Travelling between Sharjah and Dubai might seem straight forward for these neighbouring Emirates, but traffic snarls and busy roads make driving at times challenging! The Emirate and the City of Sharjah are also really quite spread out so the route you take really depends on what part of each city you are coming to and from.
Many choose to live in the slightly cheaper accommodation of Sharjah and commute into Dubai on a daily basis, however for this guide we are going to assume you are a visitor to the UAE looking to get between the tourist highlights of each of the Emirates.
You can find our complete guide to fun & interesting things to do in Sharjah here.
There are many different public and private tour options you can take between Dubai and Sharjah. We’ll talk you through each of your options.
If you are looking to visit the Sharjah Discovery Centre, which sits on the outskirts of the city then having your own vehicle is easiest as there are no public transport links.
Distance from Dubai to Sharjah
There is really no definitive city centre for either so it’s hard to give an exact distance between Dubai and Sharjah. As a few examples:
- DXB Airport to the Heart of Sharjah is 18kms and takes around 25 minutes, traffic dependent via the E11.
- From Downtown Dubai to Sharjah Airport is 39kms and takes at least 30 minutes via the E311.
- From Jumeirah Beach to the Sharjah Corniche is around 35kms and 35 minutes via the E11.
Dubai to Sharjah Transport
Public transport is the easiest way to get between the two large urban centres of the UAE, then make your final connection by ride share app or taxi.
From Dubai to Sharjah by Bus
If you are looking to get from Dubai to Sharjah by bus, there are several bus services that cross between the two Emirates. The main station in Sharjah is Al Jubail.
You can see the full Dubai to Sharjah timetable run by the RTA here.
The main bus routes covering Dubai to Sharjah are
- E301 Al Ahli Club to Al Taawun Terminus
- E303 Union Square Metro Station to Al Jubail Bus Station
- E303A Al Sbkha Bus Sation to Al Jubail Bus Station
- E304 Al Satwa Bus Station to Al Jubail Bus Station
- E306 Ghubiaba Bus Station to Al Jubail Bus Station
- E307 Deira City Centre Bus Station to Al Jubail Bus Station
- E307A Abu Hail Metro Stration to Al Jubail Bus Station
- E311 Rashidiya Metro Station to Al Jubail Bus Station
From Al Jubail Bus Station you can transfer to local Mowasalat bus services, including onward connections to Sharjah International Airport.
You can see Sharjah bus timetables here.
Sharjah to Dubai Bus Fare
You can expect the bus between Dubai and Sharjah to cost 10AED. You are able to purchase bus fares to Sharjah using a Nol card.
Onward connection to Sharjah Airport is another 7AED.
Sharjah Dubai Bus Timing
The services between the two cities depend on the type of station. Main Stations in Dubai run from 5am to Midnight whilst smaller substations run 5am to 11pm. Metro feeder stations operate 5:15 am to 1:10am.
Most services run every 15 minutes.
The service generally is quite slow-moving compared to being in a private vehicle and can take 1 hour.
Dubai to Sharjah Taxi
The most convenient way from Dubai to Sharjah without any stops or exchanges is to catch a taxi, but it will, of course, cost you more.
The cost is highly dependent on where you are catching the taxi from and to as both are large sprawling cities with many main connecting routes. The faster route may be the longer journey by road, and if there is congestion this will add to your charges.
After flagfall, the cost is 1.75AED per 1km. The minimum fare from anywhere in Dubai is 12AED.
The cost from Downtown Dubai (Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa) to Sharjah is approximately 75 to 90AED.
The Metro from Sharjah to Dubai
Sharjah is not currently connected to Sharjah by Metro. You will need to catch the Metro close to the Sharjah border then swap to one of the feeder bus routes.
Uber and Careem in Sharjah
Ridesharing apps are also incredibly popular. You can easily order a ride through your phones on Uber or Careem. They can cross between Dubai and Sharjah without any problem.
Dubai Airport to Sharjah
There is no direct bus route from Dubai International Airport to Sharjah. Some alternative routes you can try include:
- Take the Red Metro from DXB Terminal 3 to Deira City Centre. From there you can catch the E307 to Al Jubail Bus Station.
- Take the Red Metro from DXB Terminal 3 to Rashidiya Station, then the E311 to Al Jubail Bus Station.
