Al Mrzab
Al Bateen
Machboos, harees and thareed, cooked the way Emirati families eat rather than the way hotel buffets present it. Plain room, generous portions.
Actual Emirati home cooking, which is harder to find than it should be.
City guide
Abu Dhabi
The quieter, wealthier capital: a mosque that stops conversation, a Jean Nouvel museum under a floating dome, and the Empty Quarter two hours south.
United Arab Emirates5 min readUpdated August 15, 2026
At a glance
- Language
- Arabic official; English used everywhere
- Currency
- Dirham, pegged to the US dollar
- Best months
- November to March
- Getting around
- Taxis and ride-hailing. The islands are far apart
- Dinner starts
- 8pm
Abu Dhabi is what people expect Dubai to be and is not: lower, slower, greener, and considerably less interested in selling you anything. It has spent two decades building a cultural district on Saadiyat Island, and the first two museums there are genuinely world class.
Most visitors come for a day from Dubai and see the mosque and the Louvre. That is a fine day, but it misses the desert south of the city, which is the real reason to stay a night.
- Al Mrzab
- Lebanese Flower
- Mina Zayed fish market
- Fouquet's Abu Dhabi
- Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
- Jumeirah Saadiyat Island
- Qasr Al Sarab
- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
- Louvre Abu Dhabi
- Qasr Al Watan
- The Corniche
- Liwa Oasis and the Empty Quarter
- Al Ain
- Sir Bani Yas Island
Where to eat
The capital eats more quietly than Dubai. The strengths are Levantine, Emirati and South Indian, and the hotel restaurants are more of the story here because so much of the city is hotels.
Lebanese Flower
Al Khalidiyah
An Abu Dhabi institution since 1991: rotisserie chicken, garlic sauce, fresh bread and mezze, at prices that have barely moved. Everyone in the city has an order here.
Mina Zayed fish market
Mina Zayed
Buy hammour or kingfish at the counter and take it next door to be grilled while you wait. The port district around it is unglamorous and completely real.
Fouquet's Abu Dhabi
Saadiyat
The Parisian brasserie transplanted next to the Louvre, with a terrace over the water. The obvious dinner if you have spent the afternoon in the museum.
Ask the concierge to book thisWhere to stay
Saadiyat for the museums and the best beach, the Corniche for the city, Yas for the theme parks and the racetrack.
Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
West Corniche
The state palace hotel, on 85 hectares with its own marina. Enormous and theatrical in a way that is either the appeal or exactly not.
Ask the concierge to book this1,002 chandeliers, a private beach, and gold leaf applied without embarrassment.
Jumeirah Saadiyat Island
On a protected beach where hawksbill turtles nest, ten minutes from the Louvre. The best combination of beach and museums in the city.
Ask the concierge to book thisSaadiyat
Qasr Al Sarab
A fort-shaped resort deep in the Empty Quarter, surrounded by 300-metre dunes. Two and a half hours from the city and worth every minute of the drive.
Ask the concierge to book thisLiwa desert
What to see
Two of these are among the best buildings completed anywhere this century. Give each of them a proper half day.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Al Rawdah
Eighty-two domes, the largest hand-knotted carpet in the world, and a white marble courtyard inlaid with flowers. Free, open to visitors, and best in the last hour before sunset.
Local tip: Register a free timed entry online. Full-length clothing is required and abayas are provided at the entrance.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Saadiyat
Jean Nouvel's perforated dome over a museum-town on the water, dropping a rain of light onto the walkways. Hung chronologically across all cultures rather than by region, which is the interesting part.
Qasr Al Watan
Ras Al Akhdar
A working presidential palace that opens most of itself to visitors: a 37-metre dome, a library of Arab scholarship, and a light show on the facade after dark.
The Corniche
Corniche
Eight kilometres of landscaped waterfront with a cycle path, a public beach and the skyline across the bay. Free, and busy with residents at dusk all winter.
Worth leaving the city for
The emirate is far larger than the island. The desert is the reason to have a car.
East, into the Bekaa
Al Ain
160 kmA date-palm oasis irrigated by ancient falaj channels, a camel market, and a switchback road up Jebel Hafeet with the whole desert behind you.
oasis · mountain · full day
Ask the concierge to book this
South, into the mountains
Liwa Oasis and the Empty Quarter
230 kmThe edge of the Rub al Khali, the largest sand desert on earth, with dunes over 300 metres. Moreeb Dune is drivable and the silence out there is total.
desert · dunes · overnight
Ask the concierge to book this
West
Sir Bani Yas Island
250 kmA wildlife reserve island with free-roaming cheetah, giraffe and thousands of oryx, reached by ferry. Better as a two-night stay than a day trip.
wildlife · overnight
Ask the concierge to book this
Discover it yourself
Everything above, on one map. Colours mark what kind of place it is; tap a dot and its details open beside the map, and you keep your place. Day trips are left off, they sit well outside the city.
Showing 11 of 11
Pin positions are approximate: neighbourhood level, not street addresses.
Know before you go
The mosque has a real dress code and enforces it
Ankles, wrists and hair covered for women; long trousers and sleeves for men. Abayas are lent free at the entrance, and no exceptions are made.
It is spread out and there is no useful metro
Saadiyat, the Corniche, the mosque and Yas are each a 20 to 30 minute drive apart. Budget for taxis or hire a car.
Friday mornings are quiet
Many venues open later on Fridays for prayers, and the mosque closes to visitors for a longer period. Plan that morning for the beach.
Ask the concierge about Abu Dhabi
The mosque uses free timed entry that runs out, the Louvre is best on a quiet slot, and Liwa needs a car and a booking made in advance. Message the Simly concierge with your dates and a person will line the day up so you are not driving back and forth across the island.
Message the conciergeGoing to United Arab Emirates?
Everything in this guide assumes a working phone: maps between neighbourhoods that follow no grid, ride-hailing instead of flagging taxis, a menu handwritten in Arabic. A Simly eSIM activates before you land, so you step off the plane already connected.
Get a Simly eSIMAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Common questions
- Is Abu Dhabi worth more than a day trip from Dubai?
- Yes, if you want the desert. The mosque and the Louvre fit into one long day; Liwa or Sir Bani Yas need a night.
- Abu Dhabi or Dubai?
- Dubai for food, nightlife and energy. Abu Dhabi for museums, beaches and calm. They are ninety minutes apart, so the honest answer is both.
- Is it stricter than Dubai?
- Slightly, in practice rather than in law. Alcohol is licensed-venue only, and modest dress in public places is more noticeably observed.