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24 September 2013
| Last updated on 22 January 2017Welcome To The Discover Abu Dhabi Section
Welcome to the best guide in Abu Dhabi looking at all the things you can do as a tourist, visitor or resident of Dubai.
Here we take a look at all the interesting and educational things to do whilst visiting or living in Abu Dhabi. Learn everything about Abu Dhabi– what to see and to do, where to take a trip to, and how to get around Abu Dhabi and discover exciting attractions in Abu Dhabi.We've also got some top tips on dealing with the weather, what to do with visitors, what to do with visitors if you're on a budget, great ideas for presents and gifts from Abu Dhabi and so much more...
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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
This architectural work of art is one the world’s largest mosques (equivalent to around the size of five football fields), with a capacity for an astonishing 40,000 worshippers.
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Yas Island
Yas Island is a destination unlike any other. It is home to some of the UAE's most exciting attractions, racing events, concerts, luxury hotels and much much more.
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Emirates Palace Hotel
Located on 1.3km of white sandy beach and is surrounded by 100 hectares of the most beautiful landscaped gardens and water fountains.
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Museums & Galleries
There are a number of interesting museums and galleries in Abu Dhabi: Zayed National Museum, a performing arts centre and maritime museum.
Abu Dhabi Things To See & Do
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3 Must-Visit Public Beaches in Abu Dhabi
If you want to head to the beach this weekend, but don't want to pay private beach or beach club prices, here's information about the three public beaches you can enjoy in Abu Dhabi. Remember your towel, sunglasses and sunscreen!
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Masdar City Day Trip
Masdar City is at the forefront of innovation taking that giant leap from the fuel reliant city of Abu Dhabi and creating a clean living environment where people can enjoy an easy life without leaving a carbon footprint. Right now the city is not complete in all it's phases but it does have a functioning university, organic supermarket and a few restaurants and banks. However when it is completed it will be a futuristic residential area leaps and bounds ahead of its time. If you are in Abu Dhabi it's definitely a place worth visiting. Even if its to ride in their fun little electric car.
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Liwa Oasis and Rub Al Khali- Empty Quarter
We quite often have threads on our forum talking about how hard it is to make friends in Dubai… here we have some top tips on how to find yourself a social circle.
Liwa Oasis is about 100 km south of the Arabian Gulf coast and 150 km SSW of the city of Abu Dhabi, on the northern edge of Rub' al Khali desert.The geographic and economic center of the oasis is Muzayri, where the highway from Abu Dhabi enters the oasis and then divides to the east to the easternmost village, Mahdar Bin Usayyan and west to the westernmost village, Aradah.The oasis is the place of birth of the ruling families of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In 1793, the ruling family Al Nahyan moved their residence from Liwa to the city of Abu Dhabi. The villages of Liwa Oasis are the southernmost settlements of Abu Dhabi and of the United Arab Emirates. The southern border of Abu Dhabi with Saudi Arabia, which runs at a distance between 16 and 35 km to the Oasis, is a straight line in the Rub al Khali desert, which is largely uninhabited.
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Jebel Hafeet Tombs
Marine fossils dating back 70 million years to the time when the jebel (Arabic for ‘mountain’) was uplifted from the ocean can be found on the summit and slopes of Jebel Hafeet. However, the mountain is more famous for its ancient remains and archaeology. The tombs, built from rough local rocks, were excavated more than 40 years ago along the northern escarpment and eastern slopes of Jebel Hafeet .More than 500 of these tombs, known as Hafeet graves or Mezyad graves, after the village nearby have been discovered. Hafit graves, are well known to archaeologists. They gave their name to the period known as the ‘Hafit Period’ or ‘Hafit Cultural Horizon’, and represents an early period in the history of the UAE.
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Women’s Craft Centre
If you are interested in buying genuine traditional handicrafts, the Women's Craft Center is the right place.One can have a view of the ladies actually working on their craft items sitting in groups and working together displaying their skill and talents. The tourists can get glimpses of saddu, textile weaving, embroidering, basket weaving, palm tree frond weaving and tailoring as well. Camel bags, ethnic costumes and other items are all produced here. Certain precautions have to be remembered. It is advisable to ask for permission before proceeding to take photographs and more importantly your camera should focus on the craft rather than the women who are doing it. Always remember to remove your footwear before entering the room.
