Abu Dhabi City Tour from Dubai

The drive to Abu Dhabi began – as so many organized excursions did – with this faint hope that everything would be different today. Spoiler: it didn't quite get it. The small tour group in the van was 6 people, the streets were empty, as were the sights. At least that's what the wave of attacks was good for. First stop: **Ferrari World on Yas Island**. Sounds like adrenaline, speed and a touch of luxury life. We were ready at the entrance on time at 10am... and then we were allowed to find out that admission was not included, of course. Surprise. Instead, there was the generous option of spending about *no time* there. So plan B: **Yas Mall**. Three-quarters of an hour. For a mall about the size of a medium-sized small town. We chose the only realistic goal in these circumstances: Coffee. At least something that works. ☕ --- The next item on the agenda: **the legendary date market**. In my imagination: oriental hustle and bustle, fragrances, dealers, atmosphere. In reality: *a* dealer. A store. One. Who wanted to turn us on dates, tea and perfume with the energy of a very motivated vacuum cleaner representative. The prices? Let's put it this way: My credit card heroically refused service. Looking back, probably the smartest financial decision of the day. Because later it turned out that the alleged “premium dates” were much cheaper to have elsewhere. **Remember:** If a market consists of exactly one person, caution is advised. --- Afterwards we went to the **Carpet Museum** – and yes, that was surprisingly good indeed. Beautiful pieces, interesting insights, really worth seeing. Of course, with the inevitable sales attempt at the end. But at least in style. You know the game by now. --- Then came the part that had probably been planned as “cultural highlights”: * Emirates Palace * Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental * Emirates Heritage Village They all failed. Complete. According to the tour guide for attacks from Iraq. The air raid warnings made the whole trip an adventure holiday. Jochen Österreicher (name purely coincidental) would have charged extra for this. Here it was included. This is the moment when you stop for a second and think to yourself: “Okay... that wasn’t in the prospectus now.” --- Luckily, the real highlights of the day came afterwards: The **Sheikh Zayed Mosque** and **Qasr Al Watan**. And this is where the sarcasm stops. Both places were simply impressive. These dimensions, the architecture, the details – it was one of those rare moments when you get quiet. We were really short of breath. It’s just a pity there was no tour – with some background information it would have been even more intense. All right, we joined a guided tour together until they realized we weren't one of them. So we learned all sorts of background information, because it took us a while to be asked to discreetly leave;-) But even so: absolutely worth seeing and worth the trip alone. --- The **Marina Mall**? Also deleted. Apparently, this day had a certain relationship to “programme items are omitted without replacement.” --- During the trip, the tour guide explained a lot about Abu Dhabi. And you have to hand it to him: He was really nice, talked a lot and above all drove safely and confidently. In a program that seemed rather improvised in places, this was almost reassuring. --- **Conclusion:** A day full of missed program items, creative scheduling, adventurous air alarms and educational sales strategies – but with two truly impressive highlights that saved everything a bit. And honestly: Without this mixture of chaos, coffee and light shaking of the head, it would probably have been half as memorable.

