Dallas airports to the city

By the Viamo editorial team · Editor Terje Moy · Last updated July 2026 · 5 min read

Dallas is served by two airports with genuinely different transfer options: Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), one of the world's busiest hubs, which has its own light rail station; and Dallas Love Field (DAL), a smaller domestic-focused airport closer to downtown. Which one you land at changes the whole calculation for getting into the city.

From DFW: DART's Orange Line into Dallas

DFW sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, and DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) runs its Orange Line light rail directly into a station inside the airport's Terminal A, reached by a walkway — no shuttle bus needed to start the journey. The Orange Line runs south-east through Irving and Las Colinas before reaching downtown Dallas, calling at stations including Victory Station and the West End before continuing to Union Station and beyond. The full ride to downtown takes a little under an hour, making it a slower but far more predictable option than driving through DFW's notoriously congested surrounding freeways at peak times.

Fares are paid with a reloadable DART GoPass, available via the DART GoPass app or at station vending machines. Trains run frequently through the day, with no reservation needed.

From DFW: TEXRail to downtown Fort Worth

If your destination is Fort Worth rather than Dallas, TEXRail, operated by Trinity Metro, runs from a station at DFW's Terminal B directly to Fort Worth's central T&P Station downtown. The trip takes roughly 30–40 minutes, though TEXRail runs less frequently than DART's Orange Line — check the timetable before you land rather than assuming a train will be waiting, since gaps between services can be considerable off-peak.

From Love Field: DART bus and light rail, or a short rideshare

Love Field is much closer to downtown Dallas — roughly 10 km — and mostly handles domestic flights, notably Southwest Airlines' home hub. DART's Green Line has a station near the airport, but it isn't inside the terminal; a short DART shuttle bus connects the terminal to the nearby light rail stop, from where it's a fairly quick ride into downtown. For many visitors, particularly with luggage, a rideshare or taxi is simpler: the short distance means a car typically reaches downtown in 15–25 minutes, rarely much longer even in moderate traffic.

Rideshare and taxis at both airports

Uber and Lyft operate from designated pickup zones at both DFW and Love Field, reached by a short walk or a courtesy shuttle depending on your terminal. From DFW, a rideshare into downtown Dallas typically takes 30–45 minutes outside rush hour, but the freeways ringing the airport — particularly I-635 and the Dallas North Tollway approaches — back up substantially during the evening commute, sometimes adding 20 minutes or more. Metered taxis are available from marked ranks at both airports and charge broadly comparable fares to rideshare for the same trip.

Car hire and driving yourself

Both airports have large consolidated rental car facilities, useful if your trip extends beyond the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex — Texas Hill Country, Austin or a wider road trip are all realistic with a hire car. Within the city itself, a car is less necessary: downtown Dallas is compact enough to walk once you arrive, and DART's rail network already covers the corridor most visitors need from DFW. See our guide to driving in the USA for the basics of renting and driving stateside. Ride-hailing beyond Uber and Lyft has little presence in the metroplex — see our guide to which ride-hailing app works where if you're comparing options across a longer trip.

Comparing DFW and Love Field for onward travel

If you have a choice of Dallas airport and your final destination is central Dallas, Love Field's shorter distance often outweighs DFW's rail link, especially outside peak commuting hours. If Fort Worth is your destination, DFW's TEXRail connection makes it the clearly better choice, since Love Field has no direct link that side of the metroplex at all. Travellers connecting onward within Texas or the wider country should also compare against our guide to Houston airports to the city, where — unlike Dallas — neither airport has any rail connection at all.

Luggage, timing and first-timer tips

DFW's scale means the walk or Skylink ride from your gate to either the DART or TEXRail station can take longer than a first-time visitor expects, particularly from the airport's outer gates — build this into your connection time. DART GoPass machines take cash and card, and a single pass can be reloaded for return journeys, so there's no need to queue repeatedly. If you're arriving on a late flight, check current DART and TEXRail operating hours, since both reduce frequency significantly late at night; rideshare remains available around the clock as the reliable fallback. See our guide to minimum connection times if you're routing through DFW on a tight international transfer, and our guide to how to get into airport lounges if you have a long wait between flights at a hub this size instead.

Which option should you choose?

From DFW, the DART Orange Line is the best value and most traffic-proof way into downtown Dallas, while TEXRail is the clear choice for Fort Worth. From Love Field, rideshare or a taxi is usually simplest given the short distance, though DART's Green Line via the shuttle bus works well for budget-conscious travellers without much luggage. A hire car is worth arranging only if your trip extends well beyond the metroplex itself.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a train from DFW Airport to downtown Dallas?

Yes — DART's Orange Line light rail runs directly from a station inside DFW's Terminal A to downtown Dallas, taking a little under an hour, with no reservation needed.

How do I get from DFW to Fort Worth?

TEXRail runs from a station at DFW's Terminal B directly to Fort Worth's T&P Station downtown in roughly 30–40 minutes, though services are less frequent than DART's Orange Line, so check the timetable in advance.

Is Love Field or DFW closer to downtown Dallas?

Love Field is considerably closer, around 10 km from downtown versus DFW's roughly 30 km, making a rideshare or taxi from Love Field noticeably quicker for most visitors.

Does Love Field have a direct rail connection?

Not directly inside the terminal. DART's Green Line has a nearby station reached by a short shuttle bus, or a rideshare or taxi covers the short distance into downtown just as easily.