The below Dubai Ferry routes/timings information is accurate to the best of our knowledge. If in any doubt, please contact the RTA on 800 9090 for clarification on any of the trips shown.
Routes are occasionally changed and we will endeavour to keep these up to date.
Ferry Terminals
The Dubai Ferry currently runs from six ferry terminals: Dubai Marina, Bluewater Marine Transport Station, Al Ghubaiba, Dubai Canal Station, Sharjah Aquarium and Souk al Marfa.
The first two stations to operate were at Al Ghubaiba and Dubai Marina, with a terminal at Al Mamzar introduced in October 2014 – However, Al Mamzar no longer runs services due to lack of demand. The service also used to run along Dubai Water Canal to Al Jadaf but this has changed to a Water Taxi service.
The ferry service between Dubai and Sharjah was suspended after the 2020 pandemic but has now resumed and you can find full details of that service here.
Ferry services run 7 days a week.
The Al Ghubaiba terminal is a minutes walk from the Al Ghubaiba Metro station, near the creek abra stations.
The Marina terminal is a short walk (about 500 yards to the left) from outside the Marina Mall.
The Bluewater Marine Transport Station is on the island that holds the AIN Dubai ferris wheel, just off the marina.
Souk al Marfa is on Deira Islands.
There are circular tourist type trips that run for approximately 1 hour from each terminal and there are trips that run from one terminal to the other (which take around 1h 55m minutes for the trips between the Marina and Al Ghubaiba).
As there are sometimes changes to the schedule it is worth contacting the RTA in advance to check on sailing times.
All Routes Map
Here is a summary map of the routes that are covered by the Dubai Ferry. You can click on the map to see a larger version.
Below is a summary of the timings of the Dubai Ferry but you can find specific details on this page.
Trips from Dubai Marina:
| 11.30am | Sightseeing circular trip to Palm Jumeirah and Atlantis and back |
| 1pm | One way trip to Al Ghubaiba with a stop at Bluewaters and Dubai Water Canal |
| 4.30pm | Sightseeing circular trip to Palm Jumeirah and Atlantis and back |
| 6pm | One way trip to Al Ghubaiba with a stop at Bluewaters and Dubai Water Canal |
Trips from Al Ghubaiba:
| 1pm | One way trip to Dubai Marina with a stop at Dubai Water Canal and Bluewaters |
| 4.30pm | Circular Tourist trip within the Creek – we understand that this trip is currently not running. |
| 6pm | One way trip to Dubai Marina with a stop at Dubai Water Canal and Bluewaters |
Trips from Dubai Water Canal Marine Station
| Ferry Direction | 1 | 2 |
| To Al Ghubaiba | 14:25 | 19:25 |
| To Dubai Marina | 13:50 | 18:50 |
Sharjah to Dubai
| Friday, Saturday, Sunday | 2pm, 4pm, 6pm & 9pm |
| Monday to Thursday | 7am, 8.30am, 1pm, 4.45pm, 6.15pm |
Dubai to Sharjah
| Friday, Saturday, Sunday | 3pm, 5pm, 8pm & 10pm |
| Monday to Thursday | 7.45am, 10am, 4pm, 5.30pm,7pm |
Scheduled circular services (services that start and leave from the same station) will only run with at least 12 passengers. You can also privately hire the boats for your own trip at any available time between 9am and 9pm. Evening trips are busier so you may need to get to the terminal well in advance of the sailing (30 minutes or more).
Both circular routes run along the shore from the terminus with views of the coastline and the many local attractions, they run for one hour and then return from the place they started from. In this way they are really just excursions rather than a means to actually get anywhere within Dubai.
Dubai Marina
This is the tourist route covered by the Dubai Marina ferry which runs at 11.30am:
There is also a route running from Dubai Marina and out to the Burj al Arab for 60-90 minutes at 4.30pm. Trips may change – see table above for current trips available.
In addition you can travel at 1pm and 6pm from Dubai Marina to Al Ghubaiba. This stops at Dubai Canal Station and BlueWaters en route.
Al Ghubaiba
The route covered by the Al Ghubaiba ferry for the circular trip at 4.30pm is shown below. However, note that the route may be subject to change. There is a 3pm circular trip that previously ran within Dubai Creek – check with the RTA for the current route.
In addition there is a ferry running from Al Ghubaiba to Dubai Marina Ferry terminal at 1pm and 6pm. This stops at Dubai Canal Station and BlueWaters en route.
Souk al Marfa
In March 2022 a new ferry route was launched to Souk al Marfa on Dubai Islands. It ran from 6pm to 10pm on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. However, this trip no longer runs and marine access to Souk al Marfa is now just by abra.
Ticket Prices
Ticket prices are shown here.
The Dubai Ferry can be hired for private trips with no seats so that guests can mingle. It costs 2800 dirhams per hour (prices may change).
Do we need to book in advance for 1 hour circular trip from Sheikh Zayed Road Station. We five to six members would like to avail the facility coming Friday 16th February 2018. What time the first circular trips starts and how many minutes early we need to be present at the station.
You can’t book any trips in advance at present. The circular trips are supposed to start at 6pm – they may need a minimum number of passengers (usually 10) for the trip to go. You should arrive about 20 minutes before to buy tickets and check the trip is running.
Hi, I want to go from Dubai Canal Station to Al Jadaf with the 14.05 ferry but I am unable to find any confirmation on the website of the RTA for this trip. Are you sure this schedule is operating?
Hi, yes that is why we publish the schedule here as it is often difficult to find the information on the RTA site. You could try calling them on 056 2190276 to confirm but it only won’t run in exceptional circumstances (e.g. bad weather).
Hello Admin,
Could you please confirm timing on Friday. Is it same as other days? i.e. 11, 1, and 6.30 PM?
