and the timings have been added there.
I would like to know if we can hire the water taxi boat on hire for a period of 1 month + extension of 1 month
Please to hear and would request you to kindly advice us the full contact details with email id to approach for the same.
Please urgently advice
Hi, you need to contact the RTA on 800 9090.
Hi, we would like to take the ferry from Al Ghubaiba to Dubai Marina. How long is the trip on the ferry itself? Is there a need to buy tickets beforehand or can these be bought on-site? Is it usually crowded?
Please check the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Hi,
Can someone update the ferry timings from Sharjah, it starts at 7:00 AM not 5:00 AM as mentioned here.
Thanks.
Thank you, I have updated all of the timings for the Sharjah ferry.
Hi…I’m a bit worried about how hot its going to be…is the boat air conditioned?
Thank you,
Graham
Yes the boat is air conditioned so you can stay inside for as long as you want to in the cool!
Hi Can I use the offer of Free Ride for Emirates NDB Go for it Gold card on this Friday (13/09/2019) ? And can you please state the timing and ride start port?
Please see this post re the Emirates NBD free rides.
Can you smoke on board?
I don’t believe you can smoke inside the cabin but you would have to check with the RTA if you can smoke outside on the deck.
Is there a discount for people of determination? Especially interested if it’s a discount available for tourists from other countries that do not have Sanad card.
No discounts are advertised but you could call the RTA to check.
can i bring my cycle
Call the RTA on 800 9090 to check.
Hello, when will Dubai Ferry travel from Al Ghubaiba to Dubai Marina on November 14, 2019?
All timings are shown on the Routes page – if there are any changes we will endeavour to update the site.
Is it correct to take the fr1 boat from dubai marina to canal station, to pass in front of atlantis and burj al arab? I read that I can’t advance book online. will I find a place on the boat? or is there a risk that I remain on the ground?
Hi francy, if you are worried about not getting on a particular sailing then make sure you arrive in good time. It is rare that a boat is full apart from on public holidays, some Fridays and other such occasions.
Le ferry que j’ai pris était dans un état déplorable : odeur d’humidité et fuite de la clim au dessus du siege 5B / ferry DFF 3207 DC350 Ferry -6.
J’ai fait part de ce probleme au personnel navigant, l’un d’eux m’a demandé de changer de place, mais je lui est expliqué que je voulais resté près de la vitre car c’était mon but, ceux pourquoi j’ai payé, et au lieu de me trouver une place en 1ere classe qui était vide, il m’a regardé de haut en bas, et puis est partie sans me trouver une solution adéquate.
Ca sera ma premiere fois et ma derniere et je ne recommande absolument pas cette excursion.
I’m sorry you had such a bad experience on the Ferry, it may be worth sending your complaint to the RTA to see how they respond.
Good morning, I want to buy a ticket to visit Burj Khalifa Tower on August 19th. I see there is package for Burj Khalifa & Dubai Ferry. The Burj Khalifa proposes tickets at 3pm or 5pm. Which one you advise me take if I want to do the both activities.
Thanks in advance for your answer.
The Burj Khalifa tickets are valid at any off peak hours on the same day so it depends what time you want to visit the Burj but the 5pm may give you more time to do it then go to the marina.
We have booked through Burj Khalifa website for Round Trip Dubai Marina (Adult – 4; Child – 4). Our schedule is on August 6 @ 5:00 PM unfortunately, due to unavoidable circumstance we were not able to go with our schedule. Please let us know if we can request to reschedule our trip to August 9 at 5:00 PM. Thanks and Regards, Emmanuel
Confirmation Code: 8205027609813
You will need to contact the booking agents.
I have used the ferry from Sharjah marine station to Ghubaiba n I’ve found the trip to be very pleasant. Would love to make it a regular commutation medium however the one way fare of AED 15/- is quite high I will say hence forced to rethink. Pls consider a revision on the rates atleast for 2-way trips and daily commuters.
Hi Juby, it is good that they trip is very pleasant and it does seem good value at 15 dirhams for a one way ticket but you are right, for those who wish to take a return trip every day for commuting purposes it does get expensive. We are not part of the RTA here but wouldn’t be surprised if a season ticket fare was introduced some time in the future in line with the ones you can buy for the metro/tram/bus. It may well be that the RTA are waiting to see how popular the trip is with commuters first.
Good day Madam,
I am a Marine Engineer. Please am looking for a job with Dubai Ferry.
Please can how can i apply for a job on one of your ferries?
As per the FAQs page you need to apply to the RTA.
Hello, how can I book the tickets for Al Ghubaiba circular trip?
You can only book tickets in advance that are shown on the Burj Khalifa website so check it out there – otherwise you just need to turn up at the ferry terminal about 15-30 minutes before the trip.
How I can buy the tickets any numbers contact?
See FAQs page.