Being in Dubai you can not forget about the capital and the most important city of the Arab Emirates, and even spend one day in Abu Dhabi, where tradition meets modernity trying to catch up with perfect and colored Dubai. Abu Dhabi, although less modern than Dubai, also attracts and impresses tourists. Abu Dhabi is a unique combination of Arab tradition and splendor, creating a metropolis full of wealth and great class.
ABU DHABI, or FATHER OF GAZELLA
Few people know that literally Abu Dhabi means "father of a gazelle." Why was such a strange name given to the city? Probably, once around the city lived herds of dhibaa, or gazelles.
Today, the capital does not resemble a full gazelle settlement, on the contrary - it is a metropolis that catches the eye of every tourist due to the splendor that can meet us here. The city is young and devoid of monuments, but it is in Abu Dhabi that there is a hotel competing with Burj al Arab for the highest number of stars, namely Emirates Palace, as well as giant Etihad Towers skyscrapers. It is here that Ferrari and Formula 1 fanatics come, and here is the largest mosque in the Arab Emirates and the impressive mosque. What's more - driving around Abu Dhabi you get the impression that it is more friendly than Dubai and ... definitely greener.
HOW TO GET THERE FROM DUBAI TO ABU DHABI
There are several ways to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. The first fastest and probably the easiest is a rental car, but I do not recommend this solution because of the madness on the road. However, it is an option for the brave who need an adrenaline rush. Another way can be to rent a taxi or buy a trip at one of the local travel agencies. Both options are relatively expensive, so we decided to take the Dubai RTA bus to Abu Dhabi .
From Dubai to Abu Dhabi there are two buses E100 and E101 going directly to the bus station in Abu Dhabi. E101 leaves Ibn Batuta station and leaves less than an hour. We chose the E100 line , which starts the route at the Al Ghubaiba station and runs every 15 minutes . If you also choose this option I would like to inform you that in the morning a large number of locals take this bus to work and there is a high probability that you will have to wait a few buses. In addition, there are 2 queues to enter - in one there are men and in the other women, and in practice - in one man and in the other tourists
Return tickets cost 50 AED and we pay for the journey with the NOL card (the same as for journeys in Dubai), which we bounce when getting on the bus. It is not possible to buy a ticket from the driver, so before leaving, I recommend that you top up the card with the appropriate amount.
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The bus goes a little over 2 hours and the road is rather monotonous along the highway in the desert, so I will not tell you if there was something more, because the whole way ... I slept The last station of our journey is the Bus Station in Abu Dhabi, from which we start our route around the capital. The city does not have such extensive communication in Dubai, there is no metro, only buses, so following the advice of others we decided to explore the city by taxi, which was the best solution. I recommend getting a map before you go to plan your sightseeing well.
E100 bus (designation E1) If anyone wants to explore following our footsteps, we present you with a route that worked perfectly for us to spend one day in Abu Dhabi and see the most interesting places (and I will add that we arrived in Abu Dhabi only at 12). The whole, of course, defeated by a taxi, for which we spent about 180 AED.
ROUTE: ABU DHABI BUS TERMINAL - EMIRATES PALACE - YAS MARINA CIRCUIT - FERRARI WORLD - SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUEEMIRATES PALACE
Emirates Palace The first point of our trip was Hotel Emirates Palace, which since 2005 has been called the most luxurious hotel in the world . It is between this hotel and Burj al Arab that there is still a dispute over which is better. Emirates Palace belongs to the Kempiński hotel chain and its construction cost USD 3 billion.
If, like us, you choose a taxi to access the hotel, then you will be like kings with the hotel door - a great attraction for such luxuries.
The interior of the hotel is dripping with gold and wealth, and because of this luxury it was decided that it should not be called a hotel, but a palace, although, as Piotr rightly said, it is more like a museum than a hotel or a palace 🙂 Hotel standards around the world recognize a scale of up to 5 stars, however, to further emphasize the uniqueness of the place, Emirates Palace has been endowed with seven stars.