How long would one way trip from Al Ghubaiba to Dubai Marina take?
Thank you
Yes, the same every day. It takes around 90 minutes.
I am staying at the Oberio in Business Bay. Is there a ferry that would connect me to the Gold and Spice Souk?
Not unless you got the ferry out to the end of the canal and then caught another one that is going towards Al Ghubaiba but there are easier ways of getting there!
Good afternoon.
The 1350 service from Duba Canal to Dubai Marina on 12 January 2018 left 5 minutes early (off the platform at 1345) leaving families with kids stranded at the Dubai Canal stop.
The clerk at the ticket booth informed them that the service was leaving at 1350 and was told back that the boat was already gone by 1347 which I checked on my phone was true and accurate.
Please talk to your employee. I understand that people rely on this service to go to work but there are families around who pay and enjoy the route as well if they are not most of your passengers.
I personally enjoyed the service from Dubai Canal to Al Jadaf.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards.
This Dubai Water Canal Ferry Circular Round trip (1hr) leaves from the Canal station EVERY HOUR?? What is the Schedule? Reply soon. Thanks
No, the round trip goes from Sheikh Zayed Road Station but it may only go depending on numbers so you would have to check at that station for specific details.
Hi,
What are the departures timings from Dubaï Marina to Al Ghubabiba ?
And how long is the trip?
Thanks
Trip timings are shown above and as per the FAQs trips take 60-90 minutes.
I booked for 31 DEC new year ferry trip, will there be food provided on board?
I don’t believe that food is normally served on these trips (you can call one of the numbers above for clarification) but there is a refreshment service on board.
How is possible to reserve place for the eve new years cruise?
Check out this post for details.
Hi Admin,
I want to use ENBD Go4it Credit card for Dubai Marina Circular trip and it says i get the offer only for 2pm on 4th Friday of the month. In the page above i do not see any schedule for 2pm. Can you clarify whether it is 2pm or 5pm?
Thanks.
Hi, please check out this page for the full information on the free trip. Our understanding is that it is run exclusively for Emirates NBD card holders.
Hii, I am staying in Al Ghubaiba, I have nbd go4it gold credit card, I want t to take a ride on Dubai ferry Round trip from Al Ghubaiba water transport station up to the area close to Burj Al Arab, so where can I get a ticket for this ride on Friday, I want two tickets, is both tickets are free? please let me know.
thanks
Yes, on the trip that free tickets are available you can get tickets for 2 adults and 2 children.
I will be staying in WTC Novotel hotel in December; Which route you would suggest more interesting for us?
Hi, it depends what you want to see but from WTC you can get the metro to 3 of the departure points – Marina, Al Ghubaiba and Al Jadaf so you could take any of those trips.
Hi
We plan to use the ‘inside route’ on January 6th
How many times do you have an ‘inside route’ at 3:00 pm in Dubai Marina?
How much do I charge for 6 adults?
Where can I book a ticket?
Thanks in advance.
Hi, the route at 3pm runs to the Burj al Arab from the Marina. Ticket prices are shown on the tickets page. You book at the ticket office in the Marina at time of travel.
I am looking for a site seeing round, especially the colorful waterfalls at night.
If I am put up in Bur Dubai, which is the recommended tour and time?
Check out this post
Dear all:
I’m just asking about the time you open the booking “is it hours or days?” in advance for 5pm Sightseeing circular trips: Dubai Marina to Atlantis and back. I know the booking is not available for online.
Thank you
It is usually less than 30 minutes before.
Any water canal circular trips (for tourists) on a Friday morning?
No, not currently.
Which is the nearest ferry stop to the Bastikya area? If travelling from Dubai Marina to and from Bastikya – what are the timings? Hoping to leave Marina in the morning between 9am – 11am and return in the afternoon?
Thanks, Linda
Hi Linda, Al Ghubaiba is not far from Bastakiya so you can go from the Marina – timings shown above.
Which route will cover beauty of water canal and entire cityview ?
I’m not sure what area of the city you want to see. There are trips down the canal or else along the shoreline as shown above. If you take the evening trip from Al Jadaf you can get a nice view of sunset over the Burj Khalifa. See this post for more details: http://dubai-ferry.com/al-jadaf-ferry-terminal/
I am reading conflicting reviews about the size of your boats. Some Trip Advisor reviews say the boats are small and only carry 8 people, making for a very nice, uncrowded trip. Your site (and other reviewers) say boats carry 100 people and back deck can be quite crowded and difficult to find room there. Is this dependent on route and time? Do you know what size boat I might expect on the 6:30 route from Dubai marina to Al Ghubaiba on Saturday, Nov. 25th? Is this a very busy route and time?
Also, does the boat run near shore for good views or is it farther off shore?
Maybe people are getting confused with the Dubai Water Taxi which can carry 10 people but is a lot more expensive and runs on demand. The ferries all have 100 seats no matter which route. Weekends are busy, especially as the weather improves so you might find that trip busy. You do get quite good views from the ferry on that trip.
Please update your website, yesterday I went to Al Jadaf to catch Dubai Ferry to Dubai Design District and your agent said there is no more D3 marine station exist.
Apologies, that is on my list for updating.
Sheikh Zayed Road Station Round trip from 6 pm onwards.
1, What is the circular route?
2, What is the ferry frequency?
3, If we reach thre by 6.30 pm can we catch the 7 pm ferry?
4, Does it go till Al Ghoubaiba?
Thanks a lot in advance.
I think it is early days for this circular trip from SZR Marine Station therefore it probably runs on demand. In theory it goes hourly but I suspect that there are not enough people to warrant that so you may just need to go there and see if you can get on one of the ferries. It just runs within the canal, Sorry I don’t have the route.