Home > Abu Dhabi > Abu Dhabi Sightseeing Tour: Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Heritage Village and Souk
USD $52.00
Abu Dhabi Sightseeing Tour: Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Heritage Village and Souk
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Witness the highlights of Abu Dhabi on this 4-hour sightseeing tour of the UAE’s dazzling capital. Traveling between the sights in an air-conditioned coach, visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, a vision of white domes, minarets and courtyards; explore the recreated old desert settlement at the Heritage Village, with its Bedouin tents and craft demonstrations; browse the Souk and bustling Dates Market; and admire the beaches, gardens and gleaming high-rises. As you explore, gain fascinating insight into the history, culture and future of this beautiful city from your guide.
Begin your 4-hour tour with a pickup from your central Abu Dhabi hotel. Hop inside your air-conditioned coach to travel around the UAE’s beautiful capital, often dubbed the ‘Arabian Jewel’ for its gleaming landmarks and stunning architecture.
Along the way, hear fascinating facts about the city’s past and present, and the plans for its future. Learn how the discovery of oil in 1958 saw it transform from a fishing port into today’s metropolis in just a few decades.
Head to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, known as the Grand Mosque, and one of the world’s biggest mosques. Admire the spectacular domes and minarets of this vast white marble edifice, and go inside with your guide to view the interior as you learn how the mosque can accommodate some 40,000 people.
Travel to the Souk and work your way around this bustling marketplace. Stroll past the outlets stacked with gold jewelry and perhaps snap up some of the wares as you explore.
Next, visit the Dates Market, where shops sell enormous quantities of fresh dates and other sweet treats. Admire the pyramids of the fresh, juicy palm fruits, and sample some of the tasty treasures as your guide explains why they hold a special place in Abu Dhabi’s heritage. Pass futuristic buildings and the gardens and beaches of the beautiful corniche on route to the Heritage Village, an open-air museum that recreates a typical Emirati desert village of old.
Peep inside the goat-hair Bedouin tents and reconstructed huts to discover what life was like here before oil. See craftspeople making pottery, watch a traditional falaj irrigation system in action, shop for souvenirs at the souk, and visit the museum to chart Abu Dhabi’s history through photographs and other exhibits.
After around four hours of exploring the city, your tour finishes with a hotel drop-off.
Loved the Mosque. I have recommended this tour to all my friends.
Review by: Vetleson, April 2018
Excellent guide and great tour highly recommend .
Review by: Leslie F, March 2018
The tour was well worth the price and very informative about Abu Dhabi, its beginnings and how it has changed over the past few decades. The tour of the Souk only covered one date shop in this produce market where we tasted the dates and had an opportunity to purchase some. We then got back onto the bus and headed to our next stop. The small museum we toured and the Heritage Village were very interesting and we had 30 minutes to shop for souvenirs as well as look through the village. The Mosque was amazing and not to be missed.
Review by: Elaine C, March 2018
The driver is on time and willing to stop at a hotel so that i can send a postcard. It is the majestic Royal Palace Hotel. Don't expect every driver to dot that because the guard wont let you in if you don'st stay there. I don't think he took us to the real souk but a little wholesale date market for 2 minutes. But again he added a few extra stops and the whole experience is fantastic.
Review by: Ceinwen G, March 2018
Picked up at hotel on time at 9.00 and for the next 70 minutes we went round picking up from other hotels before starting the tour proper!_br/_ The Grand Mosque was spectacular but the other highlights were pretty ordinary.
Review by: Holly E, February 2018
The Mosque part of the tour was amazing! Heritage Village was ok, but it was short and lacked structure. The real downside was the “Souk” - it was basically a large, modern store attached to a hotel and they make you sit and listen while they try and sell you very ornate rugs. Not was I envisioned!
Review by: Manny, February 2018
Guide was very knowledgeable and helpful.
Review by: Darren R, February 2018
Great day out well worth the time and money
Review by: kincaid42, January 2018
Great tour, the other couple scheduled to take the tour didnt show up so it was just us and the guide. The guide was very knowledgeable and thorough and we never felt rushed in any location. I would recommend this tour and our guide!
