Distance Between Citiesin United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates is home to 2 major cities in our database, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi. The largest city by population is Dubai with approximately 3,331,420 residents, located in the Dubai region.

Within United Arab Emirates, there is 1 domestic route connecting cities across the country. The shortest domestic route is Abu Dhabi to Dubai at 123 km, while the longest is Abu Dhabi to Dubai at 123 km.

United Arab Emirates also connects to 55 international destinations worldwide. Whether you're planning domestic travel or international flights, this comprehensive distance guide provides all the information you need. All distances are calculated using the Haversine formula for maximum accuracy.

For travelers within United Arab Emirates, shorter routes under 500 km are often well-suited for driving or train travel. Routes between 500-2,000 km offer a choice between driving and flying, while anything over 2,000 km is typically best served by air travel. Read our guide on estimating travel time for more detailed planning advice.

United Arab Emirates's aviation and ground network shapes how the 56 routes on this page actually feel in practice. The flag carrier Emirates handles most long-haul departures, while low-cost players such as flydubai, Air Arabia dominate short-haul leisure traffic. The primary international gateway is Dubai (DXB), which also acts as the natural connection point for travelers using one-stop routings to save 20–40% on long-haul fares.

For shorter trips, ground transport in United Arab Emirates is built around Dubai Metro plus the new Etihad Rail freight network with passenger lines opening. On corridors under roughly 700 km, door-to-door rail travel is often faster than flying once airport security and transfers are factored in — a calculation worth running before booking domestic flights inside United Arab Emirates.

Of the 56 routes covered here, the breakdown is 4 under 500 km, 3 between 500 and 1,500 km, 32 between 1,500 and 5,000 km, 14 between 5,000 and 10,000 km, 3 over 10,000 km. That mix is why a single travel-time rule never works for United Arab Emirates: a typical traveler will encounter everything from a 60-minute regional hop to a 12-hour ultra-long-haul flight, depending on destination.

The 2 cities in our database for United Arab Emirates are anchored by Dubai — a metropolitan area of roughly 3.33 million people sitting at 25.20°N, 55.27°E. That position places much of United Arab Emirates in a subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters, which directly influences both the local travel calendar and how comfortable arrivals from very different latitudes will feel.

Domestic distances within United Arab Emirates range from Abu Dhabi to Dubai at 123 km up to Abu Dhabi to Dubai at 123 km. The wider that range, the more critical it becomes to match transport mode to journey length — exactly what the routes table above is designed to help with.

Because of Earth's curvature, the great-circle distances shown on this page are not the same as flight paths drawn on a flat map. Routes between United Arab Emirates and far-away destinations often track closer to the poles than people expect — read more in our guide on how the Haversine formula works.

• Currency: UAE dirham (AED)
• Visa & entry: Visa on arrival or e-Visa for many nationalities
• Best season: November–March to avoid extreme summer heat
• Driving: traffic drives on the right

United Arab Emirates is generally a higher-cost destination, so booking 2–3 months ahead for international flights and 6–8 weeks ahead for domestic routes typically delivers the best fares.

Mid-week departures (Tuesday and Wednesday in particular) into and out of United Arab Emirates are typically 20–30% cheaper than Friday and Sunday flights on the same routes. Red-eye and very early-morning departures usually save another 10–15%. Budget carriers serving United Arab Emirates apply strict carry-on rules and unbundled fares, so packing light remains the single biggest lever for keeping total trip cost low.

For multi-city trips inside United Arab Emirates, compare the cost of a single open-jaw flight plus ground transport against multiple point-to-point flights — on routes with strong rail service, the rail-and-fly combination usually wins on both price and total door-to-door time.

Under 500 km: ground transport — driving, coaches, or the rail services described above — is usually competitive with flying door-to-door once airport overhead is included. This band covers many of the shortest routes on this page.

500–1,500 km: the choice gets interesting. A direct domestic flight typically saves 2–4 hours over driving in this band, but cheap fares disappear quickly without advance booking.

Over 1,500 km: flying becomes the obvious choice. The 55 international routes from United Arab Emirates above 1,500 km on this page are essentially flight-only journeys; ground alternatives exist only on a handful of specialist sleeper trains or long-distance coaches and aren't time-competitive.

Whichever mode you pick, use the calculator on this site to confirm exact great-circle figures, then add 20–40% for actual driving distance and 30–60 minutes per direction for airport overhead. Browse our travel guides for in-depth advice on flight time, driving distance and trip planning across United Arab Emirates and beyond.