There are many Dubai abra routes that run in and around Dubai and aim to give you a view of the surrounding area from the water. They are often run as round trips, returning to the original destination. However, there are only two main abra services that are specifically designed to get people to places, whether that be for business or for pleasure.
The two main routes for the Dubai abra that run across the creek are as follows:
Route 1 (shown in red on the map below) runs from Bur Dubai to Deira Old Soukh and back again and Route 2 (shown in yellow below) runs from Al Sabkha Abra station to Dubai Old Soukh abra station.
Route 1 runs from 5am until midnight and route 2 runs for 24 hours a day.
The services cost 1 dirham each way and you give the driver your money as you get on the abra.
That is not to say that these abra routes are not used by tourists, they certainly are. For example, if you want to go and visit the gold soukh then really you can take either of the creek abras but the second route brings you slightly closer. The spice soukh and the textile soukh are on the Al Ghubaiba side of the creek and are also worth a visit although the prices in the soukh can be somewhat geared towards tourists.
So if you visit soukhs on one side of the creek and then take an abra across to the other soukh, that is often a good morning or afternoon out when you are visiting Dubai.
In addition to the two creek routes above, the other routes that are currently operating abra services are as follows:
Atlantis
An abra service has been introduced at the Atlantis hotel whereby guests can take a trip on an electric powered abra from Al Nassimi beach and around the surrounding area.
This is a great addition to the other abra services that have been introduced by the RTA and all new abra services run with these ‘green’ abras (actually they call them blue abras but they are green in terms of being environmentally friendly!).
The trip costs 65 dirhams per person and the service runs daily from 1pm until 9pm with each abra having the capacity of carrying up to 6 passengers. The trip lasts about 20 minutes and gives guests the ability to have a view of the shoreline from inside the waters of the Palm.
Further details can be obtained either by calling the RTA on 800 9090 or by contacting the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah.
Burj Plaza
The RTA has launched an electric abra service at Burj Plaza which enables visitors to have a trip on the lake outside of the Burj Khalifa and to get a view of the water fountains that operate there.
The abras operate on weekday evenings, allowing up to 9 passengers to get a spectacular view of the fountains and each trip costs 65 dirhams. The trips run from 6pm until 11pm.
If you want to take a trip on an abra at the Dubai lake then you can buy a ticket from the self service kiosks right near the abra station.
There will be additional abra stations opened in due course near this location to maximise the opportunity for visitors to further expand their Dubai experience.
The area around the lake is a big hotspot for tourists due to the Burj Khalifa which is the world’s tallest building, together with the Dubai mall and the evening shows from the fountains. There is certainly plenty to see there for anyone who visits.
Dubai Marina
The Dubai Marina abras operate the route that was previously set out for the Dubai Water Bus. The Water Buses were upgraded to air-conditioned abras in early 2018 and so the Water Buses no longer operate in Dubai.
There are 4 stations around which the Marina abras travel.
In Dubai Marina the abras travel in one line between the stations which are:
- Marina Promenade
- Marina Mall
- Marina Walk
- Marina Terrace
You can go from
Dubai Marina Walk to Marina Terrace
Dubai Marina Mall to Marina Promenade
Dubai Marina Walk to Dubai Marina Mall
and vice versa.
Marina Abra Map
The hours of operation are 10am until 11pm, Saturday to Thursday and 12pm to 12am on Fridays and Public holidays.
Trips run every 20 minutes except from peak hours on Fridays when they run every 15 minutes (between 4pm and 7pm).
At the Marina Mall station you can also take trips on the Dubai Ferry or else transfer to the Tram which is just the other side of the Mall.
Ticket Prices
In order to use the Marina abras you will need to have a Nol card to pay for your travel. You can buy Nol cards from any marine transport station, Metro station or from many other outlets.
The cost of a trip on the Dubai Marina abras is shown in the graphic below.
Some trips cost 3 dirhams, and the longer trip between Marina Walk and Marina Mall costs 5 dirhams.
You can combine trips so for example if you travel from Marina Terrace to Marina Mall then the ticket will cost you 8 dirhams.
You cannot use the Abras on a one day, 7 day or longer duration season ticket – you need to pay for each single or return trip separately with your Nol card. You can buy a Nol card for travel on the abras at any of the Marine Transport stations or at Metro and Tram stations.
There are ticket offices at each of the Marine transport stations so that you can find out all about tickets and journeys for the trips you plan to make.
Dubai Water Canal
The abra service at Dubai Water Canal started operations in February 2017 for an initial trial period of 3 months. The RTA announced that this expansion to the abra routes would provide more opportunities for tourists and residents to see the sights of Dubai from the water.
The service runs on demand from the Sheikh Zayed Road Marine Transport Station from 4pm until 11.30pm.
The cost of a trip is 25 dirhams per rider for a tourist trip from the Marine Transport Station but there needs to be a minimum of 8 riders for the trip to run.
Otherwise the abra can be hired for 300 dirhams for an hour and takes a maximum of 20 passengers.
This abra service gives a lovely view of the route along the Dubai Water Canal which opened recently including the fountain that runs off the bridge over Sheikh Zayed Road – and no, you don’t get wet when going under the fountain in a boat as it is automatically turned off when boats pass underneath!