Things to know, see and do in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Where is Abu Dhabi?

Abu Dhabi city lies on a T-shaped island that juts into the Persian Gulf from the western coast. So there you see, about an hours drive to the West from Dubai. That journey in a taxi would cost about 200Dhs. Abu Dhabi is the capital as well as the second largest city of United Arab Emirates (UAE). Now the city is currently counted as one of the most progressive ones in the entire world, it was not always this way. Until mid C20^th, the economy of Abu Dhabi was maintained by camel herding and the production of dates and vegetables. Fishing and pearl diving were other occupations taken up during summer months. However, things changed when in 1958 when oil was struck. After Emirates gained independence in 1971, oil wealth changed the whole scene, escalating the city's economy considerably.
Anyone who goes there looking for an adventure will be rather disappointed. Generally speaking, Abu Dhabi is no doubt conservative -- don't plan to let your hair down, literally or metaphorically.
Language

The official language of the UAE is Arabic, but English is widely spoken and is commonly used in conjunction with Arabic.
Religion & Culture
Islam is the official religion in the UAE. There is no separation of the sacred from the secular, as Islam is a way of life for Muslims and it is something that you will have to get used to. Probably the first thing you will notice is the call of the prayer. This is a short verse sung by the 'Imam' from the mosque, which begins with "Allah Akbar", or "God is the greatest". You will hear it 5 times a day (once at dawn). All Muslims will then stop work, wash themselves ritually, and face Mecca to pray. The loudspeakers of most mosques will call the faithful to each prayer time.
Dress Code

Abu Dhabi is generally conservative, but tolerant when it comes to dress code. Visitors are advised to respect local culture and customs by not wearing revealing clothing in public places. It is respectful for men and women to cover shoulders and knees when in public. As far as I experienced, the dress code for western women is not a problem. 
If you are female then men will stare regardless of what you are wearing. I tended to wear sandals, a maxi dress, leggings and then wrapped myself in a pashmina. Even though everything apart from my toes and my head were covered I still got looks. You can wear open toed shoes in Abu Dhabi.Lightweight summer clothing is suitable for most of the year, but make sure you pack something slightly warmer for the winter months. Some sort of jacket or cardi / pashmina will come in handy when visiting hotels or the cinemas, as the air conditioning can be pretty fierce. Although throughout the emirates the attitude is fairly liberal, in Abu Dhabi it is rather more conservative than in neighbouring Dubai. As in all countries, a healthy amount of respect for the local customs doesn't go amiss, especially when shopping and/or generally sightseeing. Short or tight clothing can be worn, but it will attract more attention than if you didn’t wear it - most of this attraction will be unwelcome. For ladies it is advisable to wear short sleeved rather than sleeveless tops and dresses, especially if travelling by local taxi on your own (shawls and wraps are often worn over evening dresses etc). I felt it to be a safe place to walk about as a single female.

As in any place with plenty of sun, good quality sunglasses, hats and sunscreen are essential and so is drinking plenty of fluids (at least 1 1/2 litres of water/day), don't rely on feeling thirsty!

Sex and the City 2 Movie
Did you know that the movie was actually filmed 4,000 miles away in Morocco. Can you tell that in the movie trailer?



Well, if you knew there are no traditional souks in Abu Dhabi you would. Was there anything about Abu Dhabi in the Sex and the City 2 movie true? Well that super elaborate hotel Carrie and her friends stayed at is actually true. The Emirates Hotel is the only 7 star, yes I did say 7 star, hotel in Abu Dhabi. It's not in a very accessible part of town but not too far from the marina so you will have a short journey from your luxury Sunseeker, ahem.
What is there to do in Abu Dhabi?
I can really only comment on what I did over there but if there's anything that you experienced over there then please add them in the comments box below.
Corniche Road at sunset
Undoubtedly Abu Dhabi’s favorite strolling/jogging grown is along this water-side road — go in the morning or, best, at sunset, to avoid the steamy mid-day temperatures. I tried to take a few pics of the buildings in the distance but the sand was in the air and the pics came out all fuzzy. Don't forget your burkini.
Shopping
Abu Dhabi doesn't have a traditional souq. Visitors may be confused when they read about the Souk at Central Market in Abu Dhabi and think this is the one on the Sex and the City 2 movie. The Souk is located in downtown Abu Dhabi in the new Central Market development area. There did used to be an old souq in the same area, but it burned down in a fire and was later demolished and replaced with the new Central Market project. The new souq is quite impressive. Beautiful stained glass windows let in light from the streets into the building. It's hard to imagine such a serene place of beauty in the midst of this city. Not all the units in the building have been filled yet, in fact, most of the first and second floors are still empty, but the ground floor seems to be fairly well occupied.

