Dubai Monorail

The Dubai Monorail is one of Dubai’s many means of transport. It is an elevated monorail that was opened on 30 April 2009 and runs along the entire length of the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, starting from the Gateway station located along Al Sufouh Road and ending at the Atlantis hotel (Atlantis-Aquaventure station).

There are also two other stations along the route as well as an interchange station shortly after the Gateway.

Getting on the Dubai Monorail

The Dubai Monorail is connected to stop number 9 on the Dubai Tram. Once you get off the tram, however, getting to the monorail is neither immediate nor simple: you have to climb up the footbridge to cross Al Sufouh Road, and up to this point it is fairly easy because it is clearly visible, but once you get to the other side the signs mysteriously disappear.

You don’t have to go down the stairs again, but use the covered elevated tunnel with no signposts to enter a car park (entering a car park knowing you have to take a monorail is actually disorienting): from there you have to follow the ‘MONORAIL’ signs printed on the columns. Still no signs, a rather unexpected and frankly embarrassing situation in an almost perfect city like Dubai.

The entire length of the car park has to be crossed, there are no pedestrian paths, but luckily it is practically deserted and very little frequented by cars. Once you find the entrance to the Dubai Monorail, fortunately the situation is again worthy of the name of Dubai: at the ticket office there are numerous employees who help passengers buy a ticket.

The journey on board the monorail

Travelling on the Dubai Monorail is a great experience but the facility is not operated by the RTA, the Road Transport Authority, which is the body that manages Dubai’s public transport. This means that the NOL Card is totally useless, as well as the classic red ticket.

The prices of a ride on the Dubai Monorail are much higher than those of the bus or metro, although a small discount is available if you buy the round trip together. Children under 90 centimetres can travel for free and the opening hours of the monorail are from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week.

The whole trip takes 15 minutes, and thanks to the fact that the monorail is elevated you can admire some otherwise inaccessible structures. For a start, just off to the right you can take a look at Logo Island, the private property of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and you can also often admire his 159-metre-long luxury yacht moored on the quay. In the background the Burj Al Arab and the Dubai skyline make this view an ideal picture of the city.

The route proceeds straight through the ‘trunk’ of Palm Jumeirah, with its exclusive condominiums, but the view becomes exceptional when admiring the foliage, on which dream villas are built: it is the only way to see them, as they stand along private roads. Each of them has one side on the street with a garden and one side on the beach.

But the best part of the trip on the Dubai Monorail is the approach to the iconic Atlantis Hotel. It was the first structure to be completed on the entire Palm Jumeirah and is now a popular destination for tourists and travellers from all over the world.

One can admire its private beach on the left, while on the right one passes by the pools and water features of Aquaventure, one of the two water parks in the city of Dubai (the other is the Wild Wadi Waterpark, built next to the Burj Al Arab).

The terminal station of the Dubai Monorail is Atlantis-Aquaventure: here we are at the end of Palm Jumeirah, you can admire the magnificent hotel up close or have fun at the water park, and then return to the Gateway with another magnificent ride on this monorail that truly offers dreamy views.