Abu Dhabi
The capital on its islands: a great white mosque, a museum under a dome of light, and the Corniche.
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, built on an island and the archipelago around it. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque stands at its gate; the Louvre Abu Dhabi sits under its lattice dome on Saadiyat; and the Corniche curves along the city's front with the Gulf on one side and the towers on the other.
Why go
For two buildings worth a journey on their own — the mosque, with its white domes, courtyards and reflecting pools, and the museum, where the sun comes through the dome as a rain of light — and for a city calmer and greener than its neighbour up the coast.
Then for the islands: Saadiyat's beach and cultural district, Yas with its circuit and theme parks, and the mangroves for a morning by kayak. The oasis city of Al Ain and the dunes of the Empty Quarter are the day trips.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
White marble domes and minarets, a courtyard of floral inlay and a prayer hall under vast chandeliers. Book a visiting slot on the mosque's website before you go; long, loose clothing is required, and a headscarf for women. It is lit after dark, and sunset is a good time to arrive.
02The Louvre Abu Dhabi
A museum city of white galleries under a floating dome on the Saadiyat shore, telling the story of art across civilisations side by side. The water walk around the outside is as good as the rooms.
03The Corniche and the beach
A long curve of promenade, gardens and public beach along the island's western front, with the towers behind and the breakwater and the Emirates Palace at its end.
04Qasr Al Watan and the Founder's Memorial
The presidential palace, opened to visitors with its great hall and library, and the memorial to the country's founder on the waterfront, lit as a constellation at night.
05Yas and Saadiyat islands
Yas for the Formula 1 circuit, the indoor theme parks and the waterpark; Saadiyat for its white beach, the museums district and the turtles that nest on the sand.
06The mangroves and the desert
Kayaking through the mangrove channels at the city's edge in the morning; in the afternoon, the dunes at Al Wathba or a longer drive to the oasis of Liwa on the edge of the Empty Quarter.
07Al Ain
The garden city inland with its date-palm oasis, mud forts, camel market and the road up Jebel Hafeet for the view. A day trip from the capital.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
The Corniche and the centre
The city's front: hotels along the water, the beach and the business towers behind. Central to everything on the main island.
Saadiyat Island
The cultural district and a long white beach, with resort hotels along the sand. Quiet, a short drive from the centre.
Yas Island
The entertainment island by the airport: theme parks, the circuit, a marina and family hotels.
Al Maryah and Al Reem
The newer financial and residential islands with malls, restaurants and towers, a bridge from the centre.
When to go: Abu Dhabi
- WinterNovember – March
- Warm days, cool evenings and the outdoor season: the Grand Prix in late autumn, beach weather all winter, and the desert at its kindest.
- Shoulder monthsApril and October
- Hot but bearable, with the sea warm and the crowds lighter than in the winter months.
- SummerMay – September
- Very hot and humid; a season for the mosque, the museum, the indoor parks and pools, with mornings on the beach.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Abu Dhabi. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- AUHZayed International
Distance from
- DXBDubai130 km
- BOMMumbai2,000 km
- CDGParis5,230 km
- LHRLondon5,500 km
- SINSingapore5,910 km
- JNBJohannesburg6,290 km
- JFKNew York11,010 km
- SYDSydney12,090 km
Getting around: Abu Dhabi
Taxis are plentiful, metered and the usual way around; ride-hailing works too. Buses connect the islands and Dubai; the drive between the two cities takes about an hour and a half.
The Corniche is made for walking and cycling. The mosque, the museum and the islands are each a short taxi ride apart; Al Ain and Liwa are day trips with a driver or a hire car.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- United Arab Emirates
- Currency
- AED · United Arab Emirates Dirham
- Languages
- Arabic
- Time zone
- Gulf Standard Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +971
The atlas
Abu Dhabi in figures
Climate
The weather in Abu Dhabi, month by month
- Jan22°
- Feb23°
- Mar26°
- Apr30°
- May35°
- Jun36°
- Jul38°
- Aug39°
- Sept37°
- Oct34°
- Nov29°
- Dec25°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: November to April.
Mean highs run from 22°C in January to 39°C in August, with about 64 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for Abu DhabiModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
On the map
Places near Abu Dhabi
From the journal
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