Review by: Nicky, January 2018
Grand mosque very impressive, rest of tour very good, great tour guide.
Review by: jimmy o, January 2018
the guide is good
Review by: Clive D, December 2017
Good tour interesting
Review by: Randall C, December 2017
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is a must see in Abu Dhabi. Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the tour a rare experience.
Review by: bettymcpherson09, December 2017
Great tour. The Mosque is simply amazing and a must see for anyone visiting Abu Dhabi. Should advise ahead of time that shoes must be removed so that visitors have option to wear socks. Heritage Village interesting for those interested in historical perspective. Tour guide gave good history of the UAE. Very enlightening. Art.jewelry stop not of much interest. Enjoyed date market. Wish there was a stop or drive by the Emirates Palace and/or Emirates Mall. Would recommend this tour.
Review by: bettymcpherson09, November 2017
Great tour. The Mosque is simply amazing and a must see for anyone visiting Abu Dhabi. Should advise ahead of time that shoes must be removed so that visitors have option to wear socks. Heritage Village interesting for those interested in historical perspective. Tour guide gave good history of the UAE. Very enlightening. Art.jewelry stop not of much interest. Enjoyed date market. Wish there was a stop or drive by the Emirates Palace and/or Emirates Mall. Would recommend this tour.
Review by: gvonbretten, November 2017
The tour bus picked us up from our cruise ship. We then spent the first hour of our 4 hour trip picking up guests from other hotels. The first sight seeing stop was the mosque which was great. We were then carted to a souk market, which turned out to be a modern industrial unit where we were handed over to a commissioned sales person who was trying to sell us overpriced carpets, silver jewelry and other trinkets. We had to ask several times to be shown the exit. It felt like a commercial trap that was a complete waste of time. Throughout the tour the guide just rambled on and was very hard to understan. We were so frustrated that we abandoned the tour mid-way and continued exploring on our own. We went to the Emirates Palace Hotel for lumch, which was great and then went on to the newly opened Louvre. Very low and tour and just a bad experience
Review by: Ann K, November 2017
Our guide was very friendly but it was difficult to understand his English. The mosque was worth seeing but not Heritage Village. It took a lot of time picking up and returning people to their hotels.
Review by: Olga M, November 2017
The Mosque is amazing. Enjoyed this tour
Review by: Dianne C, October 2017
The tour of the Mosque was very good and our guide was well informed. Arrival time at the Heritage Village was not good because most of the craft shops/buildings were closed, so we were unable to really see much of interest.
Review by: Pamela M, September 2017
I had the most amazing day! My driver, Abdul, picked me up from my hotel and our first stop was the Sheik Zayad Mosque which was unbelievably beautiful. We then went to the Palace and Abdul patiently waited with us while we walked around. We also went to the date markets which gave me a chance to try something different and also Heritage Village which was very interesting. Abdul then talked to me about Abu Dhabi and the different buildings that we passed on the way back to my hotel. I highly recommend this tour!
Review by: LEANNE D, September 2017
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque was amazing, dissapointed by the Souk which turned out to be shops in a shopping centre, calling it a Souk is really stretching the imagination. The heritage village was ok and the date visit was just another shop. Overall the guide was good and very informative through the journey.
Review by: arthur b, August 2017
OK tour...the mosque was well worth visiting...but lots and lots of people and necessary to remain in a group. Heritage Village is nothing special....rather touristy in my opinion.
Review by: Elmeka H, July 2017
Ramadan in Abu Dhabi. It was hot and we had to get creative on this tour. But our guide was really amazing with us. He gave us plenty of water and took us in the back of the date store so we could sample without violating the law. He even provided scarves for us so that we could be permitted into the Mosque. But overall it was an amazing experience to learn more about the UAE, the culture and the food.
Review by: John R, July 2017
Mosque was absolutely wonderful our tour guide gave us plenty time to explore this amazing attraction. Date shop waste of time all in all enjoyable tour.
Review by: Matthew C, July 2017
Very nice overview of city in the comfort of an air conditioned van that seats six. The mosque was amazing! The tour guide was very personable. The only thing we would have liked is a chance to buy some small souvenirs on this trip.
