Old Dubai by Metro: 1-Day Green Line Itinerary (Souk, Creek, Al Fahidi)

Old Dubai by Metro: 1-Day Green Line Itinerary (Souk, Creek, Al Fahidi)

Old Dubai fits in one day on the Green Line, from the Gold Souk in Deira to Al Fahidi and the creek in Bur Dubai. Start at Al Ras station in the morning for the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk, cross the creek by abra for AED 1, spend the middle of the day in the lanes of Al Fahidi, browse the Textile Souk and Al Seef in the afternoon, and end at Creek station for the sunset. The whole day runs in Zones 5 and 6, so a Silver trip costs AED 5, and the only other fixed cost is the abra. This guide gives you the station for each stop, the hours to trust, the last trains home, and the costs, checked 13 Nov 2026.

The plan in one look: your day on the Green Line

The day runs in one line along the Green Line, from Al Ras in Deira to Creek station, with one abra crossing in the middle. You never backtrack, and you cross the creek once, not twice. The table below is the whole day. The sections after it fill in each stop.

When	Stop	Station	What happens
Morning, about 10am	Gold Souk and Spice Souk	Al Ras (G23)	Browse the souks, haggle for gold and spices
Late morning	Abra across Dubai Creek	Deira Old Souq abra station	AED 1 cash, five minutes to Bur Dubai
Midday	Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood	Sharaf DG (G25)	Wind tower lanes, Coffee Museum, SMCCU
Afternoon	Textile Souk and Al Seef	Sharaf DG (G25)	Fabric, gifts, a slow walk by the water
Evening	Sunset at Creek station	Creek (G30)	View over the creek, then the ride home

The order matters. The souks open at 10am, so there is no point starting earlier. The abra runs all day, but the crossing feels best in the late morning light. Al Fahidi is at its calmest around midday, when the lanes are quiet and the cafes are open. Al Seef suits the late afternoon, when the heat eases and the restaurants open. Creek station ends the day because it sits at the end of the line, and the ride back from it is simple: one train towards e&, and you are home. If you run the day backwards, you cross the creek twice and walk the souks in the hottest part of the day. See the Green Line Stations page for the full line in order.

Morning at Al Ras: Gold Souk and Spice Souk

Start the day at Al Ras station, where the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk sit a few minutes apart on foot. Al Ras is G23 and Gold Souq is G22, both on the Green Line in Zone 5, one stop apart. Get off at Al Ras for the Spice Souk and the creek, or at Gold Souq station if gold is your first stop.

Souk	Best station	Walk
Gold Souk	Gold Souq (G22)	About 5 minutes
Spice Souk	Al Ras (G23)	About 3 to 5 minutes
Perfume Souk	Al Ras (G23)	Beside the Spice Souk

The Gold Souk is a covered market of more than 380 retailers, as reported, selling gold, silver, diamonds and precious stones. Gold is sold by weight at the daily rate plus a making charge, and the charge is negotiable, so haggle and walk away if the price does not suit you. A 5% VAT is added to jewellery at the till, as reported in 2026 guides. The Spice Souk sits next door, a covered market of more than 150 small shops selling saffron, oud, incense and dried fruit, and the Perfume Souk sits beside it. Allow about two hours for the three together.

Watch the hours. The usual hours are 10am to 10pm Saturday to Thursday, and 4pm to 10pm on Friday, with many shops closing for a midday break around 1pm to 4pm. That break is the one trap in the morning: arrive at 10am and you have three good hours before the shutters come down, but arrive at 1pm and half the lanes are closed. Our things to do guide for Al Ras and Gold Souq gives the full souk detail. Our Al Ras station guide and Gold Souq station guide give the station detail.

