Travelling to Abu Dhabi?

Our routes, not a list of everything. Places that have been there for centuries: no opening times or prices, which go stale.

1. 01

   Abu Dhabi in a day

   8 hA well of fresh water on an island: that’s why this city exists. Oil arrived two centuries later, by which time it was already here.The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque · The Louvre Abu Dhabi · The tower over the well · The Corniche at duskRead the full guide
2. 02

   A weekend in Abu Dhabi

   20 hThe Louvre’s dome weighs what the Eiffel Tower weighs and rests on four points you can’t see. That trick sums up the emirate.Saturday: the museum island · Saturday afternoon: the mosque · Sunday: Al Ain · Sunday night: YasRead the full guide
3. 03

   What to see in Abu Dhabi

   8 hOver twelve hundred people hand-knotted the mosque’s carpet in Iran. It arrived in pieces and was sewn together inside.The Louvre’s dome · The Grand Mosque, up close · The palace you can visit · The mangrovesRead the full guide
4. 04

   Where to eat in Abu Dhabi

   3 hThe lime that flavours everything here is boiled and left in the sun until it’s black and hard as a stone. Then it’s ready.Machboos · The date, which isn’t a dessert · What the city eats · Gulf fishRead the full guide
5. 05

   Abu Dhabi’s neighbourhoods

   5 hEverything is far from everything here, and it isn’t a flaw: it’s the design. This city was laid out for the car, and every avenue shows it.The central island · Saadiyat · Yas · What was promised and not builtRead the full guide
6. 06

   Day trips from Abu Dhabi

   10 hThe desert that starts next door is the largest continuous sand sea on the planet. It’s called the Empty Quarter and the name fits.Liwa and the Empty Quarter · Al Ain · The animal island · The camel racesRead the full guide
7. 07

   From Abu Dhabi airport to the city

   1 hWithout the card you’re stuck at the stop: you can’t pay the bus driver in cash, and that catches everyone.The bus, and the card · The taxi, and the surcharge · The name, which changed · And if you’re coming from DubaiRead the full guide
8. 08

   Abu Dhabi: practical tips

   1 hThere are medicines sold over the counter in any European pharmacy that are on controlled lists here. Check before you fly.How it differs from Dubai · Summer, which isn’t a season · The easy parts · The calendar to checkRead the full guide

The real options, with what actually decides it: which terminal it leaves from and where it drops you. Fares and timetables live with the operator, who keeps them current.

• BusA1Corniche · Al Zahiyah (Abu Dhabi Mall)The airport line runs onto the island, passes the Corniche and ends by the Abu Dhabi Mall in about 45 minutes. It runs 24 hours, which is rare and useful. But you need a Hafilat card: you can’t pay the driver in cash, so get one before you turn up at the stop.·Fares and timesITC Abu Dhabi
• TaxiDowntown · SaadiyatMetered with an airport pick-up surcharge, a little higher for a large vehicle. The Louvre and the Grand Mosque are equally easy straight off the motorway, without entering the centre.·Fares and timesITC Abu Dhabi

• DubaiDXB8 routes