The United Arab Emirates is an otherworldly kind of a place: dazzling, excessive, glamorous, and containing a whole lot of sand. (It is mostly desert, after all.) Its capital is a beautiful city, with a distinctly classier vibe than its more-visited neighbour, Dubai. Maybe you’re considering a day trip from Dubai, or perhaps you’re visiting by cruise ship or as part of Etihad Airways stopover program; in any case, whilst one day in Abu Dhabi isn’t a lot of time, it’s still enough to get a great feel for the city and see the major sights.
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Why would you only spend one day in Abu Dhabi?
I’ve visited Abu Dhabi several times, thanks to my job as a singer on a cruise ship, and each visit was 1-2 days long. Like just about any destination across the entire world, Abu Dhabi is best explored over the course of at least a few days, however I appreciate that there are plenty of reasons why you might have only a day to get to know this beautiful middle eastern city.
A day trip from Dubai
It’ll only take about an hour and a half to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi by road, so this is a really viable option for a day trip from Dubai- particularly if you have a car. If you don’t have access to a car, you can either take a taxi (which will cost around AED 380, or €94 one way), or book a day trip to Abu Dhabi with a tour operator.
This is a brilliant tour offered by Viator, which doesn’t only include transportation to and from Dubai, but also the entry fee for most locations on the itinerary. The benefit of this option, of course, is that there’s no stress for you to organise getting from place to place, and the price is set from the very beginning.
Although it’s possible to get a public bus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, the journey is considerably longer than by car (thanks to all those pesky bus stops), so I wouldn’t recommend taking the bus between the two cities if you only have one day to see the sights. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Literally.
Etihad Airways stopover programme
I love that more and more airlines are starting to introduce stopover programmes- TAP Air has a stopover programme for up to ten days in Lisbon or Porto, FYI- and Etihad Airways has recently introduced their own stopover programme for Abu Dhabi.
This is a great way to break up a long and arduous journey, and with Etihad you can claim one or two nights in a partner hotel completely free of charge. All you need to do is book a return flight with a stopover in Abu Dhabi directly through Etihad’s website, then check the list of partner hotels for availability and complete your booking.
Some nationalities will need to apply for a tourist visa, although US and UK citizens are eligible for a visa on arrival (as well as many many other countries). You can check the full list of ‘visa on arrival’ countries here.
Arriving in Abu Dhabi cruise port on a cruise ship
More and more cruise ships are sailing around the Persian Gulf these days, especially over the cooler winter period (October to March). Summer in the UAE can be stiflingly hot, so the winter months are the perfect time for a warm-weather escape from Europe or the USA. The ship I was working on also docked at Sir Bani Yas Island, Dubai, and the beautiful Omani city of Muscat, and plenty of other cruise ship companies sail on a similar route.
Abu Dhabi cruise port (that’s Port Zayed by its official name- you’ll get used to almost everything being named after the Sheikh) has a shiny new terminal building which contains shops, free wifi, and cash machines (score!). All passengers will have to go through passport control before they leave the port as well, so factor a short queue into your planning. There’s also a really awesome little food truck court called Marsa Mina which is just outside the building; if you dock at night you’ll be able to see the twinkling fairy lights and brightly coloured trucks from the ship.
It’s not possible to walk from the cruise port into Abu Dhabi, so you’ll either have to take a taxi (there are always many many taxi drivers inside and outside the terminal building), use a pre-booked tour, or use the passenger shuttle bus which runs between the port and the city centre.
What you need to know before you visit Abu Dhabi
The dress code and behaviour
As you might imagine pals, there are certain dos and don’ts when it comes to visiting the United Arab Emirates. However, what came as a surprise to me is that the level of leniency is different in Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Dubai is (generally), much more relaxed when it comes to conservative dressing and behaviour, but then Dubai is known as a bit of a party city, and is far more catered to western visitors.
Whilst us women don’t need to shroud ourselves head to toe in a hijab, in Abu Dhabi you’ll definitely need to be careful about how much skin you show. Wear loose clothing, long skirts or trousers, and stick to at least 3/4 length sleeves.
It also might be worth noting (in case you’re curious), that my time in Abu Dhabi was spent with my pal Rachel. As two women in the city, we always felt safe and respected, and I’d feel very comfortable to revisit Abu Dhabi, solo.
Public displays of affection are a big fat no go area, even if you’re married or in a relationship- even the holding of hands is a step too far. Although surprisingly it’s perfectly normal for two people of the same sex to hold hands, as in the Arab world this is a gesture of friendship. Being drunk is also a very very bad idea here, although it’s possible for non-Muslims to buy alcohol in some hotel restaurants or bars.