Review by: Lorrie T, May 2017
Terrific tour! Our guide provided good historical information on the tour as well as a variety of sites, opportunities to buy things, and places to stop for great views and photos. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: shabnamkhalifa, May 2017
Great value for money, we went to the sheikh zayed mosque first which was a great experience, the tour guide spoke through the history which was interesting we also visited the heritage village the only thing we found pointless was the art museum as you couldn't take no pictures and the people their rushed you to go in a room where they would try upsell hand crafted wall pieces and various jewellery thankfully our last stop was the date market and they gave out free samples
Review by: Seveena B, April 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Siobhan C, April 2017
It was a great way to see the city. Hotel pickup was also a plus. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. He also spoke excellent English.
Review by: Paul A, April 2017
An enjoyable and informative trip, thoroughly recommend. Mosque is an amazing building but women need to completely cover up body and wear headscarf. Our guide and driver came prepared! Beautiful workmanship in chandeliers, carpet and marbling. Heritage village interesting and such contrast. We didn't visit gold souk, instead going to date shop which I preferred anyway. Trip good for those who want to know history and culture and lasted day.
Review by: Eric M, March 2017
The Mosque is spectacular, but the other stops are not interesting shops.
Review by: Ryan C, February 2017
Good tour.
Review by: Duncan C, February 2017
Very good tour, no visit to Gold Souk.
Review by: Robert P, January 2017
Great tour of the area. Very good tour operator.
Review by: Mary M, January 2017
Our tour was late returning because of unnecessary stop for sales pitch at gold souk substitute. Everything else was excellent.
Review by: Jaymi L, January 2017
Beautiful place. So prestine.
Review by: Ana Carolina O, November 2016
The guide was nice and the Mosque amazing. The Heritage Village and the Gold Souk were disappointing.
Review by: Fergus B, November 2016
The highlight of the trip was visiting the Grand Mosque. The cultural village, wasn't worth the time visiting, would've have been better visiting an actual local market. We only had 15 minutes at the gold souk.
Review by: antheacollin, November 2016
Mosque beautiful but stopped at an Arts Centre and a date shop which took over an hour so only had twenty minutes in the heritage centre and no separate souk just told to look at the one in the heritage village
Review by: Cherie A, October 2016
Good to see the beautiful mosque but the rest was disappointing. The heritage village was nothing special and the gold souk was not part of the tour - was taken to an expensive store selling carpets, wall art and scarves. Sorry I wasted my money.
Review by: Kitsa L, September 2016
Our tour guide was great, very knowledgeable and the Mosque was a must see along with the other sites.
Review by: Lauriel G, September 2016
Excellent tour - knowledgable guide and we throughly enjoyed everything other than visits to carpet outlets
Review by: Darryl J, June 2016
A excellent guide who explained every detail of the Mosque. Recommend.
Review by: b.ballingall, June 2016
Tour was great. Mosque unbelievable. Unfortunately, we did not see the any gold souk. Either the driver was suspect or else the advertising was suspect. Very disappointing as I was hoping to pick some some whilst there.
Review by: May B, June 2016
Truly amazing experience! Wear light loose clothing ladies that cover your arms and legs. No tank tops, shorts, see through or tight clothing. I wore linen pants, sandals and a shirt with a light jacket.
Review by: Wendy T, May 2016
Very enjoyable tour of the city highlights. Sheik Zayed Mosque was amazing! Heritage Village quite interesting. A little disappointed that instead of being taken to a gold souk we were instead taken to a shop selling handmade carpets. Generally a good tour with an English-speaking guide who had a wealth of information and knowledge to share.
Review by: Margaret G, May 2016
Good tour
Review by: Ryan C, April 2016
The Grand Zayed Mosque was very beautiful and definately worth seeing, though the Heritage Village was a little bit of a let down and the Gold Souk was fairly uninteresting.
Review by: Kim R, April 2016
Great tour. Tour guide Anne was lovely and knew her stuff. We saw and learned about lots of Abu Dhabi and the Sheik Zayed Mosque was amazing.
Review by: Joe H, April 2016
Perfect morning trip v well priced - great to see the Mosque - then saw smart local crafts, heritage museum and dates shop!_br/_ Just what I wanted.
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