Visiting Abu Dhabi from Dubai, you can easily take a day trip to Abu Dhabi to discover all the highlights of the city on a private day trip.
In Abu Dhabi, you can visit the magnificent Sheikh Zayed mosque, see the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, spend an afternoon visiting the amusement parks or stroll along the corniche and marvel at the many skyscrapers.
The main emirate : Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the federal capital of the United Arab Emirates and the second most populous city after Dubai. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The city of Abu Dhabi is located on an island in the Persian Gulf, off the central west coast. Most of the city and emirate are located on the mainland, which is connected to the rest of the country. By 2021, the Abu Dhabi metropolitan area was estimated to have a population of around 1.5 million. Abu Dhabi is only 130 km from Dubai. This distance can be covered in 90 minutes. As a result, you can easily take a day trip from Dubai to the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
What Dubai and Abu Dhabi have in common is that both cities have undergone massive petrodollar-driven transformations, are fairly liberal by Islamic standards, are safe countries and have invested their money to become more of a tourist destination. If you’re holidaying in Dubai for a longer period, we really recommend visiting Abu Dhabi for a day, as the new metropolis has plenty of historic and modern buildings.
The main attractions here are the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates, which is certainly one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. The emirate is also known for its own Louvre museum, and the country is widely known for Formula 1 racing on the Yas Marina circuit.
How do I get to Abu Dhabi from Dubai?
To visit Abu Dhabi from Dubai, you’ll need to take the highway that links the two cities. You can rent a car yourself, take a cab (at least AED 300 one way) or take the public bus from, for example, the Al Ghubaiba bus station in Dubai. What we recommend from experience is to book a fully-organized day trip, with which you will also visit the most important sites and thus get the most out of your day trip to Abu Dhabi. In fact, one day is enough to visit the highlights of the city. Group day trips can be booked from 72 euros.
With Visiter Dubai, a French guide in Dubai, you can book your private excursion to Abu Dhabi. A premium service with 100% personalized support.
Contact us to visit Abu Dhabi from Dubai:
What to see in Abu Dhabi from Dubai
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. The impressive mosque is named after the first president and founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, who is also buried here. The immense white building has 82 domes and is largely composed of white marble. The prayer hall has a capacity of 40,000 worshippers, the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet and 24-carat gold-plated chandeliers, making the mosque a feast for the eyes. The mosque’s magnificence is further enhanced by the reflection of the surrounding ponds.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi
This impressive Louvre Abu Dhabi museum opened in 2017 and was created after a multi-million dollar agreement between the French Musée du Louvre and the United Arab Emirates. For example, the museum, as impressive as an exhibition building, boasts an evolving collection of over 300 works. The other half of the museum’s collection is made up of works purchased by the museum itself with petrodollars. In the future, a Guggenheim Museum will also be opened alongside the Louvre Abu Dhabi, with which Abu Dhabi aims to put itself on the map as an art center in the Middle East. You can book individual tickets via Visit Dubai and if you want a day trip from Dubai, you’ll need to book this day trip.
Emirates Palace
The Emirates Palace is not a palace as its name suggests, but a premium luxury hotel more luxurious than a 5-star, built like a palace from the Arabian Nights and surrounded by 85 hectares of magnificent gardens. Construction costs amounted to around $3 billion, making the Emirates Palace the third most expensive hotel of all time. The hotel’s interior is richly decorated, with gold and marble in the suites. You can visit part of the hotel’s interior and exterior.
Qasr Al Watan – Presidential Palace
Since 2019, it has been possible to visit the presidential palace ‘Qasr Al Watan’. From afar, the impressive palace stands out with its beautiful white domes and gardens, while inside it is even more lavishly decorated with gilded elements and chandeliers. By opening the palace, they want to tell visitors more about Abu Dhabi’s history and traditions. A visit to this palace is sure to give you an Arabian Nights experience.
Etihad Towers & Observation Deck
The “highlight” of your visit to Abu Dhabi is literally a visit to the Etihad Towers observation point 300 meters above sea level. The five towers of the Etihad Towers are not to be missed on the skyline. From the observation deck, you have a magnificent panoramic view of Abu Dhabi’s surroundings.
