How to Get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi

Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the two most important, extraordinary and unmissable cities in the United Arab Emirates, are just 150 km apart. If you’re in Dubai and fancy planning a visit to Abu Dhabi and its many charms, I’ll tell you which of all the transport options is best for you.

Car, day trip, bus… Each has its pros and cons in terms of price, comfort or speed, but don’t worry because by the time you’ve finished reading this article, your choice will be clearer.

The best option

Abu Dhabi Day Trip from Dubai with Mosque Sheik Zayed Tickets

The best option calidad-precio para visitar la mezquita Sheik Zayed

Discover the Sheikh Zayed Mosque with a specialist guide. You’ll be taken there in a private vehicle from Dubai.

Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes

From £42 at Hellotickets

Embark on this unique experience with this day trip to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Discover its imposing architecture and learn about the history of this temple from an expert guide. Enjoy a hassle-free trip, with pick-up and transfer from Dubai city in an air-conditioned vehicle.

During this tour, immerse yourself in the grandeur of the mosque, which covers over 20,000 square metres and can accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers. You’ll be able to admire both its exterior and interior. Discover its most fascinating details as you explore this impressive mosque, open to people of all faiths and beliefs, in a truly enriching experience.

Please note, the tour is only available in the morning. Women must cover their heads and avoid sleeveless tops or shorts, whilst men must wear long trousers to enter the mosque. Failure to comply with these rules will result in refusal of entry.

Recommended if… you wish to experience the majesty of one of the world’s largest and most beautiful mosques, enriching your trip with unrivalled culture and architectural beauty.

On your trip to Dubai, be sure to book an organised tour to Abu Dhabi. It’s the most convenient way to travel and visit the city; you can book it in advance online, thus avoiding the hassle of missing out. You’ll simply need to be at the designated pick-up point and then enjoy Abu Dhabi and its main tourist attractions.

• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with tickets to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Louvre Abu Dhabi — from £57
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with tickets to Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Qasr Al Watan Palace and the Etihad Tower — from £99
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with tickets to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — from £42
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with lunch — from £75
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with access to Qasr Al Watan Palace and entry to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — from £75
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with tickets to Ferrari World — from £129

What do the organised day trips involve?

As I’ve listed above, there are various options for day trips to Abu Dhabi from Dubai depending on your preferences, but without exception they all include return transport, the services of a professional guide and bottled water.

Furthermore, to suit the tastes of all travellers, some tours also include tickets to the following attractions: Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Qasr al Watan Palace, the Louvre Museum or the Etihad Towers.

You can also opt for a tour that includes lunch at a restaurant inside Yas Mall and a visit to Heritage Village; or even a themed tour such as the trip to the Ferrari World theme park.

Once you arrive in Abu Dhabi, the fun begins: a comprehensive, entertaining and culturally rich tour to enjoy the city. Although, as we’ve seen, there are different types of organised tours depending on what you’d like to explore in more detail, they all include visits to places that will take you on a journey through the city’s cultural wealth. What can you expect from this visit? A bit of everything, because Abu Dhabi is a city that blends the best of tradition and luxury.

• Sheikh Zayed Mosque: A must-see, and likely the first stop on the tour. This mosque can accommodate up to 30,000 people, making it one of the largest (and most beautiful) in the world. Its marble sculptures will leave you speechless – you’ll see!
• Qasr al Watan Palace: Also known as the presidential palace of the United Arab Emirates.
• Ferrari World: Another must-see attraction in the city, especially if you’re a fan of speed and Formula 1, though I recommend booking a tour to Ferrari World that includes admission so you can visit at your leisure.
• Saadiyat Island: If you’re more of a museum person, although they can’t be visited yet as they’re under construction, you’ll enjoy this stop, where in a few years’ time there will be a Louvre museum and a Guggenheim museum, and you’ll be able to say you were there whilst they were being built!
• Souk: To leave the more luxurious and Western side of Abu Dhabi behind, you’ll appreciate a stroll through its souk before the tour ends. There you can see the work of local artisans up close; whilst you won’t escape the hustle and bustle, it will be a different experience and help you immerse yourself in the city’s more traditional way of life.
• Etihad Towers: a complex of five skyscrapers that have been used as film sets and currently house offices and hotels.
• Louvre Museum: The most visited museum in the Arab world, whose permanent collection includes such popular works as Children Fighting by Gauguin, Don Pedro de Toledo Kissing the Sword of Henry IV by Ingres, and sculptures dating back 8,000 years, discovered in Jordan.
• Dubai Heritage Village: An open-air museum showcasing daily life in the country before the discovery of oil. I recommend taking a look at the old houses and handicrafts, and watching the potters and weavers go about their daily work.

