Hi my dearest readers, in October, I took a transit flight from Spain to Singapore. On the way, I had some spare time in Dubai and chose to head to its equally famous counterpart, Abu Dhabi for a day trip.

DAY 1 [ABU DHABI DAY TRIP: QASR AL WATAN | UAE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE (LEFT THIS PLACE IN AWE) | LOUVRE ABU DHABI]

I woke up much earlier today to take the bus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. I took the train to Ibn Battuta Train Station and headed to Bus stop 9, Bus 101. Remember to top up 50 AED on your Nol card here. It will cost 25 AED and another 25 AED back. This bus will take you to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. I referred to this link to plan my journey.

I didn’t think of getting a transport card in Abu Dhabi as traveling around on public transport was pretty long and I only had one day here. I ended up taking the taxi everywhere I went to save some time.

My first stop was to go to my hotel, Sheraton Khalidiya Hotel and check in first. It was 12 pm when I went so they couldn’t check me yet and I waited in the lobby. I should’ve gone to Qasr Al Hosn while waiting. That is one of the must visit while in Abu Dhabi especially if you are a history buff!

Address: Qasr Al Hosn Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum St(2nd St) – Al Hisn – W3 – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates

Once, I got my room (which was upgraded to a junior suite for free), I unpacked a bit and went to Khalidiyah Mall for some lunch and got some jeans. I forgot to pack long pants for the Presidential Palace visit.

Note: Do check the dress code for the attractions that you are visiting.

From the mall, I hailed a taxi to Lourve Museum Abu Dhabi (yes, this is the companion museum to the one in France). This was such a beautiful museum.

I took some time to explore all the rooms in the area, each piece and painting was spaced out for its visitors to look and understand.

The highlight of the place, I’ve got to be honest would be the outside area and the famous ig spot of course. From all angles, the museum is still beautiful. I did wish that I had more time to go around since I was rushing to head towards the Presidential Palace of the UAE.

Address: Louvre Abu Dhabi Saadiyat – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates

The last entry to visit was at 5:30 pm at the visitor’s centre, so ensure that you’re there before. After the X-ray scans of our bags, I boarded a bus that would take me closer to the palace itself.

Fun fact: Some parts of the palace are still being used by the President, Vice President and Crown Prince (although, I did not see any of them during my visit).

The palace had a massive plaza out front with great angles of the palace.

This place was seriously one of the most grand places that I’ve ever seen. I was left in awe by all the architecture.

On display as well are some of the state gifts during the visits from other nations as well as a show of their banquet halls when they are hosting state guests.

I managed to snag a nice photo of the palace at sunset and at night which was both beautiful. If you stay till 7 pm, you’ll see the light show cast on the palace’s exterior.

Address: Qasr Al Watan Al Ras Al Akhdar – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates

After leaving the premises, I almost got stranded cause I had no data and I couldn’t board the bus since I had no local transport card (NOL card is not accepted here). So I’d suggest making sure that there’s data and that your apps are all downloaded.

For dinner, I was too tired from all the traveling. But I was going to go to the famous Lebanese Restaurant near my hotel, Zahrat Lebnan – Al Khalidya – زهرة لبنان الخالدية.

Address: Zahrat Lebnan – Al Khalidya 58 Al Qahirah St – Al Hisn – W4 – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates

DAY 2 [SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE جامع الشيخ زايد الكبير]

The next morning, I checked out early and headed for Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

The mosque is free to enter but you need to make an online reservation here. If you don’t have the QR code, you get it on the spot or head towards the other end to get online access via the iPads provided.

I went to the restroom to change into my abaya but was stopped since my abaya didn’t zip fully. So I got some safety pins from the shops nearby. The younger kids don’t have to wear abayas or cover their arms, legs and hair.

There are options to take the little karts to the end of the Path of Tolerance. otherwise, there are travelators to help you walk the path.

The mosque was such a beauty to behold which could hold up to 31,000 worshippers. As you continue down the corridor, there are many angles of the Mosque which are all beautiful.

Along the way, there are some water coolers (the water was much needed and cooling). So do remember to hydrate in the heat.

Finally, we reached the air con place where the huge chandeliers and the world largest’s carpet were situated. It can be a bit squeezy here so do be considerate to take your photos quickly and move on!

You’ll enter another area which shows another angle of the same room as mentioned. To exit, there will be more karts to bring you back to the entrance that you entered from.

Address: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Al Rawdah – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates

STORY: HEADING BACK TO DUBAI

I took a taxi back to the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. So I felt like I almost got myself into a bad situation which you can read about here. Long story short, I knew that shared taxis are alternative ways to head back to Dubai and there was a person who came up to me to ask if I wanted to join the taxi. I was quite tempted since I was hoping to reach Dubai earlier for the performance. The driver was telling me that he already got two other girls to join. However, when I went, there were no such people and he even asked me to sit in front. I had read that under no circumstances, should we sit in front if you don’t want to give the wrong impression. Hence, I trusted my guts and decided to just take the bus.

That was an eventful 2 day 1 night in Dubai. If you are ambitious enough, you can definitely fit them into one day. Alternatively, many also opt to head towards theme parks and desert safaris in the empty time here.

You can read all about my Dubai trip here.