Abu Dhabi city guide: Where to eat, drink, shop and stay in the UAE capital

Discover the Emirati city that packs serious cultural clout

The Abu Dhabi skyline at sunrise (iStock)

Don’t come to Abu Dhabi expecting Dubai. The two desert cities are only 90 minutes’ drive apart (although plans are afoot to link them by train), but couldn’t be more different in vibe.

There’s a slow thoughtfulness to Abu Dhabi, helped by the fact that nothing here is quite as supersized as its more swaggering neighbour. The Emirati capital, built on an island in the Arabian Sea, has long been the seat of government and business – but it’s quietly adding more strings to its bow.

With the 2017 opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the city is also making a name for itself as the Emirates’ cultural capital. The late 2018 opening of Qasr Al Hosn, a historical complex in the centre of town, is a strong statement that this city also wants to value its heritage rather than its skyscrapers.

Besides all that, the city has almost year-round sunny blue skies. Sometimes that’s enough of a reason to visit.

What to do

Have afternoon tea on the Observation Deck at 300

The 74th floor of the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers is about as high up as you can get in Abu Dhabi (compare this to the 148th floor of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa).

From the Observation Deck at 300 there are views across the sprawling, bright white Presidential Palace; still-in-construction sandbanks; and the skyscrapers dotted along the main business drag. Entry costs 95AED (£20) and includes 55AED (£11) food and drink credit, or blow the budget with an afternoon tea (250AED/£52). Open 10am-7pm.

Relax at Saadiyat Beach Club

See and be seen at Saadiyat Beach Club

Abu Dhabi’s see-and-be-seen beach club is on Saadiyat Island, also home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Saadiyat Beach Club, with a vibe lifted straight from its Balearic counterparts, is the place to hang at the weekend, ordering sushi platters and buckets of beers from the private cabanas. There’s a big pool to cool off in, plus direct beach access. Entry is 350AED (£73) for a couple, open 9am-sunset.

Visit the Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Louvre Abu Dhabi (Mohamed Somji)

Before slumping on a cabana at the beach club, visit neighbouring Louvre Abu Dhabi, which packs the Gulf’s most powerful art punch. This landmark gallery is impressive inside and out: a futuristic steel shell opens up to a light-filled central plaza, off which labyrinthine exhibition halls are arranged. Inside there’s artwork by Ai Weiwei, Manet and Van Gogh as well as a vast selection of Middle Eastern antiquities. Open 10am-10pm, 63AED (£13).

Get dosed up on Abu Dhabi history at Qasr Al Hosn

View across the Qasr Al Hosn courtyard (Qasr Al Hosn)

The city’s newest (or should that be oldest?) attraction is Qasr Al Hosn, a sensitive replica of an 18th century fort. Dating back to 1790, Qasr Al Hosn is today a living museum of the city’s history, with exhibition rooms and the next-door House of Artisans, which shines a light on traditional Emirati crafts. Entry 30AED (£6), 9am-7pm daily, Friday 12-10pm.

Get your heart rate going at Yas Island

Fast and furious fun at Yas Waterworld

Billed as Abu Dhabi’s entertainment district, Yas Island has the city’s fast-and-furious attractions licked: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and the F1 circuit among them. It’s close enough to the airport for you to check in, drop your bags and whizz across to have a go on the Formula Rossa rollercoaster (the world’s fastest, naturally – it goes from 0 to 249kph in 4.9 terrifying seconds) before flying home.

Instagram from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: spectacular by day and by night

The most recognisable Abu Dhabi landmark is also the most spectacular: the Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque, one of the largest in the world. Come daytime, its bleached-white, onion-top domes and slender gold-tipped minarets shine against the UAE’s signature cloud-free blue skies, while at night it has an eerily beautiful glow. Among its many claims to fame include housing the biggest carpet and biggest chandelier in the world. Remember to dress appropriately, particularly women. Open daily 9am-10pm, Friday 4.30pm-10pm; free entry.

