Sadr City: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Sadr City is a city of 1.2 million people in Iraq (Baghdad), 39 m (128 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Daylight in Sadr City runs from about 9 h 59 min a day in late December to 14 h 25 min in late June (computed for 33.39° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Sadr City is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre, whose 13,124-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Sadr City: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Sadr City · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Baghdad, 8 km
- Mosul, 350 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Erbil, 314 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Karbala, 95 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Kirkuk, 231 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Abū Ghurayb, 27 km — car rental · tours
- Sulaymaniyah, 258 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Kermanshah, 262 km (Iran)
- Nasiriyah, 310 km — trains · buses · car rental
- Najaf, 152 km — buses · car rental · tours
Common questions
Which airport serves Sadr City?
Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW), 25 km (16 mi) from the centre.
How big is Sadr City?
About 1.2 million people live in Sadr City, across 13 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Sadr City in?
Asia/Baghdad, currently UTC+3.
What currency is used in Sadr City?
The Dinar (IQD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Sadr City?
Baghdad (8 km), Mosul (350 km), Erbil (314 km), Karbala (95 km), Kirkuk (231 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.