Route de la Corniche
The Corniche is an eight-kilometer road along the coast of Abu Dhabi with numerous playgrounds, parks, bike paths, restaurants, cafés and the Corniche beach. The adjacent boulevard is therefore a popular meeting place in Abu Dhabi, and at the start of Corniche Road you’ll also find the aforementioned Emirates Palace Hotel.
Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi circuit
The Yas Marina circuit is Abu Dhabi’s Formula 1 circuit located on the artificial island of Yas, and cost around $1 billion. You can visit the circuit in a number of different ways, for example with the Yas Marina Circuit Tour, you can take a tour of the circuit, but there are also various options for touring the circuit yourself.
Heritage Village Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s Heritage Village is an open-air museum where you can see how people lived in the desert in the mid-20th century before Abu Dhabi was transformed into a luxury oil state. The ideal place for traditional souvenirs, reconstructed buildings and artisan demonstrations. From Heritage Village, you also have one of the best panoramic views in Abu Dhabi.
Liwa Oasis
The Desert Safari in Liwa is an excellent option for visitors with limited time, offering a six-hour excursion into the emirate’s desert environment. Visitors are taken in an all-terrain vehicle through the dune landscape before settling into a desert camp for dinner with traditional tannura and belly dancing. At the camp, you can choose from a range of free activities, including donkey and camel rides. All transfers, pick-up and drop-off from Abu Dhabi hotels and meals are included in the price.
Qasr Al-Hosn
The recently restored Al-Hosn Fort, also known as the Old Fort or White Fort, is Abu Dhabi’s oldest building and one of its most important historical attractions.The palace was built in 1793 as the residence of the ruling family and seat of government.The interior of Al Hosn Fort has been modernized and is now used as a museum to trace the history and culture of Abu Dhabi, with oral histories and a wealth of historical photographs.The courtyard and magnificent tiling above the main north gate are outstanding features.
Saadiyat Island Beach
Saadiyat Island is one of Abu Dhabi’s most popular sunbathing destinations.
Saadiyat Beach is a long stretch of white sand on the island’s western shore, and bathers have to pay a small entrance fee. There are excellent facilities on the beach, including lifeguards on duty, a café for refreshments and plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas. Active swimmers can rent kayaks and windsurfing equipment on the beach. Behind the beach lies a fringe of sheltered sand dunes, where Hawskbill turtles nest. The beach is accessible via an elevated wooden walkway, so that this area is not disturbed.
For a more luxurious day in the sand, head further north along the coast of Saadiyat Island to the private Saadiyat Beach Club. A day pass will give you access to this exclusive strip of beach with all the facilities you need, including pools, restaurants and a variety of lounge areas.
A private tour of Abu Dhabi with Visiter Dubai?
With this 8-hour private tour of Abu Dhabi, you’ll step into the luxury of the emirate of Abu Dhabi and visit all the highlights with a private French guide. You will be picked up from your hotel in Dubai and driven to the UAE capital (approx. 90 minutes).
For more information and prices on our Abu Dhabi Tour, please contact us. We’ll answer all your questions and plan a 100% personalized itinerary for an unforgettable day in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Customer reviews Abu Dhabi City Tour :
Magalie M★★★★★@magaliem819 Read More
Top service
For our first stay in Dubai, we called on Victor’s services and we are delighted!!!!
He’s always available, with good advice, responsive and easy to talk to!
He organized several excursions for us, which went very well.
We spent a day together in Abu Dhabi, it was a beautiful day, he taught us lots of things about Dubai!
We recommend it without hesitation!
7hase7★★★★★@7hase7 Read More
We couldn’t have done without it
We had a great time visiting Dubai with Victor, who also took us to Abu Dhabi. Interesting, kind, cool, conversational and well-informed, Victor made our stay in Dubai an excellent experience. Victor was also very helpful before our departure with various bookings and gave us very good advice.
marie f★★★★★@437marief Read More
Two great days!
We had a great time during our two-day visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi with Victor. In addition to being extremely friendly, he has a perfect knowledge of the country, its history and its habits and customs, which enabled us to discover and learn a lot, all in a very pleasant atmosphere! Thanks again for a great time!
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