Abu Dhabi is home to some of the most stunning examples of Islamic architecture in the world. While the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the most famous, there are several others noted for their unique designs and historical significance. ​1. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque ​As the largest mosque in the UAE, this is a major cultural landmark and a symbol of peace and tolerance. ​Architectural Highlights: It features 82 white marble domes, over 1,000 columns, and four 106-meter-high minarets. It houses the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet and 24-carat gold-gilded chandeliers, including one of the largest in the world. ​Capacity: It can accommodate over 40,000 worshippers at once. ​Visitor Hours: ​Saturday – Thursday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Last entry 9:30 PM). ​Friday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM (Closed to visitors during midday prayers). ​Entry: Free of charge, though it is recommended to register online in advance. ​Dress Code: Modest attire is mandatory. ​Women: Must wear loose-fitting, ankle-length clothing and cover their hair with a scarf. ​Men: Must wear long trousers (no shorts) and shirts that cover the shoulders (long sleeves are preferred). ​2. Al Aziz Mosque (Reem Island) ​This mosque is famous for its futuristic and modern design. ​Unique Feature: The exterior walls are made of "light-transmitting concrete" (LUCEM) that illuminates the 99 names of Allah in calligraphy at night. ​Design: It breaks from traditional rounded shapes, using sharp angles and triangles in its structure. ​3. Mary, Mother of Jesus Mosque (Al Mushrif) ​Formerly known as the Mohammed Bin Zayed Mosque, it was renamed in 2017 to honor the commonalities between Islam and Christianity. ​Significance: It serves as a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and interfaith harmony, located in a neighborhood with several churches. ​4. Imam Al-Tayeb Mosque (Abrahamic Family House) ​Located on Saadiyat Island, this mosque is part of a complex that also includes a church and a synagogue. ​Design: It features a minimalist, contemporary design with three identical cubes representing the three Abrahamic faiths, focused on the principles of human fraternity. ​5. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mosque (Al Ain) ​Though located in Al Ain (part of the Abu Dhabi emirate), it is one of the largest in the region. ​Highlight: It is known for its massive dome covered in intricate Arabic calligraphy and its proximity to historical sites that date back to the Islamic Golden Age. ​Tips for Visitors: ​Footwear: You will likely be asked to remove your shoes before entering the prayer halls. ​Photography: General photography is allowed, but it is important to avoid taking photos of people praying and to respect restricted areas. ​Guided Tours: At the Grand Mosque, free "Culture Gate" tours are available and provide deep insights into the architecture and history.

Here is my honest, impartial review of my day trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. COMMUNICATION > Exceptional communications, the day before the tour was scheduled, I received several messages via WhatsApp, to advise me of the pick up time, the itinerary, and also a reminder of the dress code for entry to the mosque. The professionalism and consistency of the communications put my mind at rest, and this was immediately a green flag 💪🏾 PUNCTUALITY > My tour guide & driver was right on time. He advised me about 45 minutes before he arrived that we would get to my hotel (Al Bandar Rotana) for between 8:40 am & 8:50 am and he arrived exactly on 8:50 am. Another green flag! 💪🏾 The name of my tour guide/driver was Mannan, a lovely South Asian gentleman. I was the third of his pickups, we then drove to the RIU hotel, to collect another couple, which made the total number of passengers in the vehicle, six (6), which was a perfect group size (two sets of couples, and two solo travellers, of which I was one). THE TRIP & TOUR ITSELF > The journey to Abu Dhabi was smooth. The roads in the UAE are outstanding, definitely better than the pothole riddled roads of the UK! It is basically one road to take you from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, and this is the Sheikh Zayed Road. Mannan cruised at 100mph on average for the whole journey, and within 1 hour we were at the edge of Abu Dhabi, and a further 25 mins elapsed before we arrived in central Abu Dhabi, and our first stop, which was the Grand Mosque. We were given around 90 mins to explore and take in the sights of this amazing mosque. We moved onto other stops including the Presidential Palace for me, the others went to the Emirates Palace, the Corniche, the Marina Mall, where we were given 1 hour to grab some lunch from the multiple outlets from the food court on the top floor. Lunch is not part of the package, you must pay for this yourself. Additional stops included the dates market in the old town area of Abu Dhabi, where food and spices can be purchased, along with getting an oral history on the health benefits of dates. A stop at a carpet shop was next on the agenda (these carpets were NOT cheap). Lastly, there was a visit to Yas Island and a chance to get some pictures at the entrance to Ferrari World, before we embarked on our journey back to Dubai, which was equally as smooth as the journey to Abu Dhabi, with everyone dropped off safely at their respective hotels. A well deserved FIVE STARS, and a big shout out to Mannan! I highly recommend a day trip to Abu Dhabi with this specific tour company, you will not regret it at all 👏🏾👏🏾👌🏾👍🏾

The day was long but most enjoyable. Our guide was excellent and told us a lot about the local culture. It was a shame the Heritage Village was under renovation.

Very poorly organized when picking up. Because of the pickup we were 3 hours in the car until we were at the first place. Would rather book it individually the places. On the tour, the whole day went over and were driven to shops to buy it.