Place	Type	Where
Sikkat Al Khail Road	Street	The Gold Souk’s main street
Al Khor Street	Street	Spice Souk and Perfume Souk, by the creek
Suq Deira Street	Street	Connects the souk lanes
Khor Street	Street	Connects the souk lanes
Al Soor Street	Street	Connects the souk lanes
ibis Styles Dubai Gold District	Hotel	Al Daghaya Road, about 5 minutes from Gold Souq station
ibis Styles Dubai Deira	Hotel	About 0.7 km from Al Ras station
Best Western Plus Pearl Creek	Hotel	About 1.1 km from Al Ras station
Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek	Hotel	By Gold Souq station, direct Metro access
Al Ahmadiya School	Landmark	Dubai’s first formal school, from 1912, in Al Ras
Heritage House	Landmark	Historic house beside Al Ahmadiya School
Dubai Fish and Vegetable Market	Market	Just north of the Gold Souk
Dhow Wharfage	Landmark	Working cargo docks on the Deira creekside
Deira Old Souq abra station	Transport	Creekside, about 5 minutes from Al Ras station
Museum of the Poet Al Oqaili	Landmark	On the edge of the Spice Souk
Deira Corniche	Waterfront	Along the creek on the Deira side

The AED 1 abra across Dubai Creek

The abra is the best AED 1 you will spend in Dubai, a five minute wooden boat ride across the creek from Deira to Bur Dubai. Walk about five minutes from Al Ras station to the Deira Old Souq abra station and board the RTA CR1 route to Bur Dubai Marine Station. Pay AED 1 per passenger in cash to the driver as you board. There is no ticket machine and no card reader, so carry coins and small notes.

Two AED 1 routes matter for this day. CR1 runs Bur Dubai Marine Station to Deira Old Souq Marine Station, listed 6am to midnight. CR2 runs Dubai Old Souq to Al Sabkha, also AED 1 in cash, listed as a 24 hour service. Other heritage abra routes use different station pairs and an AED 2 fare, so check the route board before you board if you are not on CR1. The crossing takes about five minutes, and you land at the Bur Dubai Marine Station, a short walk from the Textile Souk and about ten minutes from Al Fahidi.

Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood: lanes, wind towers and the Coffee Museum

Al Fahidi is the old quarter of Bur Dubai, a free to walk maze of wind tower houses, galleries and courtyard cafes beside the creek. Walk from Sharaf DG station, about ten minutes, and you are in it: narrow lanes, coral stone walls, wooden doors, and wind towers that caught the breeze long before air conditioning. The lanes are free and open around the clock, and the quarter is the calm middle of the day after the busy souks. Our Sharaf DG station guide gives the walk from the station.

Inside the lanes sit the small museums and galleries that make the quarter worth more than a walk. The Coffee Museum and the Coin Museum are the two best known, usually open about 9am to 5pm, with some closed on Friday, as reported, so check on the day if one matters to you. The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, the SMCCU, sits at House 26 on Al Musallah Street and runs cultural meals and heritage tours with Emirati hosts. Book in advance on cultures.ae, because sessions fill up. Do not trust a single price for the SMCCU: reported prices run from about AED 25 to about AED 130 depending on the session.

Allow about ninety minutes for the quarter, longer if you book an SMCCU session. The cafes in the courtyards suit a late lunch or a coffee break, and they are the best place to rest before the afternoon walk. This is the Dubai that existed before oil, a trading port of wind tower houses and creek boats.

Place	Type	Where
Al Fahidi Street	Street	Runs through Al Fahidi, past the Dubai Museum
Al Musallah Street	Street	SMCCU, House 26
Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road	Street	Hotels and shops beside Sharaf DG station
Al Raffa Street	Street	Hyde Park Hotel, Al Fahidi
17th Street, Al Hamriya	Street	Al Khoory Inn, Bur Dubai
Arabian Courtyard Hotel and Spa	Hotel	Al Fahidi Street, opposite Dubai Museum, about 6 minutes from Sharaf DG station
York International Hotel	Hotel	Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road, about 0.1 km from Sharaf DG station
Al Khoory Inn Bur Dubai	Hotel	17th Street, Al Hamriya, about 0.2 km from Sharaf DG station
Raviz Centre Point Hotel	Hotel	Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road, about 0.3 km from Sharaf DG station
Grayton Hotel	Hotel	About 0.4 km from Sharaf DG station
Meena Bazaar	Market	Shopping streets near Al Fahidi
Hindu Temple	Landmark	About 0.3 km from Arabian Courtyard Hotel
Bur Dubai Grand Mosque	Landmark	Near Al Fahidi
ADCB Bank	Bank	Behind Sharaf DG station

Dubai Museum and Al Fahidi Fort: closed, and what to do instead

Dubai Museum inside Al Fahidi Fort is closed for restoration, with no official reopening date, so do not build your day around it. The fort, built in 1787, housed the museum from 1971 until the closure in 2021. Reports from September 2026 spoke of a reopening soon, but no official opening has been confirmed and listings still show it closed. Treat it as closed until an official opening is confirmed, and do not plan your afternoon around it.

