Abu Dhabi is the quieter, wealthier, more culturally ambitious sibling of Dubai. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is one of the great religious buildings of the modern era. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is the most surprising museum in the Gulf. And the Corniche — 8 km of seafront boulevard — gives the city a human scale that its tower forests suggest it shouldn't have. Three days here covers the mosque, the museum, Ferrari World and a desert safari.
The 2007 mosque (capacity 41,000) is one of the great religious buildings of the 21st century — 82 domes, 1,000 columns, the world's largest carpet (5,627 m², hand-knotted by 1,200 Iranian craftswomen) and the world's largest chandelier (12 tonnes, Swarovski crystal). The white marble exterior, inlaid with flowers of lapis lazuli and mother of pearl, is most beautiful in morning light before 09:00.
The Grand Mosque is in the Khalidiyah area — return to the Corniche for breakfast. The Emirates Palace hotel's breakfast (Bab Al Qasr terrace) is extraordinary, or Café Arabia (Hamdan Street, excellent Arabic coffee and pastries at a fraction of the hotel price).
Abu Dhabi's 8 km seafront boulevard is the finest urban promenade in the Gulf — the Corniche public beach (Corniche Beach Club, AED 30 weekday) is the cleanest in the region. The view from the Corniche beach looking south gives the Abu Dhabi skyline.
The 18th-century watchtower and palace complex at the heart of Abu Dhabi's original settlement — the Al Hosn Museum documents the development of the emirate from pearl-diving settlement to oil state.
The Abu Dhabi Global Market Square (ADGM) on Al Maryah Island has excellent restaurants in the Cleveland Clinic building complex. Or: Shakespeare & Co. (multiple locations) for the most atmospheric all-day café in Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi Corniche at night — the lit towers, the sea breeze (far cooler than midday), and the ice cream stalls along the seafront walk. The most pleasant evening in Abu Dhabi happens outside.
Jean Nouvel's 2017 museum under a 180-metre dome of overlapping stars (the dome creates a moving pattern of light and shadow — the rain of light) houses one of the most surprising art collections in the world: arranged chronologically and across all civilizations, placing a Rembrandt next to a Han Chinese lacquerwork next to an Egyptian sarcophagus.
The Louvre café terrace or the Saadiyat Beach Club (AED 300 entrance, deductible against food and drink) for a beach lunch — the beach at Saadiyat Island is the finest in Abu Dhabi.
The largest indoor theme park in the world under a distinctive red Ferrari logo roof — Formula Rossa is the world's fastest roller coaster (240 km/h, 0–100 in 2 seconds). The park is excellent for adults as well as children; the Ferrari driving experience is available for AED 450.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideYas Mall has a wide range of restaurants from international chains to Cipriani (the finest Italian restaurant on Yas Island). Or: return to the Corniche for dinner at Li Beirut (Jumeirah at Etihad Towers) for the finest Lebanese food in the city.
The Sheikh Zayed Bridge (Zaha Hadid, 2010) is most beautiful at night — the sinusoidal wave structure lit with LED strips. Drive across and back for the most dramatic view of Abu Dhabi from the water.
The Emirates Palace hotel's outdoor terrace bar (non-alcoholic — Abu Dhabi's premium hotels serve mocktails and camel milk) is the most extravagant setting in the city. Or: the rooftop pool bar at the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.
Al Ain (1.5 hrs drive from Abu Dhabi) is the UAE's only UNESCO World Heritage site — the Al Ain Oasis (147,000 date palms irrigated by the 3,000-year-old aflaj system), the Hill Archaeological Park (bronze age tombs, 2500 BC), and the Al Ain Palace Museum (the Sheikh's residence). A completely different side of the UAE.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideAl Ain has more authentic Emirati restaurants than Abu Dhabi — try Al Khaima (near the Oasis) for balaleet (sweet vermicelli with eggs, cardamom and saffron), luqaimat (honey dumplings) and camel milk. A genuine insight into Emirati cuisine that the city's luxury hotels obscure.
Jebel Hafit (1,240m) on the Al Ain-Abu Dhabi border — the road to the summit gives one of the finest desert landscape views in the UAE. The Mercure Al Ain Hotel at the top has a terrace café with views of Oman and the Hajar Mountains.
A standard Abu Dhabi desert safari package (AED 150–250 from most hotels) includes: 4x4 dune bashing in the Liwa dunes, sand boarding, camel riding at sunset, and a Bedouin camp dinner with shisha, live music and belly dancing. The Liwa dunes (2 hrs from the city) are the finest in the UAE.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Grand Mosque is lit at night by a system that mirrors the phases of the moon — the exterior glows from white to cream to deep gold. A final walk around the mosque exterior at 22:00 is completely different from the morning visit.
Zuma at the Abu Dhabi Global Market is the finest Japanese restaurant in the city — the robata grill and the miso marinated black cod are the signature dishes. A civilised final dinner in the most international restaurant in Abu Dhabi.