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ExpatWoman Top Ten Things To Do In Abu Dhabi
Beaches, Ferrari World, Heritage Village and much more places are must visit in Abu Dhabi for both tourists and residents. There are so many things to do so here we take a look at ten fantastic landmarkts and activities in UAE capitol.If you'd like to get an idea about what life was like in Abu Dhabi back in the olden days, a visit to Heritage Village is a wonderful choice. Heritage Village revolves around the traditional lifestyle of the Bedouins.From farming in an oasis to learning more about what pearl divers do, there is an endless array of things to see and do at Heritage Village. As you roam its grounds, you will be able to enjoy a traditional souq and mosque, take a look at mud brick buildings and homes, ride a camel and find out what the old fashioned sport of falconry is all about.
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ExpatWoman Top Ten Settling In To Abu Dhabi Tips
Starting a new life is an adventure- it can be scary but it can also be amazing! Over the years we’ve offered advice to 1000’s of women and families moving to the region to help them settle in. Here are EW’s top ten tips to help you settle in and start to enjoy your new life as soon as possible.Don’t sweat the small stuff- it’s so tempting to try and get everything done at once- your head will explode if you try doing this! Give everything time and focus on your main objectives. It’s not a race and some things will take longer than others- be realistic in your goals.Get listing- write yourself lists to keep control of all the tasks you need to do and give yourself enough time to achieve the tasks- it will take you up to 6 months to be properly settled with everything from curtains to spoons sorted.
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ExpatWoman Top Ten Tips Abu Dhabi on a Budget for Visitors
So not everyone can afford or even wants to afford the 5 star luxury that Abu Dhabi is famed for! Whilst the posh hotels and beaches are great, there is another side to Abu Dhabi that need not cost a fortune. Here’s our guide on purse friendly and really interesting things to do for visitors.Abu Dhabi is full of really economical Indian and Pakistani restaurants- expand your taste buds with some of the delicacies on offer. Abu Dhabi city has a lovely stretch of beaches, a new beach on the Corniche, extending along Corniche Road from near the Hilton Hotel to beyond Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street, where you’ll find its main entrance.
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ExpatWoman Top Gift Ideas For Your Friends & Family Back Home
Are you confused about what to take back home as gifts for loved ones? Abu Dhabi is a great place to hunt for gifts and shop for anything from garments to gold. But there are certain items that are very traditional in the Middle East such as pashmina shawls, shisha pipes, spices or perfumes. Check out our list and choose something unique and really traditional as a gift for your near and dear ones. A lovely gift for a new baby, you do also get amber bracelets and necklaces for adults. The beads on the necklaces are made from amber, which is fossilised plant resin from the Baltic Sea. The resin is polished and made into a necklace.
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Sir Bani Yas Island
Nestled in the Arabian Gulf off the western coast of Abu Dhabi, a mere two and a half hour drive from Abu Dhabi, lie the Desert Islands – a collection of eight islands that encompass a world of natural beauty, historic artifacts, exciting adventures and serene landscapes. Desert Islands, or Jozor Al Sahra’a as it is known in Arabic, consist of Sir Bani Yas Island, Dalma Island and six Discovery Islands. These islands have seen the birth and coming of age of Abu Dhabi and were cherished by the former president and late founding father of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
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What To Do With Visitors In Abu Dhabi
We are living here in this beautiful place, the sun is shining, and lots of us have friends and family want to come and holiday with us. (and yes, we end up sometimes having cousins we never knew we had, all of a sudden being very friendly on email… all sorts of friends and relations coming out of the woodwork). What to do with them and how to occupy them is sometimes a bit of a challenge, they are on holiday and want to be busy doing something every day, we of course are living our lives, and not on vacation every time we have houseguests. Our husbands , and sometimes ourselves, are typically working, and those of us with kids have the school run, homework…. AND AN EARLY BEDTIME!!!
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Weather and Climate
The UAE has a tropical and arid climate and for about 8 months of the year. You will enjoy day after day of glorious sunshine and unbroken blue skies. You can plan a barbecue, camp in the desert or on the beach, meet in the parks, or at the beach club, all safe in the knowledge that it'll not be rained off. Temperatures are at their lowest Dec/Jan and then steadily climb. April is still ok but by May it's getting hot and you spend less time outdoors. June is hot and hideously humid, July and August are hotter again and even more humid. Humidity levels can get unbearable reaching up to around 80-90% mid summer.
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Common Scams In Abu Dhabi
We often get reports of scams in Abu Dhabi both on the streets and also in the cyberworld- here we take a look at some of the common ones and we will keep updating this page as new ones come to light.Street Scams- these are people trying to beg for money basically in various different ways- they are not going to hurt you but begging is illegal and some people do get upset by these people's sob stories especially when they hear they have been duped. Man with injury is a very common scam and has been going on for years. You will be approached by a scruffy looking man with a gaping wound on his arm (usually not real- made from pastry and food colouring or something like that but it looks real enough!).
