Things to Do in Abu Dhabi

Towering skyscrapers, modern high rises and brilliant flashing lights greet travelers who dock at this urban port. Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest of the emirates, is ripe with ornate royal palaces, high-end shopping and even a Ferrari World theme park, but travelers looking to experience old-world wonder can get it by going beyond city limits.

How to Get to Abu Dhabi
These streets aren’t made for walking and public buses, though readily available and inexpensive, can be somewhat uncomfortable. Visitors can hire taxis for cheap, including pink cars that signal to tourists they are for females only. It’s also possible to rent a car in the cruise terminal. Signs in English and Arabic make roads easy to navigate, although parking can be a headache.

One Day in Abu Dhabi
Get a taste of Abu Dhabi’s unmatched wealth with a trip to some of its most impressive architectural wonders.  Start with a visit to Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Grand Mosque—the largest of its kind in the U.A.E. Opened in 2007, this place of prayer can accommodate up to 40,000 people. Its interior is decorated with crystal chandeliers, Murano glass, polished marble and the world’s largest hand-woven carpet. Then continue on to the Emirates Palace—a five-story luxury hotel that cost approximately $3 billion to build. Enjoy afternoon tea before wandering the impressive halls lined with Persian carpets and more than one thousand chandeliers. The hotel even has an ATM that vends gold at the going rate.

Usually, it’s bad news when your vacation includes a trip to the hospital, but that’s not always the case in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is one of the city’s more bizarre yet fascinating attractions. The world’s first and largest hospital dedicated to the predatory bird opened in 1999 under the direction of a prominent German veterinary surgeon.

About 6,000 birds pass through each year, occupying the 200 air-conditioned treatment rooms. This might seem strange until you understand that the sport of falconry has deep roots in the city. The sport is so popular that falcons are even issued passports and the prized animals can cost tens of thousands of dollars. If a falcon loses even one strand of feather, they can experience balance issues in flight so their owners bring them to the hospital for checkups, treatments and feather substitutions regularly.

Guided tours of the facility provide insight into the history of the sport and the physiology of this graceful bird. You’ll be able to see the birds swoop through a free-flight aviary, witness a falcon pedicure and feel the weight of one as it perches on your arm.

Just outside the city of Al Ain, straddling the border of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, Jebel Hafeet rises 4,068 feet (1,240 meters) above the desert landscape. It’s the highest peak in the emirate and the second highest in the country, making it one of Abu Dhabi’s most popular natural attractions.

The views, once you reach the top of the sandstone mountain, are well worth the journey. You’ll have unobstructed views of Al Ain below and Oman in the distance. The caves winding through the mountain have yielded abundant fossil discoveries and the foothills have served as a burial ground dating back more than 5,000 years—some of which you can still see.

The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, known as one of the most scenic roads in the world, is also a popular training site for road cyclists working on their ascents. The Green Mubazzarah park at the base of the mountain houses a complex of natural hot spring pools for both men and women where you can relax after conquering the mountain.

In the heart of Al Ain, a garden-filled city located 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Abu Dhabi, you’ll find the Al Ain Oasis. The largest green space in the emirate of Abu Dhabi offers a welcome respite from the clamor and heat of the country’s fourth largest city. Locals and visitors alike come here to wander the shady, palm-lined paths past the water channels of the ancient irrigation system that once brought water to local farmers.

As you explore the 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) space, you’ll be shaded by more than 100 varieties of date palms--nearly 150,000 of them. Rent a bike or throw on some walking shoes and give yourself a few hours to enjoy the winding brick-paved trails.

Located on the Corniche Breakwater, the Emirates Heritage Club runs a reconstructed traditional village demonstrating the lifestyles and traditions of the cultures native to the Arabian Peninsula. If you’ve ever wondered what Abu Dhabi was like before the discovery of oil transformed it into a pocket of extreme wealth, you’ll get a glimpse here.

Come in the morning before it gets too hot to explore the open-air museum. Enter a traditional goats’ hair tent and learn about the ancient falaj irrigation system that allowed desert dwellers to begin cultivating crops. Local craftsworkers conduct workshops in traditional metalwork, pottery, spinning and weaving. The traditional mosque is a far cry from the palatial white marble Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, demonstrating just how far the United Arab Emirates have come.

Be sure to stop by the gift shop during your visit. You’ll be able to pick up local herbs and spices as well as items made by the local artisans working in the village.

The residential, commercial and leisure area known as Saadiyat Island sits just off the coast of Abu Dhabi. While the project is still under development and set to be completed in 2020, visitors can get a glimpse of what the island will eventually be like by visiting the Manarat Al Saadiyat, a visitor center with an exhibit on the Saadiyat Island development, as well as space for several temporary exhibitions.

The UAE Pavilion from the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai has been relocated to the island as well, now serving as a major events venue for the city. Visitors can also play a round of golf at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, designed by Gary Player, or enjoy the beach at the two resorts already opened for business.

Over the next several years, architects from around the globe including Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid, will be working on Abu Dhabi installations of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums, as well as a performing arts center, maritime museum, marina and promenade.