Why I Took an Abu Dhabi Layover
On my way home from China, I had an Abu Dhabi layover. And when the goal is to see the whole world, sometimes you have to get creative.
On this occasion, it meant booking my flight with the longest Abu Dhabi layover I could find, giving me the day to visit a new city.
I absolutely loved the city and breaking up the long haul flight meant I landed in the UK feeling more refreshed and already half-adjusted to the new time zone.
If you have the chance to build in an Abu Dhabi layover, I highly recommend taking it.
You could comfortably see the mosque with as little as 6 hours, but realistically 8 or more would be ideal to make a full day of it.
Abu Dhabi Layover Itinerary:
8:30am: Arrive & Taxi
After checking my hand luggage at the baggage storage (Terminal 1) I caught a taxi to the Grand Mosque. It opens at 9am so the timing was perfect.
9am – 12pm: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Oh my word! I honestly don’t think I have seen a more beautiful building in my life.
The Grand Mosque is breath taking and Abu Dhabi’s main attraction.
It is free to enter and ladies will likely be given an abaya to wear on arrival. I wore long trousers to cover my ankles but my arms were exposed. I wish I’d just worn shorts because the double layers made for very warm legs!
The mosque does free tours throughout the day, the first is at 10. This meant I had a perfect hour of taking it all in and playing with my camera before it began. The tour was fascinating and I’m so glad I did it. Our guide was funny and very informative. It is only offered in English, but there are headsets with a self-guided option in 12 other languages. This would also be a good alternative if your tight for time.
After the tour, I spent more time walking around and honestly just taking in the absolute perfection. There are some seating areas outside but the shade and cool marble floor inside are very inviting in Abu Dhabi’s harsh sun.
12pm – 4pm: Corniche Beach
Once I dragged myself away from the mosque I didn’t have much of a plan for the rest of my Abu Dhabi Layover the day, except to make the most of the weather before returning to grey Scottish skies.
Catching a taxi to Corniche Beach made the most sense (£7-10).
The beach is nothing spectacular, but its perfect for sun bathing and taking a regular dip to cool off. There were a number of restaurant & cafe options by the sand which is nice and convenient.
Napping in the sun was the ideal way to pass time on a layover and meant I felt far more rested than I would’ve if I had flown China -> UK without this day in between.
4pm – 9pm: Dinner, Shower & back to the Airport
I am so grateful for this layover as it also allowed me to reunite with a friend living in Abu Dhabi. So for the rest of my day I hung out at her apartment, caught up on two years worth of life updates and took a shower which was such a bonus!
For anyone else planning this stop, there are showers by departure gates 32 and 37 to rinse off the sand and board your plane feeling rested and clean.
Re-entering the airport and collecting my bag was easy enough, but I would recommend getting back to AUH 2 hours prior to departure to avoid any stress or getting caught up in long lines. Security to get to the departure halls was quiet, but security at my actual gate was super intense (be sure to have all electronics charged as you will be asked to turn them on prior to boarding).
Overall, I would highly recommend Abu Dhabi for a day’s layover. There are a number of other ways you could spend your time there (Ferrari World, Marina Mall and Desert Tours to name a few) but this itinerary felt like the perfect balance of seeing the city and taking the opportunity to re-energise and unwind midway through a long journey home.
