There is a definite lack of awareness, due to which tourists visit only Dubai and miss out on Abu Dhabi, another amazing city in the UAE. Check my information in this Abu Dhabi Trip Planner, where I have shared my tips which will be helpful for a tourist planning to visit the Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is the capital of UAE also known as the United Arab Emirates. It is also one of the 7 Emirates that form the UAE. Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain 6 others. All these collectively make the UAE a very diverse and unique journey. Dubai steals the show like most touristy destinations. Abu Dhabi is therefore considered relatively a bit off the beaten path. In fact, you will be surprised to know that a large part of Abu Dhabi is actually an archipelago of natural all islands.
Travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is only two hours away from Dubai. Therefore, most tourists make it a day’s visit and return to Dubai. Most tourists will surely miss out at night and early morning activities. Therefore, I recommended that you should spend at least a night in this beautiful city. Plan to cover cultural attractions on one day. Do some adventurous activities on the other. Just like Dubai, it’s a ‘tax haven’ for tourists!
Best time to visit
As it is a desert city, the same conditions apply that are for Dubai. Really hot during the day and can be cold in the nighttime. This is because typically sand is unable to absorb and hold heat. The peak tourist season in Abu Dhabi is from November to March/April. This is the time of the year when the day time temperatures are bearable and night temperatures are cold. Thereby giving a pleasant experience to the traveler. Try and avoid the Ramadaan season because many outlets can come under new rules. Shops and restaurants will be closed in the day time and residents will be busy with daily prayers and religious activities.
How to reach Abu Dhabi
By Air
Few know that Abu Dhabi city has its own international airport. The easy way will be to just fly there directly. There are direct flights available to Abu Dhabi. The ideal plan will be to fly into Abu Dhabi and fly out of Dubai or vice versa.
By bus
From Old Dubai city (Bur Dubai, Satwa, Karama), there are a lot of Public buses departing at regular intervals for the central bus station in Abu Dhabi. From Old Dubai, the buses depart from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station (which is close to the Al Ghubaiba metro station) in Bur Dubai.
The New Dubai city, which is Marina, JLT or JBR locations, tourists can board the bus from the bus station near the IBN Battuta Metro Station.
The bust ticket fares are very affordable (25 Dhm one way). If you have the RTA NOL card, you can use it for this journey. But pls do check the bus timings beforehand. As in the Dubai Metro, bus seats are on a “first come-first serve” basis, so catch them quick. The bus journey is fast and scenic and very comfortable.
I will recommend you download the RTA Dubai App from Playstore. It also supports Hindi language and will help you plan your travel.
The official website of Dubai’s Transport authority is: RTA Govt of Dubai
More details on the planning in the Abu Dhabi trip plan – Part 2.