Dubai · Downtown Dubai

Abu Dhabi Day Trip

Abu Dhabi is 90 minutes from Dubai by car and a world apart in character.

About Abu Dhabi Day Trip

Abu Dhabi is 90 minutes from Dubai by car and a world apart in character. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, free to enter and the most beautiful building in the Gulf, is reason enough to go. The Louvre Abu Dhabi (AED 63) is a genuine world-class museum under a stunning dome by Jean Nouvel. The Corniche waterfront is pleasant for a walk. A day trip covers the mosque and the Louvre comfortably, with lunch at one of the Corniche restaurants.

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The place

Getting there

Address

57J7+2F9 - Dubai Fountain Street - Business Bay - Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Neighborhood

Downtown Dubai →

Nearest Metro

Red Line to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station

View on Google Maps →

Good to know

Tips, answered

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is free but requires modest dress (abayas provided for women at the entrance). Go in the late afternoon for the best light and stay for the sunset call to prayer. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is AED 63 and worth every dirham. Organized tours cost AED 200-350 but a taxi (AED 250-300 each way) with a friend is more flexible. You can also take the public bus (AED 25, 2 hours).

Plan for about 9 hours. Morning visits are typically less crowded.

Abu Dhabi Day Trip is in the Downtown Dubai neighborhood of Dubai. The address is 57J7+2F9 - Dubai Fountain Street - Business Bay - Dubai - United Arab Emirates. The area is well-served by metro.

Morning visits, especially early, mean fewer crowds and better light for photos. Weekdays are significantly quieter than weekends.

Comfortable shoes are recommended. Parts are outdoors, so bring a light layer.

Closed on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Check the official website for holiday closures and special hours.

Around the corner

Nearby in Downtown Dubai

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Attraction

Dubai Mall

The Dubai Mall is 1,200 shops across 502,000 square metres, which makes it one of the largest malls in the world by total area. The numbers are meaningless until you are inside and realise you have been walking for 20 minutes and still have not reached the aquarium. The Dubai Aquarium viewing panel is free from the mall floor: an enormous tank with sharks, rays, and thousands of fish visible without paying the AED 159 tunnel entrance fee. But the mall is more than shopping. There is a dinosaur skeleton (a 155-million-year-old Diplodocus, free to view), an Olympic-sized ice rink (AED 80 including skate rental), a VR park, a waterfall feature four storeys tall, and KidZania (a miniature city where children do adult jobs, AED 185). The food court on the lower ground floor has better variety and value than most of the sit-down restaurants, though the restaurants overlooking the fountain promenade are worth the premium at showtime. The sheer scale is the thing that photography and descriptions cannot convey. You will get lost. You will walk more than you planned. The map on the Dubai Mall app is essential. The air conditioning is aggressive, bring a light layer. The metro connection (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station) involves a 10-minute walk through an air-conditioned tunnel, which is its own experience in efficiency. Is the Dubai Mall a mall? Technically. In practice it is a climate-controlled city within a city, and dismissing it as 'just shopping' misses what it represents about Dubai's approach to public space in a desert climate where outdoor gathering is impossible for half the year.

2-4 hoursExplore

Landmark

Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa is 828 metres tall and from the observation deck on the 124th floor the cars below look like ants and the ants are invisible. The building should not exist. It is taller than anything else on earth by over 200 metres, it took six years to build, and standing at the base looking up makes your neck hurt and your brain stall trying to process the scale. There are two observation deck options. 'At the Top' on the 124th/125th floor costs AED 149 online (AED 169 at the door) and is the right choice for most people. 'At the Top SKY' on the 148th floor costs AED 399 and adds a lounge with drinks, a guided tour, and about 24 extra floors of height. The views are marginally better but the 124th floor is already so high that the difference is academic. Book the sunset slot (check the exact time for your dates) because watching the city light up from that height is the single most photogenic moment in Dubai. Go up in the late afternoon, around 4-5 PM. You will see the city in daylight, watch the sun set over the desert, and see the lights come on. The whole sequence takes about 90 minutes and you will not regret staying the full time. The elevator is one of the fastest in the world and reaches the 124th floor in about 60 seconds, which is its own kind of experience. Come back down in time for the Dubai Fountain show, which starts at 6 PM and runs every 30 minutes until 11 PM. The best free viewing spot is the waterfront promenade between the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. The best paid spot is a table at any restaurant in Souk Al Bahar, where a AED 40 main course buys you a front-row seat. Skip the fountain boat rides (AED 85) unless you want to get slightly damp.

1.5-2 hoursExplore

Landmark

Dubai Fountain

The Dubai Fountain is the world's largest choreographed fountain system, performing a water, light, and music show every 30 minutes from 6 PM to 11 PM. It is free. The choreographed water jets reach up to 150 metres (higher than a 50-storey building) against the backdrop of the Burj Khalifa, and the whole thing is set to music ranging from Whitney Houston to Arabic classical. It is touristy and spectacular and there is no reason to pretend otherwise. The best free viewing spot is the waterfront promenade between the Burj Khalifa and Souk Al Bahar. Arrive 10-15 minutes before the 6 PM show for the first performance (the crowd is thinnest then) and stake out a spot on the railing closest to the water. The fountains are also visible from inside the Dubai Mall through the lower ground floor windows, which is useful if it is too hot to stand outside. The best paid viewing is a table at any restaurant in Souk Al Bahar, the traditional-style market across the footbridge from the mall. A AED 40 main course buys you a front-row seat to the show with the Burj Khalifa rising directly behind the fountains. The restaurants fill up around showtime, so arrive by 5:30 PM if you want a terrace table. There are fountain boat rides (AED 85 for a 30-minute ride on the lake) which put you closer to the water jets. The experience is fine but the view is actually worse because you are too close and too low to see the full choreography. The promenade or a Souk Al Bahar terrace is the better perspective by far.

30-60 minutesExplore

Shopping

City Walk

Open-air retail and dining district with contemporary architecture, street art installations, and 80+ outlets. Features The Green Planet bio-dome, cinema complex, and pedestrian-friendly streets connecting modern boutiques with local designer stores.

2-4 hoursExplore

Shopping

Souk Al Bahar

Traditional Arabian-style shopping and dining complex featuring arched walkways, water features, and over 100 boutiques and restaurants. Located directly across from Dubai Mall with stunning views of the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountain. The architecture blends modern retail with classic Middle Eastern design, creating a more intimate shopping experience than larger malls.

2 hoursExplore

Park & Garden

Safa Park

Established in 1975, this 158-acre green space features three artificial lakes, a Ferris wheel offering Burj Khalifa views, and separate cycling and running tracks. Popular weekend barbecue spot with designated grilling areas and shaded pavilions.

2-4 hoursExplore

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