Abu Dhabi City Sightseeing Tour - The Arabian Jewel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Leave your centrally located Dubai hotel with your guide, and then travel to Abu Dhabi, roughly 1.5 hours away. Capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi is often called the ‘Arabian Jewel,’ a name that testifies to its lavish monuments and flashy modern architecture.

As you travel around town, listen to stories about the city and its sights such as Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan Mosque, or the grand mosque, as it’s more simply known. Head inside to learn about the monument and marvel at its sheer size and grandeur. The stunning building can accommodate some 40,000 worshipers inside its walls, making it one of the world’s largest mosques.

Hop back inside your minivan and travel the short distance to the Sheikh Zayed center, where the late Sheikh's work is remembered. See memorabilia of the Shiekh including his hunting rifles and his vehicles. Also learn about how the Sheikh travelled around the world and formed the Emirates as we know them today.

Enjoy a break for lunch (own expense) before heading to Abu Dhabi Heritage Village, an open-air museum that showcases everyday life in the city prior to the discovery of oil. Stroll around at leisure and admire recreated souks and a traditional Bedouin camp complete with goat-hair tents.

Finish your tour with a drive past the Dhow Yard where wooden ships are built using time-honored methods, and then head back to Dubai where you will say your goodbyes to your guide at the start point.

USD $50.00

Review by:   klyndall,    December 2017
A full day to visit Abu Dhabi from Dubai was an interesting experience. Many architecturally different buildings and the most beautiful Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was the best highlight of the trip with all the white marble and the intricately inlaid flowers in the columns and the floors. Very enjoyable tour.

Review by:   Fred M,    October 2017
Fantastic mosque, very hot day when we did tour and my wife had to be outfitted all in black coverage, very uncomfortable for her.

Review by:   boris.kona2,    September 2017
Perfect tour guide Gamal, told us lots of interesting information about country and important and interesting places and people. Free water in the bus. I really recommend to take part of this trip. You have to see this places in United Arab Emirates. Be careful !! - in the mosque ladies have to cover all body including ankles, head, neck and arms. Inside you have to walk without shoes - recommend socks.

Review by:   home,    September 2017
Alhthough in Dubai there is a king I have to say that We were treated like queens and kings which i HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Review by:   MA_travel,    September 2017
Glad I took this tour as I only had a short visit in the UAE. Our tour guide Gamil, was good and very attentive.

Review by:   Tracy S,    September 2017
Diabolical. I was told I was would not be alkowed in a mosque. I was wearing a long kurta but not to my wrist. I saw no point in going. Tour guide was aggressive. Asked if i had a scarf ofc i didn't. I later found out mosque does give scafs and abyas so you can go in. Guide should have known this.

Review by:   Thomas A L,    June 2017
We had a beautiful day, the Mosque was great. We felt there could have been more information from the guide. Also we found out at lunch time that day that it was Ramadan which meant nothing to us coming from Australia and finding water to drink and something for lunch was a big problem. We appreciate abiding by the rules of the country we visit and do not mind this at all we just would have appreciated being told what these were before starting the tour.

Review by:   AYANA M,    March 2017
Absolute must on your visit to Dubai/Abu Dhabi! The tour bus picked us up at our scheduled time and people on our tour were very pleasant. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the cultural background of the people and places that we visited English was very good as well! Be sure to be appropriately dressed Women from head to toes literally, no sandals, sheer material Some people on our tour had to buy burkas that were available in the gift shop, however, that took some time away from the tour. Otherwise, everything was amazing. The Mosque is breathtaking and can only be seen in person to fully understand its beauty! Excellent tour!

Review by:   Shamiah M,    March 2017
This tour was amazing!

Review by:   sandra e,    March 2017
Tour guide Reuben was very knowledgeable. The mosque was very ornate and a great site to visit. My only disappointment was that our private tour was replaced by a public tour when several members of my group canceled and we were picked up from our hotel at 6:30 AM instead of 8:00 AM, as indicated in Viator's description of the tour.