How to get around Abu Dhabi
I found that the most convenient way to get around Abu Dhabi- especially with limited time- was by using Uber; it was also more affordable than the taxis waiting at the cruise port.
There’s also a free shuttle bus which runs between some of the city’s most popular landmarks and tourist hotspots. In order to use it, visitors need to either have booked a hotel stay or tickets to a tourist attraction using the Visit Abu Dhabi site. You’ll then get automatically receive a QR code which will allow as many shuttle trips as you like.
Public buses also operate throughout Abu Dhabi, and each trip takes 2 AED (which you just pop into a box next to the driver as you board.)
How to spend one day in Abu Dhabi
Start your morning in the desert
Told you there’s a lot of sand, didn’t I? If you’re the sort of person who needs to jam pack as much as possible into a very short space of time, (particularly if there’s a chance you’ll be wide awake and jet-lagged anyway) I’d say go ahead and book a sunrise desert safari to kick-start your day. Having experienced a sunrise jeep tour in the desert- even despite the slightly hazy sky- I can say it was definitely one of my most memorable Abu Dhabi experiences.
If, however, you value sleep- I’d say maybe book a desert tour which starts just a little bit later on in the morning.
Abu Dhabi is surrounded by desert, and a morning of silence, sand, and a few camels for luck, is downright glorious. (Also mildly hair-raising when you’re hurtling almost vertically down a sand dune before you’ve even had time for breakfast.) Most jeep tours last around four hours, and include a stop for traditional tea and dates, as well as maybe a spot of sand-boarding if that floats your boat. Here’s a morning desert jeep tour to check out, or take a look at this sunrise tour which also involves some camel-riding.
My Sunrise Desert Safari in Abu Dhabi
Marvel at Qasr al Watan
Qasr Al Watan is the official presidential palace of the United Arab Emirates. It’s an absolute spectacle of a construction, and one of the grandest palaces I’ve ever visited. The gargantuan white building is topped with stunning domes, with golden swirls etched across them, and inside the ornate Great Hall is truly breathtaking.
What I found kind of surprising about Qasr Al Watan, is that nobody actually lives here, nor have they ever lived here before. The United Arab Emirates is a fairly new country- it was founded in 1971 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan- and it became rich incredibly quickly when they began exporting oil and petroleum. What better way to show off how wealthy you are than by building mahoosive landmarks that largely hold a few offices? So unlike other palaces around the world, although it’s iconic, it’s not historic; it was opened in 2019.
The palace also contains the story of the UAE’s origins, and who doesn’t love a good origin story? I’ll leave it up to you to form an opinion about the way in which they tell that story- they really really big up the Sheikh, that’s for sure- but it’s a great way of learning a bit more about this nation.
We bought our entry ticket for Qasr al Watan when we arrived, however this was in 2022 when it was only just opening up post-Covid. If you only have one day in Abu Dhabi and you’re worried about timing, pre-book a ticket here.
Eat at the Emirates Palace
Contrary to the name, the Emirates Palace is in actual fact not a palace at all, but an exceedingly lavish five star hotel. This pink extravaganza is an explosion of marble and palm trees, but what it’s most famous for is the golden cappuccino.
That’s right, you read that correctly. A cappuccino topped with flakes of solid 24 carat gold. And as you’d expect, it comes with a bit of a price tag. (Around €22.)
The hotel is open for non-residents, so even if you’re not staying here, this is a great place to get a taste of the luxurious Abu Dhabi lifestyle. To really splash out, you could either enjoy a full afternoon tea, or get dinner in one of the hotel’s incredible restaurants.
Visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque at Night
Like Qasr Al Watan, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a completely modern spectacle- one of the largest mosques in the world- and if you think the presidential palace is something incredible, you’ll be in complete awe of this place. The atmosphere is so peaceful, and I definitely think of all the things to see and do with only one day in Abu Dhabi, an evening visit to the Grand Mosque is a must-do.
It’s also a great example of the strangeness of Abu Dhabi; the main entrance to the mosque is actually via an underground shopping mall. The last thing I expected for a place of worship, but if there’s one thing I learnt in this city, it’s to expect the unexpected.
The mosque is free to visit, and is one of the few mosques in the region that are open to non-Muslims, but be aware that it’s closed to visitors on Fridays.
My guide to visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Whilst one day in Abu Dhabi may not be a long time, I really believe it’s possible to get a great feel for the city if you stick to experiences like these. It may be modern, but I still got a sense of the culture and history of the United Arab Emirates, the way that the Sheikhs (Sheikh Zayed, the ‘Father of the Nation’ and the current Sheikh, Sheikh Mohamed) are ever-present and so publicly revered, the importance of religion in the city, and perhaps underlining it all- the feeling of ultimate opulence and wealth around these parts.