Souk, Central Market, Abu Dhabi

Ferrari World

Ferrari World is a Ferrari themed amusement park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The park is situated under a 200,000 square metres (2,200,000 sq ft) roof making it the largest indoor amusement park in the world and is truly outstanding. It opens at 12 noon. It got busier later on in the afternoon. The theme park is home to Formula Rossa the world's fastest roller coaster which was absolutely worth the 45 minute wait. I have been to Alton Towers, Thorpe park, Disney World Florida Universal studios and no other ride has come close to this one!!

G-force is a spaceshot tower which launches riders over 62 m (203 ft) up and out of the building and above the roof. If you're wearing a skirt/dress make sure you wear leggings! And don't forget that if you need to take your sandals off don't point your bare feet at anyone in public when you are putting your shoes back on as showing the bottom of your feet is considered to be rude.

Ferrari World, June 2011

There were two types of simulator. The 'basic' one which you can see in the video below and the advanced which was too super hich-tech for me. As you can see though, the basic simulator is more than you get in the Trocodero centre and I even surprised myself by coming 2nd out of 6 players. I must admit I was the only female getting my hands dirty as it were. 

Ferrari World is a place is great for families and couples alike. I have no interest in cars but had a thoroughly enjoyable day. We were there for nearly 6 hours in total and the time just flew by. There were plenty of things to do to keep the kids entertained and to give the parents a bit of a rest. Read my TripAdvisor review of Ferarri world.

After Ferrari world we took the free shuttle bus to Yas Island Hotel bar for cocktails overlooking the marina and the F1 Grand Prix Circuit. This came as a recommendation from a friend, thanks Lisa! The cocktails here were as good as anywhere and it was surprisingly quiet.

Yas Island Hotel, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

As much as I would have loved to we didn't stay at the Yas Island Hotel. We stayed 3 nights at this hotel The breakfast buffet was extensive, serving the general cereals, an impressive selection of fruit and vegetable juices, fresh fruit (including bananas dipped in chocolate covered with grated hard cheese (don't ask - just try it). The lunch buffet had a generous selection of mains and desserts. The location was well suited to venture in the main town even though you get a taxi everywhere!

Madinat Zayed Gold Souk

Go to the Madinat Zayed Gold Souk to bag reasonably priced pieces of jewellery. Price haggling is an art you must learn before setting off for this trip. Usually you can bargain for as much as half of the originally quoted price especially if you are purchasing more than one piece of gold jewelry from the same store. Once a price has been verbally agreed on, however, the buyer is expected to make a purchase. The Madinat Zayed Gold Souk is a stone’s throw away from the Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre (mentioned above) and the Abu Dhabi Central Post Office. There were also some very nice pearl jewellery in the gold souk though surprisingly not as prized as the gold.

Where to stay in Abu Dhabi
There is plenty of choices to stay in Abu Dhabi. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the centre (as there is also another Crowne Plaza hotel on Yas Island). Read my and other people reviews on Trip Advisor.
The boring stuff:

Foreign currency: I purchased my online currency and picked it up at a local store. 

Travel insurance:  I bought a single trip Direct Travel costing £19.86. I should get a multi-trip one... As a British passport holder I didn't require a visa.

You should follow me on twitter here.
Read: Middle Eastern Cookery Workshop at Petra Kitchen
My Jordan Diary
Things to see and do in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Useful arabic phrases