Review by:   P,    February 2017
The mosque was beautiful and worth the visit._br/_ The other places were not that interesting._br/_ Wonderful guide Deyin? that gave a lot of information about the tour and Dubai._br/_ He even lent me his sweatshirt when my sleeve was not long enuf to cover my wrists.

Review by:   Yui Yi C,    February 2017
Very big and pretty mosque. The marble stone on the ground feels cold and awesome against the hot weather

Review by:   Shan,    February 2017
I appreciate the ride there with a group; however, we only enjoyed the mosque and museum. He didn and #39;t give us an actual tour of the city. That was disappointing. I felt like we didn and #39;t get a true Abu Dhabi experience and could and #39;ve easily took a cab or shuttle there for less.

Review by:   patricia.hay,    January 2017
This is a great day tour that includes a good overview of the city. We had a great guide and everything was run to schedule. The Grand Mosque is nothing short of spectacular but make sure you have the appropriate clothing so you can go inside.

Review by:   Marva G,    January 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed my tour. The guide was very informative and did not hesitate to any questions that were asked

Review by:   tosheriah,    December 2016
I loved this tour. The tour guide was really knowledgeable and friendly. I will definitely be using viator for all my travel and activities. Sad i didn't discover them until recently.

Review by:   Donna B,    December 2016
Breath Taking Must do!

Review by:   tonya h,    September 2016
Great opportunity to learn the history and to take photos.

Review by:   Francy M,    September 2016
Every thing went according to plan and very smoothly._br/_ thanks to driver who advised dress code properly.

Review by:   mickey_amyloud,    August 2016
Grand Monsque is awesome, the other sightseeing places were not interesting and the tour guide did not give enough for lunch.

Review by:   Alison S,    July 2016
We were picked up promptly. First stop was the mosque which was amazing. We were delayed at the entrance due to other passengers dress. The tour was in English and Spanish but the majority was spoke in Spanish with the tour guide talking to the English people in Spanish at times.

Review by:   Nana,    July 2016
Unforgettable! A don't miss experience! When entering the mosque make sure you are dressed appropriately...ankles covered, long sleeves, and a scarf covering your head for the ladies. For the men: long pants and long sleeves. A few of the ladies in our group were not dressed appropriately and had to purchase attire at a hefty price. _br/_ The tour was all day, but worth every penny and minute. My husband and I learned and saw so much of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The coach bus was clean, comfortable and air conditioned.

Review by:   MIHAI S,    July 2016
The tour was quite fantastic. Chamil from Sril Lanka is a great guide.He told us a lot of things about Abu Dhabi. So everything was good !!

Review by:   Ramona M,    July 2016
Great trip. Would have liked to had time to enjoy Ferrari World only had time to buy souvenirs.

Review by:   Joseph S,    June 2016
The first 3 hours were very good - the hour drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi was very well explained, the Grand Mosque portion was exceptional. The rest of the tour was flat - one small museum and a number of look out here at this and that - just filling in the time! We would have appreciated another meaningful stop.

Review by:   Aleksandar T,    June 2016
Everything was good, but the only thing that was interesting was the mosque. The tour guide was great, spoke perfect English and German.

Review by:   Felicia F,    May 2016
I would not recommend this company. I was so disappointed. Being able to see the Sheikh Zayed Moque was one of my life dreams and this tour felt totally rushed 30 mins. Our guide ruined the experience by rushing us through to get to a gift shop and the mall to eat that did not need an hour to eat.

Review by:   MR I S R,    April 2016
Picked up from our hotel by a Shuttle. Some uncertainty about the meeting arrangements with the coach. Well guided tour of the sights of Abu Dhabi. Very enjoyable

Review by:   Tiffany J,    April 2016
let me start by saying this was a great tour, however it is way too long. The visit to the mosque is breathtaking! Women must dress appropriate hair covered, arms, legs, etc. They will not let you in if you do not. The time at Heritage Village Souk is way too short for shopping! They could have honestly cut out a few stops like to Ferrari world and stayed at the Souk longer. The tour guide was very informative and nice.

