My route
Sign in
WorldUnited Arab EmiratesDubaiAlserkal AvenueMy routeRoute

Alserkal Avenue, Dubai

Grey converted warehouses at Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, shaded by white sail canopies, with plants and people walking
Photo: Fuzheado, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Free, no tickets
Hours
Avenue daily 10:00–19:00; most galleries Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday; Cinema Akil until midnight
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
1 h 30 min
With kids
Better without small kids
Events and screenings
Some are paid or need registration
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Avenue hours
Daily 10:00–19:00
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Galleries
Usually Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday; each sets its own hours
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Cinema Akil
Daily 10:00–24:00, box office in the evening
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Nearest metro
Garmin (formerly Onpassive and Al Safa), Red Line
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Bus
Route 110 from Al Safa Bus Terminus by the metro, about every 12 minutes
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Parking
Paid RTA parking around the Avenue, zone code 364C; little space inside
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Address
17th Street, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1; entrances on 17th Street, 6A Street and First Al Khail Street
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Coordinates
25.14200, 55.22629YesGo MapGoogleApple

Key facts

Freeto enter the Avenue and its commercial galleries
3 sourcesAlserkal official websiteGulf News, 2026Emirates 24|7, 2026
10am–7pmthe Avenue's general hours, every day
SourceAlserkal official website (Opening Hours)
Sundaythe day most galleries are closed
SourceAlserkal gallery pages: Ayyam, Green Art, Carbon 12, Gallery Isabelle, Lawrie Shabibi
2007–2008founded in 2007; the first gallery, Ayyam, moved in during 2008
2 sourcesDezeen, 2016 and 2017English Wikipedia
Abdelmonem Bin Eisa AlserkalEmirati businessman and patron who founded the Avenue
2 sourcesAlserkal official websiteEnglish Wikipedia
Al Quozthe industrial area whose warehouses became the district
2 sourcesAlserkal official websiteEnglish Wikipedia
Concretethe first completed building in Dubai by Rem Koolhaas's OMA, opened in 2017
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaDezeen, 2016 and 2017
1,250 m²floor area of Concrete, the exhibition and events hall
2 sourcesDezeen, 2017ArchDaily
WH 68the warehouse home of Cinema Akil, an arthouse cinema
SourceAlserkal official website
3 entranceson 17th Street, 6A Street and First Al Khail Street
SourceAlserkal official website (How to get here)
Garminthe Red Line station called Onpassive until 7 September 2026
3 sourcesWAMKhaleej TimesThe National, 07.09.2026

Is Alserkal Avenue worth visiting?

Yes, if you care about contemporary art or want a side of Dubai with no towers or malls. Alserkal Avenue is a block of old warehouses in the Al Quoz industrial area, now filled with galleries, studios, a cinema, cafés and design shops. It's free, compact and easy to wander without a plan.

Emirati businessman Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal started it in 2007; Ayyam Gallery was the first to move in, in 2008. Today it holds some of the region's best-known galleries — Green Art Gallery, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Lawrie Shabibi, Carbon 12, The Third Line and Leila Heller among them.

If galleries leave you cold, skip it. The coffee is good, but Downtown has plenty, and getting out to an industrial zone just for a flat white isn't a great use of a Dubai day.

Alserkal Avenue opening hours and entry

The Avenue is open every day from 10am to 7pm and it's free to walk in. Each gallery and café keeps its own hours: most galleries open Monday to Saturday from around 10–11am until 6–7pm and close on Sunday. Cinema Akil stays open longest, until midnight.

You don't need a ticket for the commercial galleries — just walk in. What costs money is cinema screenings, workshops and some events at Concrete. Several galleries take a summer break, with the new season usually starting in autumn, and hours can shift during Ramadan and public holidays, so check the gallery you want on the Alserkal website before you go.

Paying: cards are accepted in the cafés and shops. The metro and buses need a nol card, sold at station ticket offices and machines; Careem and Uber take cards in the app.

Things to do at Alserkal Avenue

  • Gallery-hop — Ayyam (WH 11), Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (WH 17), Lawrie Shabibi (WH 21), Green Art Gallery (WH 28) and Carbon 12 (WH 37). Shows change regularly.
  • Concrete — a hall carved out of former warehouses by Rem Koolhaas's OMA, the practice's first completed building in Dubai. It's open when an exhibition or event is on.
  • Catch a film at Cinema Akil (WH 68) — arthouse and festival films from around the world, with evening screenings.
  • Browse books and design — Zerzura Rare Books, Jaipur Rugs and furniture by Nada Debs.
  • Coffee stop — Nightjar Coffee Roasters, Subko Coffee Roasters and a handful of others to sit out the heat.
  • Wander the lanes — warehouses, sail canopies, murals and courtyard sculptures make it an easy, crowd-free place for photos.

How to get to Alserkal Avenue

Step-by-step directions are below; the map shows where you arrive.

Loading the map…

destinationStreet view

Where are you starting from?

We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.

More tips

  1. From Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station take the Red Line towards Expo 2020 / Life Pharmacy.
  2. Ride 2 stops, via Business Bay, to Garmin station. It was called Onpassive until September 2026 and Al Safa before that; signs are being changed until the end of November, so apps may still show an old name.
  3. Walk out to Al Safa Bus Terminus next to the station and take bus 110 — Alserkal says it runs about every 12 minutes and takes around 10 minutes to the Avenue.
  4. Or take a taxi, Careem or Uber from the station — about 5 minutes. Walking takes around 30 minutes through the industrial area; not advised in the heat.
  5. A taxi straight from Downtown takes about 15 minutes outside rush hour. Ask for Alserkal Avenue, 17th Street, Al Quoz.