The good news is that the closure costs you nothing, because the three best alternatives sit in the same quarter and are all open. Walk the Al Fahidi lanes themselves, which are free and are the real draw. Visit the Coffee Museum for the story of coffee in the region, in a restored wind tower house. Book an SMCCU cultural meal or heritage tour for the history and the conversation the museum used to give. Until then, the quarter around it is the visit.

Textile Souk and Al Seef in the afternoon

The Textile Souk and Al Seef sit a short walk from Sharaf DG station, and they are the calmest part of the day. From Al Fahidi, walk about ten minutes to the Textile Souk, also called the Old Souk, on the Bur Dubai side of the creek. It is a covered market of fabric shops, and it is the place to buy a scarf or a length of cloth. Prices vary by shop and by haggling, so ask, offer, and walk away if the price does not suit you. The usual hours are 10am to 10pm Saturday to Thursday and 4pm to 10pm on Friday, as reported, but sources conflict on the hours, so check on the day if you are coming for a specific shop.

From the Textile Souk, walk to Al Seef, the heritage style waterfront district that runs 1.8 km along the creek beside Al Fahidi. It is free to walk, with creek views, wooden dhows on the water, and benches to sit on. The shops usually open 10am to 10pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 11pm Friday to Sunday, and the restaurants usually stay open later, to 11pm or midnight. The Bur Dubai abra station sits beside Al Seef, so if you want to cross back to Deira by boat instead of by train, this is where you board. Allow about ninety minutes for the two together, longer if you stop for dinner.

Place	Type	Where
Al Seef Street	Street	The Al Seef waterfront promenade
Ali Bin Abi Talib Street	Street	Textile Souk
Canopy by Hilton Dubai Al Seef	Hotel	Al Seef Street, about 0.4 km from Al Seef
Hampton by Hilton Dubai Al Seef	Hotel	Al Seef Street, about 0.4 km from Al Seef
Al Seef Heritage Hotel Dubai, Curio Collection by Hilton	Hotel	Inside the Al Seef district
Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai	Hotel	Near Al Seef
Al Seef Heritage Souk	Market	Inside Al Seef, heritage side
Al Seef Village	Landmark	Inside Al Seef, heritage side
Bur Dubai abra station	Transport	Beside Al Seef
Al Ghubaiba Bus Station	Transport	Major bus hub by Al Ghubaiba station
Al Ghubaiba Marine Transport Station	Transport	About 9 minutes from the Textile Souk
Al Shindagha Museum	Museum	Walking distance from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station
City Centre Al Shindagha	Mall	Near Al Ghubaiba Bus Station

End the day at Creek station: sunset on the water

Creek station ends the day well, with a sunset view over the water and the city skyline behind you. Ride the Green Line from Sharaf DG towards Creek, six stops through BurJuman, Oud Metha, Dubai Healthcare City and Al Jadaf, and get off at Creek, G30, in Zone 6. The station is elevated, and the view from it runs across the creek towards the skyline. It is a quiet end to a busy day: no crowds, no sellers, just the water and the light changing.

Do not expect a destination at Creek station. There is no mall or attraction at the station itself, and Dubai Creek Harbour sits across the water and is not a walk from here. The stop is the view and the ride home, and that is enough after a full day on foot. Stay for the sunset, then take the train back towards e& from the same platform. The last train from Creek to e& leaves at 11:25pm Monday to Thursday and Saturday, so you have hours to spare. Our Creek station guide gives the station detail.