In comparison, you can expect a Dubai Airport (DXB) taxi fare to Sharjah to cost approximately 50 to 60AED. Note that there is an airport flag fall from DXB for standard taxies of 25 AED, then the fare is 1.75AED per 1km. The distance is 18km to central Sharjah.
You can negate some of this cost by taking the Metro part of the way then cathcing a taxi without the airport flagfall.
You can see private driver options that will take you door-to-door from DXB to any Emirate here.
Sharjah to Dubai
To get from Sharjah back to Dubai, you can travel by road, including private vehicle, taxi, bus or rideshare as outlined above, but in reverse.
Sharjah Airport to Dubai
There are several transport options if your flight arrives into Sharjah and you are looking to travel onwards to other Emirates.
- Coaches run to and from the Al Ghurair Centre. This service runs to the airport from 10.30am to 11.30pm and from the airport between 8am and 11.30pm. A single fare costs AED 20.
- Metered Sharjah Taxis leave from Sharjah Airport 24 hours a day. there is an aiport flagfall of 20AED.
- Many rental car offices operate from Sharjah Airport. Just be mindful of parking availability at your destination (most 5 star hotels in Dubai offer free parking, even with valet, however hotels in the older parts of Dubai may not be equipped with free parking).
Dubai to Sharjah Ferry service
As an interesting alternative for tourists, there is a ferry that operates from Dubai to Sharjah and Sharjah back to Dubai.
The “FR5” Ferry route can be a great, inexpensive way to cut the traffic out and have an interesting journey along the way seeing both cities from their bustling waterfronts.
How does the Dubai to Sharjah ferry work?
- The scenic waterfront journey takes 35 minutes.
- While you are waiting there are airconditioned waterside pods.
- The first ferry from Sharjah Marine Station leaves at 7am and the last ferry departs at 7pm.
- In reverse from Dubai, the first ferry leaves Al Ghuibaba Marine Station (near to the bus station) at 7.15am and the last leaves at 7.30pm.
- From Saturday to Thursday morning the ferry runs every 30 minutes until 9am, then drops back to every 90 minutes between 9am and 4pm. From 4pm it commences again every hour.
- Friday operating hours fro the Dubai Sharjah Ferry are 2pm to 8.45pm, operating hourly.
How much does the Dubai to Sharjah Ferry Cost
- Tickets are 15AED for Silver Class and 25AED for Gold Class.
- Free for children under 5 years old and the disabled.
- Your Nol Card can be used to pay for the journey to tap on, or ticket offices can be found in both location
Abu Dhabi to Sharjah
If you are heading to any of the northern Emirates, including Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah from Abu Dhabi it will be necessary to drive through Sharjah.
There are three main freeeways; the E11, the E311 and E611. All run pretty much parallel to each other and can get fairly choked up with rush hour traffic – we always recommend to check the fastest route on Waze or Google Maps before you set out.
If you are headed to the wildlife desert resevre, the outer E611 you should avoid most of the city rush hour traffic- but do bear in mind even evening rush hours this road becomes incredibly choked up with traffic; the completion of the freeway expansion is badly overdue.
By public tranport from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah, it will first be neccesary to transfer from Abu Dhabi to Dubai – we expalin exxactly how you do that here – then from Al Ghubairah station you can follow the steps above.
The Shrajah to Abu Dhabi the same applies, follow the steps from Sharjah to Al Ghubaira then you can transfer to the 100 bus route to Abu Dhabi Bus Station.
There are no Matro/train or feery alreticaes at this point to get from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi.
Sharjah to Ras Al Khaimah
The Al Hamra bus service to Ras Al Khaimah travels through the Emirate of Sharjah and has a collection point at Al Jubail Bus Station.
You can read our complete guide on how to get to Ras Al Khaimah here.
Sharjah to Ajman
The Intercity Bus E400 from Dubai passes through Sharjah on it’s way to Ajman making several stops through the centre of the city, including Al Jubail Bus Station before terminating at Ajman Bus Station.
You can read more about Dubai to Ajman transport options here.
Sharjah to Fujairah
The E700 intercity bus from Dubai to Fujairah runs through the Emirate of Sharjah, albeit not into the city centre. The bus stop in Sharjah to get to Fujairah is Sharjah Cement Factory.
You can read our complete guide on how to get to Fujairah here
This post is correct at the time of publishing in early 2020 based on local UAE experience. Please check the RTA website for the most up to date Dubai transportation information. This page may contain affiliate links which earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Our full website terms and conditions can be found here.