Review by:   Jason B,    March 2016
The mosque was amazing,but I wouldn't bother with the rest..just spend half a day at the mosque as with this perticular tour its to much to do in one day and you don't get long enough at each stop in particular the mosque..long trip on a coach

Review by:   Zubaidah A,    March 2016
The pick up was very early in the morning, the whole tour was a rush (Was only given 15 mins at the mosque and didn and #39;t had time to go to the souvenir shop)! It would be better if the attar room tour itself could last longer. The tour guide however was informative and knowledgeable.

Review by:   satish n,    March 2016
Could eliminate few items from this. Visiting mosque was excellent. Guide was great. Could add food as a part of it. Limited options at the mall for food.

Review by:   agaumann,    February 2016
We where very satisfaied - very good impression from Abu Dhabi with this Sightseeing tour._br/_ Good tour-guide in english and german.

Review by:   Jean B,    February 2016
Total l'y frustrations. The sorts tout for ever. Very poor guide. Se didn,t sème to like her job!

Review by:   Maria M H,    February 2016
Excellent best tour guide was the best described culture history customs.

Review by:   Maria A,    December 2015
I wish we could have had a little bit more time at the Grand Mosque, because it was too beautiful and too big.

Review by:   Sonia S,    November 2015
THe trip was nice. Very interesting the mosque visit. I just recommend it.

Review by:   Tee B,    November 2015
This was a great tour. The mosque was so beautiful and amazing. I'm glad I brought a head scarf and wore long sleeves. Two ladies did not, and they had to purchase an abiya to enter. The tour guide was very nice and explained everything in detail. I wish we had more time at the mall.

Review by:   Marilyn C,    November 2015
We had a great tour in Abu Dhabi. Well worth they money.

Review by:   Pam M,    November 2015
This full day tour was very disappointing. Visiting the Abu Dhabi mosque was the only highlight - it was amazing and a MUST SEE! The other destinations weren't worth visiting, ie heritage centre not very authentic, shopping mall lunch, photo stop at Ferrari World stopped outside - couldn't see a thing. Would recommend a tour to the mosque only, not this tour

Review by:   Shirley C,    November 2015
Great!

Review by:   Carla B,    October 2015
kumar was excellent tour guide. great tour. enjoyed abu dhabi alot.

Review by:   Viator excursions,    October 2015
Nice tour. A lot of bus time. Was quite disappointed that I was not allowed in the mosque because they considered my white LINEN pants to be too transparent. OMG!!!! So I had to return to bus. Would have been nice to have had WIFI on the bus for those of us denied entry into mosque. Others denied for pants too tight, sleeves too short, regular length skirt.

Review by:   Theresa L,    September 2015
Completely worth it for the mosque!! Our guide was great and knowledgeable. It was the perfect amount of time to just get a taste of Abu Dhabi if you have a short period of time. Definitely worth it!

Review by:   Lyubka K,    September 2015
Lovely trip. We were guided by Ana and she was very knowledgeable, explaining details about locals as well as places we visited.

Review by:   Maria Asuncion M,    September 2015
Great tour seeing the grand mosque and experiencing Abu Dhabi. A must do when visiting UAE. The local tour company and Travel is great.

Review by:   Damon P,    August 2015
What a great time we had amazing to do and see._br/_ We both love doing this tour, it's amazing to see loved every minute of it a must to do and see.

Review by:   Milena G,    July 2015
Amazing. great tour, very informative, plenty of time to enjoy the mosque. drive around the city pleasant and tour guide very informative. Visit to the Village nice.. great photo shots spot. and the Museum interesting. _br/_ Nice tour. Typical Viator quality tour, always great.

Review by:   taniaicsantos,    July 2015
This tour was 5. Our guide explained all the things very well.

Review by:   Jennifer T,    July 2015
Bus was old and dirty w/ no working bathroom. Was dressed very modestly, but was told at Grand Mosque to buy an abaya. They're free to those not w/ a tour. They had none in my size, so I was completely barred from entering. This was at the top of my UAE list and only saw the gift shop. Very disappointed