Gleaming in the light of the ferocious Arabian sun, the glass-walled skyscrapers that shine across the Abu Dhabi skyline separate lapping sea and golden dunes. The capital city of the United Arab Emirates comes with all the same trappings that earned neighboring Dubai its reputation as an unbelievably lavish destination: ambitious modern architecture, ultra-luxury resorts, millionaire-frequented megamalls, and ATMs that dispense solid gold bars. However, Abu Dhabi isn’t all flash. It’s packed with fascinating museums, glorious mosques, outdoor adventure options, and family-friendly theme parks, perfect for travelers on a whistle-stop layover tour.
As the home base of the high-end air carrier Etihad, Abu Dhabi is frequently visited on a quick stopover hop. It’s an ideal connection option, with direct flight routes connecting the Emirati capital to five U.S. hubs and countless dreamy long-haul destinations in Asia and Australia. Its airport, Zayed International, lacks the ostentation of Dubai International’s, the luxurious airport with the largest first class lounge in the world, but you won’t want to spend too much time hanging around the runways anyway.
It’s such a common layover destination that the airline has included it in its free stopover program: You can book a one- or two-night package with either a three-star or four-star hotel included, meaning you can book a more affordable one-stop route without having to waste a moment of your vacation. The airport is close to the city center, so you can set straight out for an action-packed day of activities, catering to culturally minded travelers, thrill seekers, and luxury lovers alike.
Immerse yourself in Arabian culture in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Away from the glitz and the glamour of the cloud-tickled high rises and the opulent resorts, you can delve deeper under the surface of Abu Dhabi’s art scene, history, and religion on a culturally inspired city tour. The city is home to exceptional museums, none better known than the Louvre Abu Dhabi, one of the UAE’s top tourist attractions. An architectural masterwork, the Louvre’s overarching steel dome serves as a celestial canopy, patterned with 7,850 intricate metal stars. Within its striking walls, the museum’s exhibitions are designed to take visitors on a journey through the shared history of humanity, a narrative interspersed with artistic masterworks and medieval treasures. The Louvre Abu Dhabi will soon be joined by another famous name, with the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi due to open in 2025.
For a more geographically focused historic excursion, head to the Heritage Village. A reconstruction of an old-world Arabian village, you can step back into a time before the city was even conceptualized. It contains a souk, a mosque, and a Bedouin encampment. Alternatively, you can visit one of the city’s many contemporary souks, bazaars perfumed by heady ouds and burlap sacks of brightly-hued spices.
Abu Dhabi’s greatest modern marvels are essential itinerary add-ons: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Qasr Al Watan. The former is a marble megalith — underlaid by over 1,000 columns, capped with 82 Mughal domes, and flanked by 350-foot-high minarets, the mosque is a white and gold paragon of Islamic art and architecture. The latter, an opulent palatial complex of ivory facades, is a resplendent tribute to the cultural heritage and irreplicable artistry of Arabia.
Embark on a thrilling outdoor adventure or raise your adrenaline at an Abu Dhabi theme park
