Abu DhabiTravel Guide
The UAE's stately capital counters Dubai's flash with white-marble grandeur: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and a palm-lined Corniche along a turquoise gulf.
Is Abu Dhabi right for you?
Winter
Around 43°C by day in August, 25°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.
Expensive. Part of the reason to come is what you can book when you arrive.
We have a weekend here planned hour by hour.
Winter
Average daily highs, recorded at Abu Dhabi (Zayed International Airport), 1991-2020 normals.
Where this comes from
NOAA; Climate Yearly Report (English Wikipedia, 'Abu Dhabi')
Luxury
Typical cost profile for visitors
- Dubai120 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in January, February, March
- Doha, Qatar300 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in January, February, March · a different price level (mixed)
- Muscat, Oman420 km
half a day's travel · both good in January, February, March · a different price level (mid)
Dubai
Doha
MuscatFinding Abu Dhabi
Reading Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi essentials: getting in, getting around, getting it right
A practical guide to arriving, moving and pacing yourself in a capital where almost nothing is within walking distance of anything else.
In Abu Dhabi You Are Not Choosing a Hotel. You Are Choosing an Island.
The capital is spread across a chain of islands with no metro to stitch them together, so the address on your booking decides what every single day of the trip costs you in taxi fares and lost hours, whether you are paying resort money or counting dirhams.
Coffee, dates and people-watching in Abu Dhabi
Gahwa poured from a long-beaked dallah, karak passed through a cafeteria window and gold-dusted cappuccino in a palace lobby: how to drink your way across Abu Dhabi over two or three unhurried days.
48 Hours in Abu Dhabi: The Perfect Two-Day Plan, Hour by Hour
Marble domes at sunrise, a rain of light at the Louvre, kayaks in the mangroves and one gold-flecked cappuccino — the ideal Abu Dhabi weekend, scheduled.
Green Abu Dhabi: parks, mangroves and easy escapes
Abu Dhabi's green side is real, reachable and largely free — tidal mangrove boardwalks, a Blue Flag Corniche, protected island dunes and a full day in the oasis city of Al Ain.
Abu Dhabi, framed
What we'd do in Abu Dhabi
See and do
- Worth the drive
Three trips out of the city, in order of how much they add.
Read: Abu Dhabi essentials: getting in, getting around, getting it right - Umm Al Emarat and the city parks
In the Mushrif district, a short drive inland from the Corniche, Umm Al Emarat Park is the capital's answer to a central park and the single best place in the city to watch Abu Dhabi simply relax.
Read: Green Abu Dhabi: parks, mangroves and easy escapes - Doing it right
Above all, pace yourself the local way — mornings and evenings out, the hot hours indoors, and no attempt to see the city on foot.
Read: Abu Dhabi essentials: getting in, getting around, getting it right - Money
the dirham is pegged to the US dollar, cards work almost everywhere, and cash is useful mainly at markets.
Read: Abu Dhabi essentials: getting in, getting around, getting it right - Dress and etiquette
modest dress at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is mandatory; elsewhere, lightweight and respectful works everywhere.
Read: Abu Dhabi essentials: getting in, getting around, getting it right
Eat and drink
- The shape of a coffee day
The city has a rhythm, and fighting it is exhausting.
Read: Coffee, dates and people-watching in Abu Dhabi - Buying dates properly
The date market at Mina Zayed, in the Al Mina district beside the working fish market, is the city's main wholesale souk for dates, and it is where you should buy rather than at an airport boutique.
Read: Coffee, dates and people-watching in Abu Dhabi - The everyday cup
karak chai — strong, sweet, spiced milk tea — is the emirate's true street drink, and typically costs only a few dirhams at a cafeteria window.
Read: Coffee, dates and people-watching in Abu Dhabi - The famous indulgence
the gold-flecked cappuccino served at Emirates Palace, which the hotel calls the Palace Cappuccino, has become an attraction in its own right.
Read: Coffee, dates and people-watching in Abu Dhabi
Where to stay
- Doing it cheaply without exiling yourself
Budget in Abu Dhabi means one of three things.
Read: In Abu Dhabi You Are Not Choosing a Hotel. You Are Choosing an Island.Check ratesad · Booking.com
Practical essentials for United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates dirham (AED), pegged to the US dollar
Arabic is official, but English is the everyday working language across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Type G, 230V 50Hz
Dubai's metro, tram, buses and ferries all run on the prepaid nol card, Abu Dhabi uses the Hafilat card, and Careem and Uber work in both.
A 10% service charge is usually already on the bill and goes to the house; another 10-15% in restaurants and a few dirhams for taxis and porters is common.
Tap water is desalinated and meets drinking standards, but most residents and hotels use bottled or filtered water because of building storage tanks.
Right-hand side; licences from the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, Japan and about two dozen other listed countries are accepted directly, and all other visitors need an International Driving Permit.
999 police, 998 ambulance, 997 fire
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Saudi Arabia
Jordan