Mooch around Port Zayed

Forget the hangover and get up early to wander around the markets of Port Zayed. There’s a vegetable market, a date souk and fish market where the day’s catches are sorted before being shuttled off to the city’s luxe hotels. Incongruously, in a nearby converted port building is Warehouse 421, a starkly modern art gallery specialising in local photography.

Where to stay

Ian Schrager’s Edition brand blew into the Middle East at the end of 2018 with the statement Abu Dhabi property in the up-and-coming Al Bateen Marina area. Outside are two boxes of glass, encased in a metal lattice design. Inside are all the trademarks of the Edition brand: the breezy lobby, stuffed with plants and overlooked by a kinetic art installation, perfect for socialising; a sexy destination steakhouse helmed by British chef Tom Aitkens; and minimalist rooms, dressed in pine and white linen, with big balconies – some overlooking the marina and its supersized yachts. Doubles from £155, room only.

Superior suite with marina view at the Abu Dhabi Edition (Edition)

If you’re in town for business (as many are), then the Pearl Rotana Capital Centre is a good-value option right by the exhibition centre. Doubles from £51, room only.

The Jumeirah at Etihad Towers is well-placed at one end of the Corniche, part of the groomed Etihad Towers development. There’s plenty going on inside: the 74th floor Observation Deck, five restaurants, a vast pool complex and private slice of beach. Doubles from £134, room only.

Where to eat

Oak Room

Matched with a suitably eclectic British soundtrack is the Edition’s glossy steakhouse, Oak Room. It’s probably the only place you’ll meet a “meat sommelier” alongside the traditional wine sort, who comes obediently to your table to carve your steak on a wooden trolley. The service is as tender as the fillet steak you’ll slice into with a signature Japanese knife.

Lebanese Mill and Cafe

In the ever-so-seedy downtown area, in what is known as “Tourist Club”, are a handful of excellent Lebanese restaurants and cafes. The Lebanese Mill & Cafe is a casual affair, where you’ll sit on metal chairs next to rotisserie chickens – but don’t let that put you off. The shawarmas are excellent, and everything comes with a generous basket of warm Arabic bread.

Nolu’s Cafe

Nowhere sums up Abu Dhabi’s growing interest in healthy cuisine better than Nolu’s, which serves Californian-Afghan fusion food. There are several branches across town, but the branch in the Galleria Mall on Al Maryah Island is the most atmospheric.

Where to drink

Butcher & Still

The ground-floor Chicago-style steakhouse in the Four Seasons on Al Maryah Island has a slender terrace that overlooks the skyscrapers of downtown Abu Dhabi. There are gin cocktails, a vast array of red wines and a happy hour from 4-7pm daily.

Al Bateen marina

Clustered around the reinvigorated Al Bateen Marina is a small selection of coffee shops with pretty terraces, but the best of the bunch is the oddly named %, which comes stacked with bags of beans behind the counter. Its small, strong cups of Joe also make it a hit with locals.

Library Bar

The Library Bar does a neat line in craft gins (Edition)

It might be in the middle of the desert, but ordering a drink at the Edition’s Library Bar feels like curling up on your sofa at home. The bar, dim-lit and velvet-seated, is the place to order a gin cocktail, thanks to the wide range of artisan gins behind the bar.

Architectural highlight

The utterly bonkers Kempinski Emirates Palace Hotel drips with gold leaf, OTT water features and moneyed guests. Even the traffic cones at this turbo-luxe hotel are gold spray painted...

Nuts and bolts

What currency do I need?

Emirati dirhams (AED).

What language do they speak?

Officially Arabic, but English is widely spoken.

Should I tip?

A service charge is typically added to your bill.

What’s the time difference?

The UAE is four hours ahead of GMT.

Public transport

There are buses, but the easiest way to get around is by taxi; they are cheap and plentiful.

Best view

From the Observation Deck at 300 or, on ground level, early morning at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Insider tip

The UAE weekend is a day earlier, from Friday to Saturday, so don’t expect there to be much happening on a Saturday night.

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