24 hours in Abu Dhabi | What to do, getting there, where to stay
If you’re travelling to Dubai and looking to spend a few days there, adding a day trip or overnight stay in Abu Dhabi is a great option to experience more in the region.
Abu Dhabi has stunning sites like the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and lots to enjoy on Yas Island at one of the many theme parks like Ferrari World or Movie World! If you’re an F1 fan, Yas Island also has the Yas Marina Circuit which is used for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that you can visit on select days.
What to do in Abu Dhabi?
If you’re coming from Dubai, chances are you will have visited your fair share of malls, mosques and souks and you’re looking for something a little different - like a visit to one of the four theme parks on Yas Island or a lovely resort stay. If you haven’t, Abu Dhabi has plenty of these in their downtown area, including the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which is absolutely beautiful.
Our main objective for visiting Abu Dhabi was visiting the well-known Ferrari World, which has one of the fastest rollercoasters in the world (was closed when we went sadly) and a new Esports Arena where you can drive a GT or F1 simulation!
Other theme parks you can visit include Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros World and Seaworld through a 1 day 2 park ticket, or a 2, 3 or 4 park ticket valid for 6 days. Yas Island provides free bus shuttles between the theme parks, malls and the Yas Island Resort area.
We chose to spend one night on Yas Island and booked a Stay and Play Package which included two tickets to any theme park on Yas Island, a one night stay at the 4-star Raddison Blu Hotel, free breakfast and free bus transfers from Dubai to Yas Island for AED 1,081.60.
Considering two park tickets for Ferrari World are already AED 620, this is pretty good value! We also spent some time exploring Yas Mall, where we participated in a Guiness World Record attempt for the largest F1 car built using Lego bricks!
For the F1 fans out there, the Yas Marina Circuit (where the hold the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in early December each year) is open to the public for walkers, runners and cyclists every Monday and Wednesday evening, 6pm to 10pm - a rare chance to get onto the track and get some exercise in.
Ferrari World Esports Arena
Where is Abu Dhabi & how to get there?
Before I travelled to the Middle East, my knowledge of the cities and destinations in this area were minimal. I’d heard of cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha from friends, but had no idea where they were geographically in relation to each other, let alone which country they were in.
For context, Dubai is the home of the airline Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Abu Dhabi is a neighbouring city 1.5 hours drive away with its own airport. Doha is the hub for Qatar Airways in neighbouring country Qatar, less than a 1 hour flight from Abu Dhabi. All of these cities are along the coast of the Persian Gulf.
If you’re visiting one of the theme parks, there are free direct shuttles from a range of hotels in Dubai to Yas Island. We stayed at Citadines Metro Central Dubai, which was a short walk to to the bus shuttle stop at Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel. Once you reach Yas Island, you can use the free local Yas Island shuttle services or free robo taxi service to reach your hotel.
For Dubai to Abu Dhabi downtown, there are buses E100, E101 and E102 that serve different parts of the city, or you can take a taxi or shared van service.
Helping with the Guiness World Record attempt for the largest F1 car made from Lego!
Where to stay?
There are lots of options for hostels, hotels and resorts in Abu Dhabi downtown area and on Yas Island.
For the budget conscious, a bed in a 6-bed room at The Villa Hostel will set you back AED 79 (AUD 35) in the downtown area.
Mid range options include 4-star Hawthorn Extended Stay by Wyndham Abu Dhabi City Center where you can get a Queen room for AED 740 (AUD 322), or you can treat yourself to a luxurious 5-star stay at Beach Rotana Towers for AED 1,500 (AUD 645).
A great option for those plannning to visit a theme park on Yas Island is the Stay and Play Package, where you can get a one night stay in a 4-star hotel, 2 tickets to a theme park of your choice and free shuttle transfers for only AED 1,081 (AUD 471).
If you’re travelling to Abu Dhabi, you can also extend your stay and visit Dubai. You can read my post about Dubai here:
Dubai Layover Itinerary | What to do in 1 or 2 days
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