The short answer
Sharjah International (SHJ) is about 20 to 30 kilometres from Al Qusais and Deira and 35 to 40 from Downtown Dubai, but the time it takes depends heavily on the rush hours into Dubai. This guide compares a pre-booked chauffeur, a taxi and the buses, with the roads and Salik tolls on the way.
Sharjah International and Dubai
Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) lies on the eastern side of Sharjah city, near University City, and it is a busy hub for low-cost flights. Many visitors to Dubai fly into Sharjah because of the fare or the route, and many residents of the northern emirates use it as their nearest airport. Sharjah Airport gives its distance from central Dubai as about 15 kilometres, around 20 minutes by car. By the roads a chauffeur takes to Dubai’s districts it is further: about 20 to 30 kilometres to Al Qusais and Deira, 35 to 40 to Downtown Dubai, and around 60 to Dubai Marina. In practice, the roads between Sharjah and Dubai are known for heavy commuter traffic, so when you land matters as much as where you are going.
Journey times and the rush hours
Outside the rush hours, the drive from SHJ to Deira or Al Qusais takes around half an hour, to Downtown Dubai about 40 minutes, and to Dubai Marina around an hour. The morning rush into Dubai and the evening rush back towards Sharjah can double those times. The evening peak matters most if you land in the late afternoon, because the roads near the border between the emirates fill up in both directions. Weekends and late nights are usually quicker. If you have a meeting or a hotel check-in time to keep, allow generously, or plan to go to your hotel first and travel on after the peak.
The roads and Salik
The main roads from the airport into Dubai are Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, which runs inland past Al Qusais and Mirdif, and Al Ittihad Road, the older coastal route through Al Nahda into Deira. Emirates Road, further inland, is useful for the Marina and Dubai South. Sharjah itself has no toll gates. Al Ittihad Road passes the Al Mamzar Salik gates on the Dubai side, and depending on your destination your route may cross other Salik gates in Dubai. Your chauffeur picks the road that suits the time of day. With drivoo, Salik passes through at cost, with no markup, and each crossing is itemised on your receipt.
A pre-booked chauffeur
With a chauffeur booked before you fly, your flight is tracked and the pickup is timed from its actual arrival, with free waiting time after landing. With Meet & Greet, added when you book where it is offered, your chauffeur waits inside the arrivals hall with a name board. The fare is fixed before you book, with the cross-emirate surcharge in it, so time stuck at the border in traffic doesn’t run up a meter. You choose a class with a car that takes your party and bags, add a child seat if you need one, and are driven to the door. You can book a transfer from Sharjah Airport to any address in Dubai.
A taxi from the airport
Licensed Sharjah taxis wait outside arrivals and will take you into Dubai on the meter. It needs no planning, and for a solo traveller going to Deira or Al Qusais outside the peaks it is a simple choice. For anywhere further into Dubai, or at rush hour, the metered fare grows with every minute of traffic, Salik is added, and you can’t choose a larger car in advance. With children, you need your own child seat. If you are comparing the two, our guide to an airport taxi or a pre-booked chauffeur sets out the trade-offs, and they apply at Sharjah just as they do at Dubai International.
Buses
Public buses run between Sharjah and Dubai and are the cheapest way to travel, but from the airport you will usually need to reach a bus station first, and in Dubai you will need onward transport from the bus stop to your hotel. With luggage, or after a night flight, that adds time and changes. Timetables and fares are set by the transport authorities in each emirate, so check their current information before you rely on a bus.
Night flights, families and groups
If you land late at night or in the early hours, the roads are clear and the drive to Dubai is at its quickest, and a car already waiting means you don’t start the trip at the end of a queue. Families should add a child seat for each young child: UAE traffic rules require one for children under four, and children aged ten or under, or shorter than 145 centimetres, may not sit in the front. Count every bag, including strollers, so the car offered has room; groups can choose drivoo Van when one fits. After booking you get a message when your chauffeur is assigned, with a link to follow the car.
Not going to Dubai?
Sharjah International is also the nearest airport for much of the northern UAE. Ajman is a short drive away, Umm Al Quwain is further up the coast, and Ras Al Khaimah is around an hour north. The same booking works for any of them: enter your flight number and your address, and your chauffeur takes you there on one fixed fare. Our pages on chauffeur service in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah cover getting around once you arrive, and the east coast is reachable from Sharjah too.
Planning the trip
Look at your landing time first. Outside the peaks, any option works and the drive is short. In the morning or evening rush, or with a destination deep in Dubai, a fixed fare and a car waiting for you take the guesswork out of the journey. If you are staying in Sharjah for a while and travelling into Dubai often, see our Sharjah to Dubai route page, and our page on chauffeur service in Sharjah for getting around the emirate itself. If your flight home also leaves from Sharjah, book the ride to the airport ahead and allow extra time at the evening peak.