Place	Type	Where
Mohammed Bin Rashid Library	Library	Al Jaddaf, about a 5 to 10 minute walk from Creek station
Al Jaddaf Marine Transport Station	Transport	About 5 minutes from Creek station, boats to Dubai Festival City and Dubai Creek Harbour
Al Khail Road	Street	The main road past Creek station and the library
Premier Inn Dubai Al Jaddaf	Hotel	Al Jaddaf
DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai Al Jadaf	Hotel	Al Jaddaf
IntercityHotel Al Jaddaf	Hotel	Jaddaf Waterfront
S19 Hotel Al Jaddaf	Hotel	Waterfront, Al Jaddaf
Kingsgate Hotel Al Jaddaf	Hotel	Opposite Sheikha Athija Bint Saqer Al Nahyan Mosque, Al Jaddaf
Riah Towers	Building	Jaddaf Waterfront
Dubai Wharf	Building	Dubai Creek, Al Jaddaf
Al Jaddaf Park	Park	Waterfront park near Al Jaddaf station
Dubai Festival City	Mall	Across the creek, by abra from Al Jaddaf Marine Station
Dubai Creek Harbour	Landmark	Across the creek, by water taxi from Al Jaddaf Marine Station

What it costs: fares, entry and the day total

A full day in Old Dubai costs less than most single attractions in the city, and the Metro fare is the biggest fixed cost. The whole day runs in Zones 5 and 6, so every Metro trip is a 2 zone trip: Silver AED 5, Gold AED 10, Red Ticket AED 6. Add the AED 1 abra, and the transport for the day is AED 11 on a Silver card for two trips, or AED 6 if you ride the Metro once and walk the rest. Entry to the souks, the Al Fahidi lanes, Al Seef and the Creek station view is free. Fares checked 13 Nov 2026.

Item	Cost
Metro, two trips, Silver (2 zones each)	AED 10
Metro, two trips, Gold (2 zones each)	AED 20
Abra, one crossing, cash	AED 1
Gold Souk, Spice Souk, Perfume Souk	Free entry
Al Fahidi lanes	Free entry
Textile Souk and Al Seef	Free entry
Creek station view	Free
Food, lunch and dinner	About AED 40 to AED 120, depends on where you eat
Day total, Silver, without shopping	About AED 51 to AED 131

The cheapest way to do the day is a Silver NOL card with a top up, two trips at AED 5 each, and the abra in cash. A QR day pass costs AED 22 for a regular card, plus an AED 2 fee per transaction, and it only pays off if you ride more than four times in the day, so it does not pay off on this route. A single QR ticket costs AED 8 for a regular card on a 2 zone trip, against AED 5 on Silver, so the Silver card wins again. Children 5 and under travel free, and you need a minimum balance of AED 7.50 on a Silver card. No daily fare cap is published on the RTA Nol Fares page, so do not count on one. See our Fares Hub for the full tables, and use the Fare Calculator to price any extra trip. Shopping is the only open ended cost: gold, fabric and spices are all negotiable, so set a budget before you start.

Timings: first train, last train and the Friday and Sunday rules

The Green Line runs from 5am to midnight on most days, so the day fits easily, but the last train home is the one time to watch. The souks open at 10am, so an early start buys you nothing, and the day ends when you choose, not when the Metro closes. The table below gives the last trains from the stations on this route, Monday to Thursday and Saturday. Friday adds about an hour. These times come from two agreeing readings of the RTA timetable, and our Timings page carries the full per station table.

Station	Last train to Creek	Last train to e&
Al Ras	11:48pm	11:40pm
Al Ghubaiba	11:49pm	Not listed
Union	11:42pm	11:47pm
Creek	Terminus	11:25pm

Three rules govern the day. First, Friday runs late: trains run from 5am to 1am, so a Friday evening at Al Seef is easy, but the souks do not open until 4pm on Friday, so a Friday morning in the souks is a wasted trip. Second, Sunday starts late: the first train is 8am, not 5am, so a Sunday day starts at the souks at 10am anyway and nothing is lost. Third, the last train time depends on the station and the direction, so check the station clock before you settle in for dinner at Al Seef. If you miss the last train, a taxi is the fallback: flag fall AED 5 in the day and AED 5.50 at night, with a minimum fare of AED 12 on the street and AED 13 by app, and the per kilometre figure is about AED 2.19, as reported.