Before you go

Ready: 0 of 6

Tick off what's ready — your ticks stay in this browser.

Alserkal Avenue, Al Fahidi or Dubai Frame?

Alserkal Avenueyou are hereContemporary art in warehousesFree10:00–19:00, galleries Mon–SatGarmin + bus 110 or taxi≈ 1.5 h
Al FahidiOld quarter with wind towersFreeLanes always; museums daytimeSharaf DG, ≈ 10 min walk≈ 1.5 h
Dubai FrameObservation deck and museumAED 508:00–21:00Max, ≈ 10–15 min walk≈ 1 h

Alserkal is for anyone curious about Middle Eastern contemporary art. For Old Dubai head to Al Fahidi; for the view, Dubai Frame.

Art in the afternoon, Downtown at night

Galleries after lunch, a bus and two metro stops, then the evening under Burj Khalifa with the fountains. Add it to your route — YesGo orders the stops and walking times.

  1. Alserkal Avenueyou are here1 h 30 min · Free
  2. 141 min walk from the previous stopThe Dubai Mall2 h · Free entry
  3. 9 min walk from the previous stopBurj Khalifa1 h 30 min · from AED 189
  4. 4 min walk from the previous stopThe Dubai Fountain30 min · Free; Boardwalk and abra ride paid

4 places · about 8 h 4 min with walks · 154 min on foot in total

Go · my route

How to do it right

  • Go Monday to Saturday — most galleries close on Sunday.
  • Don't walk from the metro in summer: bus 110 or a short taxi saves half an hour in the sun.
  • Start at Concrete and the main square, where you'll see which shows are open that day.
  • Pair it with an evening in Downtown — Burj Khalifa is two metro stops from Garmin.
  • Photos of the lanes and courtyards are fine; inside galleries, ask first.

Questions

Is Alserkal Avenue free?

Yes. Walking into the Avenue and its commercial galleries is free; you pay only for films, workshops and some events.

What are Alserkal Avenue's opening hours?

The Avenue is open daily 10am–7pm. Most galleries open Monday to Saturday and close on Sunday, each with its own hours.

What is the nearest metro station to Alserkal Avenue?

Garmin on the Red Line — formerly Onpassive and, before that, Al Safa. From there take bus 110 or a five-minute taxi.

Can you walk from the metro?

It's about 30 minutes on foot through an industrial area with little shade. Bus 110 or a taxi is the better choice for most of the year.

How long do you need at Alserkal Avenue?

About 90 minutes for a few galleries and Concrete; 2–3 hours if you add coffee or a film.

What is there to do at Alserkal Avenue?

See contemporary art in galleries, catch a film at Cinema Akil, look into Concrete, browse design and book shops, and stop for coffee.

Is there parking at Alserkal Avenue?

Yes — more than 500 paid RTA spaces around the Avenue, zone code 364C. Parking inside is restricted.

Is Alserkal Avenue open on Sundays?

The Avenue, cafés and Cinema Akil are, but most galleries are closed, so Sunday is the weakest day to go.

Is Alserkal Avenue good for kids?

It's free and relaxed, with cafés and courtyards, but these are galleries rather than a children's museum — small kids may get bored quickly.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Alserkal official website: Opening Hours, How to get here, About, Community (gallery and Cinema Akil pages), 03.11.2026
  • English Wikipedia: Alserkal Avenue; Onpassive (Dubai Metro); Wikidata Q4735796
  • WAM, Khaleej Times, The National, 07.09.2026 — renaming of Onpassive station to Garmin
  • Dezeen, 15.03.2016 and 16.03.2017 — on Concrete and the district; ArchDaily — Concrete at Alserkal Avenue
  • Gulf News and Emirates 24|7, 2026 — on Alserkal Art Month and free entry
  • Alserkal press release, 2019 — on the summer break and season opening
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 03.11.2026 ·
How we checkedThe Avenue's hours, gallery and Cinema Akil hours, entrances, bus 110 and parking come from the official Alserkal website on 03.11.2026. The renaming of Onpassive station to Garmin is confirmed by WAM, Khaleej Times and The National. Sources differ on the founding year — Dezeen says 2007, Wikipedia gives 2008, when the first gallery opened — so we show both. They also differ on the district's size (500,000 sq ft officially, 92,000 m² on Wikipedia), so we leave it out. Older guides say galleries close on Fridays or Mondays; that's out of date — the galleries' own pages list Sunday as the day off. The official site lists the Avenue as open every day on 03.11.2026, after the closures across Dubai in spring 2026. The summer break and paid events are marked as being checked.

Top YesGo picks: Dubai

Burj Khalifa

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

1 h 30 min · from AED 189

Burj Al Arab

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

30 min · Free to view; closed inside

The Dubai Mall

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2 h · Free entry

Palm Jumeirah

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2 h · Island free, The View from AED 80

The Dubai Fountain

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

30 min · Free; Boardwalk and abra ride paid

Museum of the Future

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2 h · Closed until Q1 2027

Dubai Water Canal

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

1 h · Free; abra rides from AED 2

All places: Dubai →