It takes about 1–2 hours to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The reasons to go are numerous: the UAE's largest mosque, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, featuring art from Van Gogh to Ai Weiwei, the fastest roller coaster in the world and a cafe serving cappuccino topped with real gold.
During the coronavirus pandemic you must present a negative coronavirus test taken within 48 hours before your trip in order to enter Abu Dhabi. If you stay for 6 or more days you must take an additional test on the sixth day. Plan in advance: almost all visits require pre-booking.
The UAE's largest mosque (and the third-largest mosque in the world) took 12 years (1996–2008) to build. It covers an area of 22,412sqm and can hold more than 40,000 worshipers — and is home to the largest hand woven carpet in the world (5,630 sqm). The carpet was made in Iran by 1200 workers.
The mosque was a personal project of the UAE's first president, the late Sheikh Zayed who planned it to be his final resting place — and it is. The concept is: to incorporate architectural inspirations from various Islamic countries in one project by British, Italian and Emirati architects to praise diversity. The result is stunningly beautiful: from reflective pools in the courtyard to the world’s third-largest chandelier covered in Swarovski crystals.
Free to visit, but pre-booking is required. Men must wear long trousers, women — cover their heads, arms and ankles . Do not forget the sunglasses: the white marble is blinding.
The first of it’s kind to open outside France. Opened in 2017, the Louvre is the largest art museum on the Arabian peninsula — it occupies 24,000 sqm with 8,000 sqm of galleries. Visiting all 12 galleries will take at least several hours. The Louvre houses an impressive collection of art from Van Gogh to Ai Weiwei and regularly presents masterpieces of the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Paul Gaugin on loan from the Paris Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and other famous institutions.
The spaceship-like building is a piece of modern art itself. The latticework dome produces peculiar light patterns inside.
Children’s Museum in the Louvre is designed for kids from 6 to 12 and offers plenty of activities.
Entrance fee: 63 AED for adults, 30AED for teens, free for children under 13. Pre-booking is required.
Tip: it might be quite chilly in air-conditioned galleries so make sure to bring a sweater.
Yas Island is a popular tourist destination with several theme parks: Ferrari World (featuring the fastest roller coaster!), Warner Bros. World, and a water park Yas Waterworld. So if you have just one day in Abu Dhabi you are facing a tough choice.
Yas Island also holds the Yas Marina Circuit for Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This 860,000 sqm park holds the world record for the largest indoor theme park. It features attractions and multi-sensory simulators, souvenir shops and Italian restaurants (currently closed for safety reasons). The most popular attractions in the park are Flying Aces (a roller coaster with a loop at 63 meters above ground and an angle of 51 degrees, which you take at a speed of 120 km/h) and Formula Rossa (the fastest roller coaster in the world, wagons reach speed up to 240 km/h in 4.9 seconds at the height of 52 meters). It is probably the closest one can get to feeling like an F1 racing champion.
The official site features a filter to check if your kid is big enough for any particular ride (often a height over 110–120 cm is required).
A single day ticket: 230–295 AED. During the coronavirus pandemic you must pre-book tickets.
Yas Waterworld water park holds some records of its own. “Surf's up! Bubbles' Barrel” slide is the world’s largest surfable sheet wave for flowboards and bodyboards. Among Yas Waterworld’s 45 rides, slides and attractions there is also the world’s largest hydromagnetic-powered, six-person tornado water slide (over 235 metres long).
Set across more than 15 hectares of land, the park is Emirati-themed and the theme is built around the legend of a brave girl’s journey to retrieve a lost pearl (that’s why pearls are everywhere). You can even try diving for pearls with the help from a professional instructor.
Entrance fee: 210–250 AED. Yas Waterworld has ladies-only days, so check and book in advance.
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island is made up of six different theme areas: Gotham City, Metropolis, Cartoon Junction, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros Plaza. Gotham and Metropolis are based on the cities of DC Comics superheroes Batman and Superman. Cartoon Junction and Dynamite Gulch feature the characters from Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera cartoons, and Bedrock features the Flintstones. Warner Bros Plaza is a trip to old Hollywood.
Entrance fee: from 295 AED for adults, from 230 AED for kids.
A seafront promenade, the Corniche is lined with restaurants and cafes, green parks and fountains on one side, and naturally turquoise waters on the other. The most popular part of the area is the Corniche Beach, just a few minutes’ walk from Emirates Palace. Tip: Corniche is a great place for a bike ride — and there are plenty of spots to rent one.
A reconstructed Emirati village. Here you can watch craftsmen at work, meet camels, Arabian horses, and goats, shop in a traditional market for handmade soap or silver jewellery, see old weapons and other artefacts in the museum. Fans of authentic experience might find the place “fake”, but you can still learn a lot about traditional Emirati life: from how barasti (palm-leaf houses) were built, to how ancient irrigation systems worked. Bonus: a small beach with a picturesque view of the Abu Dhabi skyline framed by palms.
No entrance fee.
A distinctive feature of Abu Dhabi skyline is the complex of Etihad Towers featuring offices, apartments and a hotel.
The Jumeirah Tower of Etihad Towers houses an observation deck at the 74th floor.
Entrance fee: 95 AED with 55 AED redeemable for food and drinks.
The Presidential palace has been opened for public since 2019 (but is still being used for official purposes). Inspired by Arab heritage, the palace is built of white granite and limestone and ornately decorated outside and inside (for example, it contains a giant chandelier made from 350,000 crystals).
Entrance fee: 60AED for adults, 30AED for kids. Pre booking is required.
What if Dubai’s Burj Al Arab is not the most luxurious hotel in the world? Then the Emirates Palace probably is. This hotel in Abu Dhabi is thought to have been the world’s most expensive hotel to build, costing approximately 3 billion dollars.
A popular tourist attraction is Le Cafe in the lobby which serves cappuccinos sprinkled with real 23 karat gold flakes and priced at 60 AED.