---
node: dest_abu_dhabi
type: destination
slug: abu_dhabi
title: "Abu Dhabi"
lead: "Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a wealthy island city of grand mosques, museums and waterfront corniche. Calmer and greener than Dubai, it pairs Emirati heritage with world-class culture and Formula 1."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: abu_dhabi.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SZGM,_Abu_Dhabi_(IMG_20230812_132052).jpg"
image_author: "Matti Blume"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

## Overview

The largest and richest of the emirates, built on oil, Abu Dhabi spreads across islands on the Gulf, with a long corniche, wide green boulevards and a growing cluster of cultural landmarks. It is the seat of government and a more measured city than Dubai, home to the country's grandest mosque and an outpost of the Louvre. Hot in summer and mild in winter, it offers heritage, high culture, beaches and the theme parks and racetrack of Yas Island.

## Highlights

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a vast white-and-gold marble mosque, is the city's emblem and one of the world's largest. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, under its floating dome, leads the Saadiyat Island museum district, and the corniche and Emirates Palace line the shore. Yas Island holds Ferrari World, a waterpark and the Formula 1 circuit, and the desert and oasis lie inland.