How to Get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi

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

Car, tour, bus… Each has its pros and cons in terms of price, comfort, or speed, but don’t worry—by the time you finish reading this article, your choice will be clear.

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 Grand Mosque with a specialized guide. You’ll be picked up in a private vehicle from Dubai.

Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes

From $56 at Hellotickets

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

During this tour, immerse yourself in the grandeur of the mosque, which spans over 20,000 square meters 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 for 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, while men must wear long pants to enter the mosque. Failure to comply with these rules will result in denied entry.

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

On your trip to Dubai, be sure to book an organized tour to Abu Dhabi. It’s the most convenient way to travel and explore the city; you can book it in advance online, freeing yourself from the stress of running out of spots. All you have to do is be at the designated pickup point to 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 $75
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with tickets to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan Palace, and the Etihad Tower — starting at $130
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with tickets to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — starting at $56
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with lunch — starting at $98
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with access to Qasr Al Watan Palace and admission to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — starting at $99
• Day trip to Abu Dhabi from Dubai with tickets to Ferrari World — starting at $171

What do the organized tours include?

As I’ve listed above, there are various options for day trips to Abu Dhabi from Dubai depending on your preferences, but all of them without exception include round-trip transportation, a professional guide, and bottled water.

Additionally, to suit the tastes of all travelers, 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 choose a tour that includes lunch at a restaurant inside Yas Mall and a visit to Heritage Village; or even a themed tour like 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 organized tours depending on what you want to explore in more detail, they all include visits to places that will immerse you in the city’s cultural richness. What can you expect from this visit? A little bit of everything, because Abu Dhabi is a city that blends the best of tradition and luxury.

• Sheikh Zayed Mosque: A must-see, likely the first stop on the tour. This mosque can hold 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—even though they’re not yet open to the public because they’re under construction—you’ll enjoy this stop. In a few years, there will be a Louvre museum and a Guggenheim museum here, and you’ll be able to say you were there while they were being built!
• Souk: To take a break from the more luxurious and Western side of Abu Dhabi, you’ll appreciate taking a stroll through its souk before the tour ends. There, you can see the work of local artisans up close—it won’t let you escape the hustle and bustle, but it will offer 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 served as film sets and currently house offices and hotels.
• Louvre Museum: The most visited museum in the Arab world, its permanent collection includes such popular works as Children Fighting by Gauguin, Don Pedro de Toledo Kisses the Sword of Henry IV by Ingres, and 8,000-year-old sculptures 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 travel independently from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, one of the first options that comes to mind is surely taking a bus. Well, I have to admit that it is indeed a comfortable, fast option (you’ll reach Abu Dhabi in about two hours) and that there are many 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 to each other, 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 traveling to Dubai with Emirates, you’re in luck, because this airline offers its passengers six buses a day that provide an easy and free way to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

What’s the big downside? The bus picks you up at Terminal 3 of 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 center 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; you can check the schedules on the official website, though I’ll let you know in advance that they run from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Which route is best for you? My advice is to check your location to see if you’re closer to Al Ghubaiba Station (E100) or Ibn Battuta Station (E101). In any case, both stations have metro stops, so it’s easy to get there.

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

This option is very convenient if you don’t have set plans for when to go to or return from Abu Dhabi, since you don’t need to reserve a ticket. If the bus you wanted to take fills up, you’ll have to wait at most about 40 minutes for the next one. Another plus is that all buses have air conditioning and also feature power outlets in case you need to charge a device.

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

For one thing, renting a car will give you greater freedom to explore Abu Dhabi, which is a huge city that’s much easier to navigate if you have a vehicle.

On the other hand, traveling by rental car allows you to leave and return whenever you want without having to worry about anything or anyone else. However, there are other aspects that make renting a car a bit more of a hassle.

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

First off, 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 a national driver’s license from certain countries, like Spain, is sufficient. But you should know that insurance—which I strongly recommend you get when renting a car—won’t cover anything unless you have an IDP.

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

If you decide to rent a car, I recommend comparing prices and booking in advance to avoid long waits at rental company offices. If you ultimately decide to rent a car once you’re in Dubai, the easiest option is to do so at the airport, where you’ll have several options and price points.

Generally speaking, a one-day rental costs approximately €30, to which you’ll need to add the cost of gas (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 like 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, because there are plenty of speed cameras on the road, and you definitely don’t want to come back from your trip with a ticket in your suitcase. As for parking, it’s usually not a problem, since there are plenty of free parking lots at tourist attractions and shopping malls.

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

If you plan to spend more than a day in Abu Dhabi and therefore have luggage, a taxi could be a good option, as they allow you to bring suitcases (for an extra fee per bag). Plus, booking one is very quick through the official apps available for both Android and iPhone, or if you’re out on the street, 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, since it takes more than 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 don’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 getting from Dubai to Abu Dhabi at a glance.