Abu Dhabi
Travel Guide

Middle East - United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi

Contrary of what some people might think, Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, despite Dubai is the busiest city, and of course the city is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the biggest of the seven emirates forming the united coutnry. The city has 1,8 million citizens. Abu Dhabi is located on a T-shaped island in the Persian Gulf, and it is thought that the two thirds of the United Arab Emirates... economy belongs to this one. The name “Abu Dhabi” means literally “Father of the Gazelle”, but it is still uncertain why it has this name. Similar than a part of Dubai, Abu Dhabi used to be a famous city for its Pearl business until the 1930’s, when the oil discoveries and interest started to increase in the whole region. In 1936 the Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan al Nahyan agreed to start exploring for oil. The Emirati capital has many must-see attractions worth to visit but the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is probably the most representative symbols of the emirate, and it is the largest mosque in Abu Dhabi. Its construction finished in 2007. Abu Dhabi can also show off of amazing parks and gardens, with more than 2.000 parks and gardens and over 400 km of coast (just 10 km are public). The Lake Park is one of the most famous and most visited parks in the city. Indians are the largest ethnic group in the United Arab Emirates and most of them live in Abu Dhabi.

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Abu Dhabi Overview

Language

The official language in the United Arab Emirates is the Arabic, but it is very international, so many people also speak fluently English.

Weather

In general, Abu Dhabi has an arid and desert climate. From June to September it is usually extremely hot, with temperatures arriving easily to 40°C and the mild season is from November to March.

Money

The dirham or the AED, the official currency of United Arab Emirates. The dirham is subdivided into 100 fils. To give you an idea, 1 euro is about 4,32 dirhams.

When to go

It is recommended to visit Cairo during the mild winter days, so from November to April. If you go in the summer be prepeared for the super hot weather.

Days

4 days. It’s totally recommended to spend at least 4 days in Abu Dhabi, but if you have never been to the Emirates before, then you should take at least 10 or 15 days to have enough time to see a bit of everything.

Surroundings

Jebel Hafeet
Qasr Al Hosn
Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Marina Mall
Corniche Road
Du Arena
Observation Deck at 300
Mangroves Marina
Yas Waterworld
Zaya Nurai Island
Ferrari World
Souk Central Market
Heritage Village
Emirates Palace
Sir Bani Yas Island
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Al Ain
IMG Worlds of Adventure
Ski Dubai
Ras Al Khaimah
Fujairah

Store Hours

The working week in Abu Dhabi is from Sunday to Thursday, but many companies take only the Friday off. Public sector employees usually work from 7:30h until 14:30h but in the private sector it changes, they can work from 8h to 13h and from 16h to 19h, due to temperature reasons.