Routes/Timings

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.

dubai ferry routes

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 14:05 19:05
To Dubai Marina 13:50 18:50

Sharjah to Dubai

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 2pm, 4pm, 6pm & 9pm
Monday to Thursday 7am, 8.30am, 4.45pm, 6.15pm

Dubai to Sharjah

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 3pm, 5pm, 8pm &10pm
Monday to Thursday 7.45am,  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:

Dubai Marina Ferry Route
Dubai Marina Ferry Route

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.

dubai-ferry-routes.bmp

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).

624 thoughts on “Routes/Timings”

  1. Hi
    I will be visiting in November and want an alternative option for the costlier dubai marina cruise which is being offered to me.
    I’m more intrested in the Dubai Marina ferry. Can you give the cost/timing/route details? Can i prebook tickets?

  2. Hi, good day
    If I take the route from Dubai Marina to Atlantis and want to stay on Palm island, if it is possible to land near Atlantis and do not come back with ferry to Dubai Marina.?if yes, what will be the price in this case? Thanks.

  3. I will be coming to Dubai on October 26 for a week and I will be going to Dubai Festival City Mall to see the Water show at some point. Does the Dubai Ferry have any stops along the way that will get me to or close to this destination?

  4. Hi Admin!

    I just recently moved to Dubai and is staying around the Business Bay area (Seaside). I wanted to take a ferry that goes through the Dubai Canal. Which is the nearest station I can take? How much would it be?

    Thanks,
    Anna

    1. Hi Anna, the nearest station to Business Bay is Marasi – you can take the ferry either towards Al Jadaf or towards the coast (Dubai Water Canal Station). The ticket price depends on the number of stops you make (check the tickets page for info)

  5. Hi

    I want to avail a boat tour from Dubai Marina at 5 PM which goes upto Burj Al Arab and then back to Marina. Is it available and what is the cost of ticket?

  6. Just to confirm I can buy one way ticket for the Canal on the day (end of Aug) and get on at Dubai Marina at 6.30pm to get to Al Ghubabiba. What time does it arrive at Al Ghubabiba please? From there I could get a taxi to get to the Dubai Gold Souk? Thank you

    1. Hi Caroline, the 6.30pm route from marina to Al Ghubaiba does not go down the canal but does make a stop there on the way. It takes around an hour and 20 minutes. Your best bet would be to get an abra across the creek to reach the gold souk.

  7. Hello Admin,
    first of thank you for your most informative und interesting site. I have a question concerning water bus or may be ferry. Accordung to the map you posted on this site, there ist connection between Sheikh Zayed Road Station and Jumeirah Beach Park. Could you please tell me, if it is operated by water bus or ferry? Where can I find a time-table? On the RTA Site I could find time-table for Marina Stations only. Thanks alot.

    1. Hi Arki, I’m not sure which map you are referring to. Unfortunately Jumeirah beach Park seems to be no more and there are now a number of open beaches along the Jumeirah shoreline. There is no ferry that goes to the beaches but you can get a number 8 bus which runs along the beach road.

  8. Good morning.
    I plan to take the 3pm -Dubai Marina to Burj al Arab and back route. Any idea whether this route ticket fast sold out ? Thanks.

  9. Hi, I just hiked all the way to the Marina Mall stop for fhe 3pm ferry and was told they don’t do one and I can wait for the 5pm.

    Please update your website as it’s 40 degrees out and ive just wasted an afternoon

    1. Hi Angie, sorry you wasted your time. Unfortunately the timings change during Ramadan and you can see the changes on this post, which I have further clarified to specify exactly what is not running.

  10. Hi! I would like to know if there is a ferry from Al Jaddaf to Festival City as it’s mark on the map but with a different color . Also at what time is the ferry from Marasi to AL Jaddaf today? And from there to Festival City ?
    Thanks

    1. Dear Admin,

      Could you please confirm whether this 5pm ferry from marina station for 13th June would be a circular trip or a one way trip.

      1. Hi, the 5pm trip is a circular route. There is nothing to indicate that this has been changed during Ramadan.

  11. Hi there,
    I have a question about the Ferry from Dubai Marina to Al Ghubabiba (route CR4). Is this ferry also leaving from Dubai Marina at 11am and 1 pm or is this just the time when the ferry is leaving from Al Ghubabiba. And will the ferry also run on a friday morning? Thank you.

    1. I’m sorry I don’t have any specific info on day to day sailings – you can contact the RTA on 800 9090 but the non-circular trips generally run if there are not any exceptional circumstances (e.g. weather conditions).

  12. This morning I have consulted the website and phoned RTA, to make sure that my trip would be as smooth as possible as I was travelling with my elderly parents. I arrived at 9:50 at the Al Jadaf ferry terminal to take the 10 o’clock ferry towards Dubai Canal Station. I was told that the ferry was canceled and should not be on the website and that the RTA staff when I called them should have told me. However, the fact the 10 am ferry is canceled is still not updated and I found it totally inacceptable the carelessness with which RTA is dealing with the issue, which is: you can wait there is a ferry in 2 hours!!! There is not much to do at Al Jadaf ferry terminal…. So please UPDATE your website.

    1. Hi Anne, thanks for your comment and sorry for the delay in replying. Unfortunately the RTA do tend to cancel trips that are not very busy without informing anyone! We try and publish up to date information but, as you have found out, the only way often to know if something is not running is to find out when you get there. We will put a note on to say this may not be running but the RTA could reinstate the trip at any time.

  13. Hello, I have travelled before on the ferry from Dubai Marina to Al Ghubaiba. This time we would like to travel from the Marina to the new canal. Could please tell me if there is a service for this and at what time does it depart. I have looked at the timetables but it’s not very clear.
    Many thanks

  14. Hello , we are four adult family tourists , looking for circular trip on 11th March 2018 . Please suggest the trips 3pm onwards with fares .

    Thanks

    1. There are circular trips at 3pm and 5pm – check the routes page for details and all fares are shown on the tickets page.

    1. Hi Aileen, the tour just covers some of the Dubai Water Canal so you see the sights along there. Getting a taxi from near the SZR marine station can be a bit hit and miss I’m afraid but it is very near a car park (near the W Hotel).

  15. Hello.I need to go to dubai canal station from sheikh zayed station and then come back also.is 15 aed for one way or for the whole trip?

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