Etihad Towers Bus Station-Emirates Palace fare: approx. 25 AED, visiting time: approx. 1.5 hours Opposite the Emirates Palace rise Etihad Towers , which are the capital's showcase and a synonym of modernity. The complex of five skyscrapers resembling sails refers to the tradition and history of the country, and also symbolizes the old importance of the city as a sea port.
Yas Marina Circuit YAS MARINA CIRCUIT - FORMULA TRACK 1
As the second point of the trip we chose the famous Yas Marina Circut, or Formula 1 Track . The Yas Marina track was built on the natural island of Yas artificially enlarged by 1/3 to 2,550 hectares, which lies east of the island of Abu Dhabi. The track meets the highest standards of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. The track construction cost $ 1 billion and the sponsor is Etihad Airways. In 2010, the Abu Dhabi government bought the track from the developer and became the owner of the facility.
Yas Viceroy Hotel The Yas Marina Circuit is 5,554 km long and meets the highest FIA standards. The track has a width of 12-16 m, and the longest straight is 1173 m. The riders cover 55 laps with a full distance of 305,355 km. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the only F1 race that starts during the day and ends after dark under artificial lighting.
Right next to the track is the 5-star Yas Viceroy Hotel from whose windows you can enjoy racing and being the only international Formula One hotel in the world. The hotel makes an amazing impression.
Price per ride Emirates Palace - Yas Viceroy Hotel: approx. 70 AED, visiting time approx. 1 hourAn additional attraction in the area of the hotel are taking off planes - we could not miss it
Ferrari World FERRARI WORLD
The fare for the Yas Viceroy Hotel - Ferrari World: approx. 10 AED, the duration of the visit is approx. 0.5h We are not Ferrari lovers, and yet we also decided to come to the famous Ferrari World. The town of Ferrari is located on the island of Yas and it is worth seeing even if you do not plan to go inside - already before the entrance there are show cars that even impressed us. In addition, you can buy e.g. Ferrari lollipop for only 40 AED
Sheik Zayed Mosque If someone is a fan of such impressions, I refer to the ferrariworld website .
Advice: do you want to feel like a Muslim for a moment? Don't follow the dress code SHEIKHA ZAYEDA MATCH - SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE
For dessert, we left ourselves a spiritual impression and a place that I most wanted to see. If I did not go to this mosque, I would have the feeling that our visit to the UAE was incomplete. And no, we are not religionists etc., but when I looked at photos from this place, the mosque made a huge impression on me every time.
And the advice is not ironic - choosing a mosque you have a unique opportunity to feel like a Muslim for a moment, because before entering any woman who does not have the right dress receives their own abaya. Even though I knew it was like that, I was dressed in harem pants and a short-sleeved blouse and I was immediately called to dress. The same is true for men if they come in shorts - they have to wear white robes.
Price for the Ferrari World - Sheikh Zayed Mosque: about 50 AED, duration of visiting: about 2 hours Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an impressive building and one of the most interesting in Abu Dhabi . If I had to choose one place that I would like to see having one day in Abu Dhabi I would go there. The building has white and bright eyes and causes great respect for this place. The temple is the largest mosque in the Emirates and the eighth largest in the world. At the same time, 7,000 can pray in the main prayer room. faithful, and in the entire mosque over 40,000.
If you choose a route similar to ours, it is worth staying in the mosque until sunset, because the backlight makes an even greater impression than during the day.
OTHER ABU DHABI ATTRACTIONS
- Heritage Village - a reconstruction of a traditional oasis village that provides an interesting insight into the past of the Emirates. You can see the traditional aspects of desert life, including campfires with coffee pots, goat hair tents and the Falaj irrigation system.
- Saadiyat Island - Island of Happiness, where a branch of the Louvre Paris, the Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art and a concert hall are planned by 2030
The mosque was the last point we saw while spending one day in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, we didn't foresee that we would get to the city so late.
However, if someone would have more time it is undoubtedly also worth seeing:
It may seem that one day in Abu Dhabi is not enough to see the city, but enough to see the most interesting places of the capital. If you're wondering if it's worth it, I convince you that it is DEFINITELY WORTH
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