Other options for getting to Dubai are contrastingly limited (for Western visitors, at least). It’s possible to travel overland into the UAE from several points in neighbouring Oman, but not Saudi Arabia. There are no regular ferry services to Dubai, although the city is a popular stop on many cruise itineraries.
Flights from the UK and Ireland
Several airlines offer nonstop flights between the UK and Dubai; outbound flying time is around seven hours (slightly longer on the way back). There are currently nonstop flights from Heathrow with Emirates (wemirates.com), Virgin Atlantic (wvirgin-atlantic.com), British Airways (wba.com) and Royal Brunei Airlines (wflyroyalbrunei.com), plus indirect flights with many other European and Gulf airlines. Emirates also operates direct flights to Dubai from a number of other UK airports including London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow, as well as from Dublin.
Flights from the US and Canada
There are currently nonstop flights to Dubai with Emirates (wemirates.com) from New York, Washington DC, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Orlando, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, plus innumerable other one- and two-stop options with a host of other carriers. Flights from the east coast take around 13–14 hours; from the west coast around 16 hours; and 14–16 hours from Houston and Dallas.
Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
There are nonstop flights to Dubai with Emirates (wemirates.com) from Perth (11hr), Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane (14hr), plus one-stop flights from Auckland (via Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne; 19hr) and Christchurch (via Sydney; 22hr). There are also numerous alternative routings via Asia, sometimes at slightly lower fares.
Travelling from South Africa, there are direct flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban (taking around 8–9hr), plus a few one-stop options including, most conveniently, Kenya Airways via Nairobi and Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa.