Dubai has added two new marine transport routes to its abra service – making it easier to explore the souqs and museums of Old Dubai.
For just Dhs2, tourists and residents will now be able to travel between Al Sabkha in Deira and Al Fahidi in Bur Dubai.
The stations will also be linked to the existing stops of Al Seef, Baniyas, Dubai Old Souq and Al Ghubaiba, according to the Roads and Transport Authority.
It’s hoped that the new route will help visitors to access the textile and spice markets and Al Fahidi Museum.
Another line links Al Sabkha and Al Ghubaiba Station, while the number of abras in service has been almost doubled.
Mohammed Abubaker Al Hashimi, director of marine transport at the RTA, said: “The restructuring of marine transport lines and stations of Dubai Creek is part of our strategic plan to fulfill the needs of marine transport users.
“Lines have been increased from one to four. Al Fahidi and Al Sabkha Stations have been added to the existing stations of Al Seef, Baniyas, Dubai Old Souq and Al Ghubaiba.”
He added: “Abras in service have been increased from four to seven to serve the new lines, and the service timing has been geared to the needs and nature of activities in the area.
“The service frequency of the line linking Al Seef and Baniyas Stations has been increased to reduce the waiting time of passengers.”
If you’ve never hopped on an abra before, it’s really quite easy. On the traditional vessels, all you need to do is queue up then pay Dhs2 in cash to the captain after stepping on board.
The boats offer an amazing heritage experience that will take you back to Dubai’s roots during the short journey from stop to stop.
At Burj Khalifa, Global Village and Al Mamzar, there are electrical abras available to try, but they’re far more focused on offering a quick tour and prices vary.
For example, at Burj Khalifa, it’s Dhs68.25 per passenger for a 25-minute trip, or at Al Mamzar you can explore on one of the boats for an hour for Dhs120.
So whether you’re looking to just take a quick jump across Dubai Creek or for something a bit longer, it’s well worth trying out one of these traditional abras.
Source: timeoutdubai