Where to eat in Old Dubai

Old Dubai eats well and cheaply, and the best meals sit within a few minutes of the stations on this route. In Deira, near Al Ras station, the small cafeterias serve shawarma, falafel, biryani and fresh juice for a few dirhams, and they are the cheapest lunch on the day. Eat standing at the counter or take it to go, and you are back in the souks in twenty minutes. In Al Fahidi, the courtyard cafes serve Arabic coffee, dates and light Emirati dishes in the shade of a wind tower house, and they suit a slow lunch after the lanes. At Al Seef in the evening, the restaurants along the water serve a wider range, from Emirati and Arabic grills to cafes with a creek view, and they suit a longer dinner to end the day.

No single restaurant is named here, because prices change and were not verified on an official page. The pattern is what matters: cafeterias in Deira for a cheap lunch, courtyard cafes in Al Fahidi for a rest, and the Al Seef waterfront for dinner. Drink water through the day, especially in the souks, where the covered lanes trap the heat. And if a shopkeeper offers you tea, take it: it is part of the bargaining, not a bill.

How to get there and get home: Metro, bus and taxi

Reach Old Dubai on the Green Line, change at Union or BurJuman from the Red Line, and take a taxi only if you miss the last train. From Dubai Airport, take the Red Line from Airport Terminal 3 or Terminal 1 to Union, change to the Green Line without tapping out, and ride two stops to Gold Souq or three to Al Ras. From the Marina, ride the Red Line towards Centrepoint, change at BurJuman, and ride towards Creek to Al Ras. Use the Route Planner to price and time your own journey, and the All Stations page for the full line in order.

Getting home is the same route in reverse, and the last train table above is the only time to watch. If you miss it, a taxi from Al Seef or Al Fahidi to most hotels costs a flag fall of AED 5 in the day and AED 5.50 at night, with a minimum of AED 12 on the street and AED 13 by app. Our Union station guide gives the interchange detail. Al Ghubaiba has no station post on the site yet.

Place	Type	Where
Al Ghurair Centre	Mall	Al Rigga Road, about 400 m from Union station Exit 2, about 4 minutes
Swissôtel Al Ghurair	Hotel	Connected to Al Ghurair Centre
Union Bus Station	Transport	By Union station Exit 2, Omar Bin Al Khattab Road
Al Rigga Road	Street	Deira commercial street, by Union station Exit 1
Omar Bin Al Khattab Road	Street	Union Bus Station and Al Ghurair Centre, Exit 2
Baniyas Road	Street	Towards Dubai Creek and Naif Souq, Exit 3
Naif Souq	Market	About 6 minutes from Union station Exit 3, on Baniyas Road
Etisalat office	Office	3rd floor, Al Ghurair Centre

Practical tips for a first day in Old Dubai

A few small habits make the day smoother, from cash for the abra to the right shoes for the souk lanes. Six of them, each tied to a stop on the day.

• Carry cash in small notes and coins. The abra takes cash only, and the small shops in the souks prefer it too.
• Wear comfortable shoes. The souk lanes are stone and uneven, and the day is mostly on foot.
• Start at 10am, not earlier. The souks open at 10am, and an early arrival means waiting outside closed shutters.
• Respect the Friday opening. The souks open at 4pm on Friday, so plan a Friday day around the afternoon, not the morning.
• Haggle for gold and fabric, and walk away if the price does not suit you. The first price is never the last price.
• Check the last train before dinner at Al Seef. The station clock is the authority, and the table in this guide is a plan, not a promise.

Short on time? The half-day version

With half a day, keep the Gold Souk, the abra and Al Fahidi, and drop the rest without missing the point of the trip. Start at Al Ras station at 10am, spend about an hour in the Gold Souk and the Spice Souk, cross the creek by abra for AED 1, and spend about ninety minutes in the Al Fahidi lanes and the Coffee Museum. That is three stops in about three to four hours, and it gives you the souks, the creek and the old quarter, which is what Old Dubai is.

What is dropped is the Textile Souk, Al Seef and Creek station, and none of them changes the point of the trip. If you have a flight in the evening, do the half day in the morning and leave by midday. If you have a morning before checkout, do the same in reverse and end at Al Fahidi for lunch. The hours, fares and last trains stay the same as the full day, and the Dubai Museum warning still applies: it is closed, so do not add it to a short day.

Frequently asked questions