18 of the best · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Hosn and Qasr Al Watan, the museum island of Saadiyat, the theme parks of Yas, the beaches and the falcons.
Our 18 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated November 2026
Browse by type
Three Abu Dhabi moments we keep going back to: the Grand Mosque in the late afternoon, the light under the Louvre’s dome, and a kayak into the mangroves at high tide.
Book an access pass
The great white mosque by the creek, open to visitors who book an online access pass in advance.
The oldest stone building
The watchtower and fort where Abu Dhabi began, now a museum at the heart of the Al Hosn site.
Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street, Al Hosn, Abu DhabiExplore View on map
The palace you can enter
The working presidential palace, open to visitors: great halls and exhibitions of Arab heritage.
Sights
The hotels of the palace, the islands and the creek.
History & heritage
Bronze Age tombs at Al Ain, a fort of the 1760s, a pearling town and the union of 1971.
The back story
The Grand Mosque, the Louvre’s dome, a fort of the 1760s and the islands: how to read Abu Dhabi.
Sights
The mosque, the fort, the palace and the Corniche.
The city’s seafront
The seafront of parks, cycle paths and a 2 km gated beach, facing the sunset.
The oldest stone building
The watchtower and fort where Abu Dhabi began, now a museum at the heart of the Al Hosn site.
Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street, Al Hosn, Abu DhabiExplore View on map
The palace you can enter
The working presidential palace, open to visitors: great halls and exhibitions of Arab heritage.
Book an access pass
The great white mosque by the creek, open to visitors who book an online access pass in advance.
Sights
The museum island.
The museum island
The Louvre, Zayed National Museum, the Natural History Museum and, from December, the Guggenheim.
Art you walk into
teamLab’s immersive environments of light and matter, in the Saadiyat Cultural District.
Sights
The theme parks.
The fastest rollercoaster
The first Ferrari-branded theme park, home to the world’s fastest rollercoaster.
Oceans and rescue
A marine life park built around the oceans, with its own Research & Rescue Center.
The largest indoor park
The region’s largest indoor theme park, with worlds from Warner Bros. stories.
Sights
Turtles, waves and beach clubs.
Blue Flag, calm water
An 800-metre Blue Flag beach facing Hudayriyat Island, with a water sports centre.
Through the tunnel
The St. Regis’s beach club on the Corniche, reached through a tunnel under the road.
Hawksbill nesting
The long natural beach of Saadiyat, where critically endangered hawksbill turtles nest.
Kelly’s wave
A man-made wave facility on Hudayriyat Island, with waves for every level.
On the creek at Al Qana
The national aquarium at Al Qana, on the water opposite the Grand Mosque.
Sights
Near the airport and at Al Bahia.
Book a tour
The world’s first and largest hospital for falcons, near the airport; visitors join a booked tour.
Giraffes at breakfast
A zoo at Al Bahia, 10–15 minutes from Yas Island, with more than 200 species.
