How much is an abra ride in Dubai?

The traditional abra across Dubai Creek costs AED 1 per person per trip, and RTA lists that fare as paid in cash. It is the wooden boat that crosses between Bur Dubai and Deira Old Souq, and between Dubai Old Souq and Al Sabkha. Every other abra RTA runs has its own fare, from AED 2 on the modern Creek boats to AED 75 for the electric abra ride at Dubai Mall.

Every abra fare RTA publishes

RTA runs five kinds of abra and a water taxi in Dubai Marina. They are priced differently because they do different jobs: some cross the water, some run along it with stops, and some are rides that bring you back where you started.

The gap between the cheapest and the dearest boat is wide. The electric abra ride costs 75 times the Creek crossing, because one is a short ride in its own right and the other is a way to get to the other bank.

RTA’s marine page prints the two electric abra fares side by side, AED 75 a person and AED 52.5 for the whole boat, which makes the boat look cheaper than one seat. They belong to different places. RTA’s abra flyer (September 2026) puts the per-person fare against Dubai Mall, Burj Plaza and The Palace, and the whole-boat fare against Global Village. At Dubai Mall there is no child rate: a child under 5 pays AED 75 too, while on the Creek crossings and the other abra routes under-5s ride free.

The canal round trip only runs with at least 6 passengers. A group can book the whole boat for AED 300 an hour instead. On the Creek, a traditional abra can be chartered for AED 120 an hour.

Cash on the crossing, and no nol at the electric abra

RTA’s nol fares page says only that the card is accepted on RTA marine transport. Its abra flyer sets out payment station by station. Cash is accepted at every station. Bank cards are accepted everywhere except the CR1 and CR2 Creek crossings. And the nol card works everywhere except the CR1 and CR2 Creek crossings, and the Global Village, Burj Khalifa, Burj Plaza and The Palace stations.

So the cheapest boat is the one that needs coins: for the AED 1 crossing, carry a few dirhams in small notes or coins. For the electric abra, bring cash or a bank card, because Global Village, Burj Plaza and The Palace are on RTA’s no-nol list. On the other Creek and canal abras, any of the three works.

If you have no nol card yet, RTA sells them at the air-conditioned abra stations. Which nol card to buy compares the card types, and a Silver card covers the Metro and buses.

Children ride by a different rule on the water

On RTA’s boats, children travel under 12 only with an adult, and in a life jacket. Staff can ask for an ID for the child at the ticketing office, so bring the child’s passport.

That is stricter than on land. On the Metro and buses, RTA’s rule is under 8 only with an adult; 8 to 11 with a permit issued by their parents; 12 and over may travel alone. So a child who may take the Metro alone, with or without a permit, can still need an adult to board an abra. Check the two rules against your child’s age separately.

The electric abra at Global Village

The electric abra also runs inside Global Village, but it is not sold by the seat there. RTA’s flyer prices it at AED 52.5 for the whole boat, for a trip of 12 to 15 minutes, and gives no per-person fare. The whole boat costs less than one seat on the Dubai Mall ride, for a shorter trip. The Global Village station does not take nol.

RTA says the abra runs only within Global Village’s operating hours, so it does not run while the park is closed between seasons. Whether Global Village is open now covers the season dates.

Where this page stops

It gives no Dubai Ferry fares. RTA’s marine page does not list them; RTA’s ferry flyer does, and what the Dubai Ferry costs covers its routes, classes and departure times.

It gives no timetable for the AED 1 crossings. RTA lists both as running on demand, and its abra flyer prints departure times for the other routes but none for these two. Those times, route by route, are on what time the abras run.

And it does not cover dhow cruises run by private operators. They are not RTA boats and RTA does not set their prices.

Where these figures come from

Every abra and water taxi fare, the children’s rule and the nol sales points are on RTA’s About Marine page. Which fare belongs to which electric abra station, the under-5 fares and the payment rules are in RTA’s abra flyer, which we read page by page; the on-demand note for the crossings is on RTA’s timetable page. The children’s rule for the Metro and buses is on RTA’s Metro page. We read each source directly.