If you’ve decided to make your own way from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, one of the first options that surely springs to mind is taking a bus. Well, I have to admit that it really is a convenient, quick option (you’ll reach Abu Dhabi in about two hours) and that there are plenty of sub-options depending on the type of bus you want to take.

What do I mean by this? As I’ve already mentioned—and I’m sure you’ve noticed too—Dubai and Abu Dhabi are two very cosmopolitan cities that are also very well connected, so you can choose between traditional buses or even an airport shuttle that might even be free. Let me tell you how!

Free shuttle bus

If you’re travelling to Dubai with Emirates, you’re in luck, because this airline offers its passengers six buses a day to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi easily and for free.

What’s the big downside? The bus picks you up at Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport, so you’ll have to make your way there from the airport. It then drops you off in front of the airline’s offices in Abu Dhabi, which aren’t in the city centre either, so you’ll have to take a taxi or another bus to reach your destination.

Regular bus

If you’re looking for a cheap and accessible way to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, have you considered taking one of the two regular buses that connect the two cities? You can take the E100 or the E101, whose timetables you can check on the official website, although I can tell you in advance that they run from 5am to 1am.

Which route is best for you? My advice is to check where you’re heading to see if you’re closer to Al Ghubaiba station (E100) or Ibn Battuta station (E101). In any case, both stations have a metro stop, so it’s easy to get to them.

The ticket price is approximately 25 dirhams (around €5) and both buses will drop you off at Abu Dhabi Central Station.

This option is very convenient if you don’t have fixed plans for when to go to or return from Abu Dhabi, as you don’t need to book a ticket in advance. If the bus you wanted to catch is full, you’ll have to wait no more than 40 minutes for the next one. Another positive aspect is that all buses have air conditioning and also feature power sockets in case you need to charge a device.

If you hadn’t considered the option of hiring a car to travel from one city to the other, here are a couple of reasons to think about it.

Firstly, hiring a car will allow you to get around Abu Dhabi with greater freedom; it’s a huge city that’s much easier to navigate if you have a vehicle.

On the other hand, travelling by hire car allows you to set off and return whenever you like without having to worry about anything or anyone else. However, there are other aspects that make hiring a car a bit of a hassle.

What do I need to hire a car and drive in Abu Dhabi

To start with, you need to make sure you have an International Driving Permit (IDP). Is it really necessary? If you’re asking yourself that question, it’s because you’ve read somewhere that in some countries, such as Spain, a national driving licence is sufficient, but you should be aware that the insurance – which I strongly recommend you take out when hiring a car – won’t cover anything unless you have an IDP.

How much does it cost to hire a car in Abu Dhabi?

If you decide to hire a car, I recommend comparing prices and booking in advance to avoid long queues at the hire companies’ offices. If you finally decide to hire a car once you’re in Dubai, the easiest option is to do so at the airport, where you’ll find a range of options and prices.

Generally speaking, a one-day hire costs around €30, to which you’ll need to add petrol (which is cheap) and tolls.

What to expect when driving in Abu Dhabi

As for what it’s like to drive between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, you’ll be surprised, just as I was, by the excellent condition of the roads and also by the fact that other drivers go very fast. Be careful! Don’t copy them, as there are plenty of speed cameras on the road and you certainly don’t want to return from your trip with a fine in your suitcase. As for parking, it’s usually not a problem, as there are plenty of free car parks at tourist attractions and shopping centres.

Although the convenience of being picked up from your accommodation and taken to your chosen destination is worth considering, a taxi is the most expensive option for travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, as the journey from city to city costs around €70 (one way).

If you’re planning to spend more than a day in Abu Dhabi and therefore have luggage, a taxi could be a good option, as they’ll let you take suitcases (for an extra charge per bag). What’s more, booking one is very quick via the official apps, which you can download on both Android and iPhone, or if you’re out and about, simply by hailing one you see (they’re silver and have a distinctive yellow sign).

We often think of the plane as a quick option, but for the Dubai-Abu Dhabi route it isn’t, as it takes over 4 hours (plus waiting time at the airport) and is very expensive (over €300).

Choosing between Dubai and Abu Dhabi can be difficult. They are different cities, but they are so close to each other that you’d be missing out on an incredible visit if you didn’t go to Abu Dhabi from Dubai at some point during your trip. So once you’ve finished your list of things to see and do in Dubai, don’t hesitate.

Below, we compare all the options for travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi at a glance.