Our major holiday for 2019 was an extensive trip through the Middle East covering Jordan, Egypt, Oman and UAE. We flew into Dubai and spent a couple of days exploring Dubai and Abu Dhabi before setting off to Jordan. I’ll cover the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi in this post, and why it is a must visit if you’re visiting the UAE!
Getting there
Abu Dhabi is an excellent day trip destination from Dubai. We had 2 nights planned in Dubai initially, but we changed it to one night a piece in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and it was an excellent decision. Most people will fly into Dubai for their travels, and so did we, but to complete Abu Dhabi in a day trip will make it a bit hectic, so if you have time on your itinerary it’s best to include a night stop if possible.
UAE is a driver’s paradise and its most convenient to rent a car to drive between the two cities. Rentals are cheap and we splurged and rented an Audi for our short trip. Dubai to Abu Dhabi is about an hour and a half drive along a very comfortable straight expressway. Speed cameras are plenty so do watch your acceleration as fines are steep. You will see an array of supercars zoom by you, but it’s best to keep the limit as a tourist.
The sights
We spent the first full day of our trip in Dubai exploring the city, and on the afternoon of our second day we rented a car and started the drive to Abu Dhabi. The Audi ate up the miles effortlessly and soon we were within sights of the capital.
Abu Dhabi along with Dubai is known for its over the top opulence and the main highlights are the stunning Sheikh Zayed grand mosque, Yas Island (for the Ferrari theme park), the Emirates Palace (where you can have a gold dusted Cappuccino for 20 bucks) and the newly opened Qasr-el-watan (the Presidential Palace). We had the remainder of day 2 and the morning of the following day to explore the city and then we had to drive back for our flight to Jordan that departed from Dubai in the late afternoon.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Our plan was to first visit the grand mosque just before sunset. The mosque is located about 20 minutes before you hit the downtown area and the famous Corniche, so it makes sense to stop here before entering the main city. The first thing that strikes you when you arrive is the sheer size and scale of the complex. It is very well managed and everyone who is not in proper attire (arms and legs fully covered with opaque clothes) will be given an abaya (for females) or a full sleeved t-shirt and pants (for males) to wear.
This is a hugely popular place so be prepared for crowds and long lines as they check everyone thoroughly. Once you are in proper attire, you walk over to the massive mosque complex. It is stunning but also soothing at the same time, with the white marble glistening and changing color with the sun.
The entire mosque is lit up and there are photo opportunities at every corner. The opulence and intricacy in design is evident whichever direction you look in. The first place you enter is the giant courtyard with one of the largest carpets in the world. After you walk around the courtyard you enter the inner chambers with some insane chandeliers and roof artwork. Photos truly cannot do it justice.
It takes about an hour or two to explore the mosque depending on how many photo stops you take! While the interiors are absolutely stunning, we felt the best view of the full structure comes from the War Memorial across the road, google maps link here! Go there after your visit and you won’t be disappointed!
Mosque visit done, we headed to the city to check in to our hotel, the Le Royal Meridien. The christmas decorations in the lobby were fantastic! After checking in and having dinner at a nearby hotel we called it a night.
Next morning, we first drove to the Heritage Village, a small cultural center which shows how life was in the UAE before the transformation oil brought about. The center is ok, the main draw is that you get excellent views of the Corniche (the main road with all the skyscrapers) from here.
After that, we just had time for one more attraction before driving back to Dubai. We felt that going to the Emirates Palace hotel just for that fancy coffee would be overkill, so we decided to head for the Qasr-el-watan (the Presidential Palace) and it was an excellent decision!
Qasr al watan
If you thought that the Grand mosque was opulent, wait till you see the Qasr, it’s over the top with a capital O! Tickets are 60 AED pp and can be purchased on site. Once you arrive and park, a golf cart will pick you up and drop you off at the visitor center. Talk about lavish service! Post ticket purchase, there is a security check like an airport, after which a bus takes you to the main palace.
Be prepared to have your jaw drop when you first set foot in the Great Hall. The sheer luxury, opulence and artistry at such a grand scale will leave you bedazzled. The intricate artwork on the roof and the ornamental chandelier in the entry chamber is dazzling.
You then step into the main chamber where you see the most arresting feature of The Great Hall, its central dome. Standing 60 metres above the ground and boasting a diameter of 37 metres, this meticulously crafted dome is one of the largest in the world, and a true marvel to behold.
Once you have marvelled and taken way too many pictures of the ceiling, you can visit the presidential library as well as the official meeting room of the UAE Cabinet. Along the way you also get a glimpse of the presidential banquet hall, fancy having dinner here!
As with the Grand mosque, pictures don’t do the place justice. It also opened only a couple of years back, so is still relatively unknown, but it’s best to go early in the morning to avoid crowds.
After this, our time in Abu Dhabi had come to an end, and we had to head back to Dubai to catch our flight to Jordan. Given more time, I would have made a stop at the Emirates Palace as well as Yas Island for Ferrari world! But for a day trip, I felt we covered a lot of ground, and if you are short on time, these two epic places should definitely be on your to do list!
I miss it already!