Gulfood parking and chauffeur transport

Gulfood 2027 at a glance

Gulfood parking differs at the two venues, Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City. A chauffeur handles the drop-off and the 42 km run between them, and the table below gives the dates.

Item	Detail
Dates	15 to 19 March 2027
Hours	10:00 to 18:00 from 15 to 18 March, 10:00 to 17:00 on 19 March
Venues	Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) at Expo City Dubai
Official site	gulfood.com
Last checked	17 October 2026

Check the sector floor plan on gulfood.com to see which venue holds your halls. The two venues are about 42 km apart, so it decides where your car goes each morning.

Two venues, about 42 km apart

DWTC sits on Sheikh Zayed Road, about 5 km from Downtown Dubai. DEC is at Expo City Dubai, reached by Expo Road (E77) off Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (E311).

The road run between them is about 42 km, roughly 40 minutes without traffic (OSRM). At Gulfood 2026, free shuttle buses ran between the two venues, as Khaleej Times reported. No 2027 shuttle was listed on gulfood.com when we checked.

A car on hourly standby makes the hop on your timetable, with your samples and stand material in the boot.

Getting to each venue

• Metro. Both venues are on the Red Line. DWTC has its own station, World Trade Centre. Expo 2020 station is inside Expo City Dubai, the site of DEC.
• Taxi and ride-hailing. DWTC marks pick-up and drop-off points for Careem and Uber around the venue. For Gulfood 2026, Khaleej Times reported a transport hub with taxis.
• Chauffeur. The car drops you at the entrance nearest your hall. It collects you at the time you set, or when you message on WhatsApp.

Road closures

No road closures for Gulfood 2027 had been announced when we checked on 17 October 2026. For the 2025 and 2026 editions, the published travel measures were overflow parking and free shuttle buses, as reported by Gulf News and Khaleej Times. Check again in the week before the show.

Parking at each venue

DWTC’s getting-here page lists 6 paid and 2 free car parks with 7,530 spaces in total. It also offers valet and EV charging bays, with direct access from Sheikh Zayed Road.

During events that Parkin classes as grand events, about 200 street spaces right around DWTC charge AED 25 an hour from 8am to 10pm. The Dubai Media Office announced the tariff in March 2025, listing GITEX and Big 5 among that year’s grand events. Check the current list before you drive to Gulfood. For Gulfood 2025, the RTA added 4,400 overflow spaces at Jaffiliya, Al Kifaf, Zabeel and Al Wasl Club, with free shuttles, according to Gulf News.

At Gulfood 2026, parking at DEC was free for visitors. Expo City Dubai’s getting-here page says its parking is free for all visitors, with signs to the nearest car park.

With a chauffeur there is no car park to find and no hourly tariff to watch. The car drops you at the hall entrance and comes back when you need it.

Drop-off and pickup

Tell your chauffeur the hall you need on each day. At DWTC, the venue marks ride-hailing pick-up and drop-off points around the site, and your chauffeur confirms the exact spot on WhatsApp.

For a move between venues, the same car collects you at one and drops you at the other.

Drive times to DWTC and DEC

From	To DWTC	To DEC (Expo City)
Dubai International (DXB)	about 15 km, 26 minutes	about 52 km, 56 minutes
Al Maktoum International (DWC)	about 52 km, 53 minutes	about 21 km, 31 minutes
Downtown Dubai	about 5 km, 7 minutes	about 39 km, 37 minutes
Dubai Marina	about 24 km, 22 minutes	about 22 km, 24 minutes
Central Abu Dhabi	about 141 km, 1 hour 30 minutes	about 114 km, 1 hour 15 minutes

Distances and times come from the OSRM router on OpenStreetMap roads, checked on 17 October 2026: the average of both directions, with empty roads. Morning arrivals for a 10:00 opening meet Dubai’s rush hour, so leave earlier than the table suggests. Trips that start in Abu Dhabi are on request: ask us to confirm for your route.

Our exhibitor team transport plan lists what to agree before show week, and Dubai rush hour and Salik tolls explain what shapes the drive between the two venues.

Transport options for exhibitors and visitors

• Daily hotel transfers to either venue, with the return set for closing time: 18:00, or 17:00 on 19 March.
• Hourly standby for exhibitors and buyers who move between DWTC and DEC during the day.
• Airport and show. Meet and greet at Dubai International arrivals, or at Al Maktoum International (DWC), which is about 21 km from DEC.
• Stand teams. The Assure fleet includes Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minibuses with 13 or 19 seats. Toyota Coaster minibuses with 22 seats and 35 or 50-seat coaches are available through our partner network, subject to availability. See bus rental for larger groups.
• VIP cars for buyers and delegations: a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or BMW 7 Series from the Assure fleet, 3 passengers each.
• Company accounts. Exhibitors who come back every year can book through our corporate service.

When to book for Gulfood, and what sets the price

Gulfood runs five days on fixed hours, so plan the car schedule day by day. Send stand-team arrival dates as soon as you have them. Group vehicles and partner-network cars are subject to availability.

Your quote depends on these.

• the number of show days and cars
• daily drop-offs only, or a car kept on standby between meetings
• which venue you need, and whether you move between DWTC and DEC
• sedan, van or minibus, and the size of your team
• airport legs at DXB or DWC

Send the plan on WhatsApp at any hour and the quote comes back there.

Other trade shows we cover

WHX Dubai, Big 5 Global and Arabian Travel Market are planned the same way, with the same vehicle options. Our DWTC parking and drop-off guide covers the halls and car parks in more detail.