Why go
- Capital city of the United Arab Emirates.
- 1 hand-picked place to stay.
- Served by Al Bateen Executive Airport (AZI).
History
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District and the UAE's second-most populous city, after Dubai. Situated on a T-shaped island, Abu Dhabi extends into the Persian Gulf from the central-western coast of the UAE.
Where to stay
Khor Al Maqta - Rabdan - RB2 - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
Airports
Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) 20 km to the centre
Abu Dhabi, AZ, AE — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 58 airlines (Etihad Airways, Alitalia, Jet Airways, American Airlines…) · direct flights to 87 destinations incl. Muscat, Bahrain, Amsterdam, Lahore, Islamabad… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Serves Dubai (112 km) — the low-cost way in
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 58 airlines, 87 direct destinations
- Etihad Airways EY (A320, A330-200, 777-300ER, A330-300, A340-600, 345…) · 81 routes: Ahmedabad, Alma-ata, Amman, Amsterdam, Athens, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangalore, Bangkok, Basrah, Beijing, Beirut, Belgrade, Berlin*, Brussels, Cairo, Calicut, Casablanca, Chengdu, Chicago, Colombo, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Doha, Dublin, Duesseldorf, Erbil, Frankfurt, Geneva, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong*, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jaipur, Jakarta, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Karachi … +41 more
- Alitalia AZ (A320, A330-200, 777-300ER, A340-600, 330) · 25 routes: Bahrain, Bangalore, Bangkok, Beijing, Chengdu, Colombo*, Delhi, Jakarta, Johannesburg*, Karachi, Khartoum*, Kochi, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Lahore, Mahe*, Male*, Melbourne*, Milano*, Mumbai, Muscat, Nairobi*, Rome, Singapore*, Sydney*
- Jet Airways 9W (737-800, A320) · 11 routes: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Dammam, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kuwait, Madras, Mumbai, Trivandrum*
- American Airlines AA (777, A320, A330-200, 330, 340, 777-300ER) · 9 routes: Chicago*, Colombo*, Duesseldorf*, Islamabad*, Lahore*, London*, Muscat*, New York*, Washington*
- Air Berlin AB (A330-200, A330-300, A340-600, A320, 345) · 8 routes: Bahrain*, Beijing*, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt*, Munich*, Phuket, Singapore*
- Hainan Airlines HU (A330-200, A320, A330-300) · 7 routes: Beijing*, Chengdu*, Geneva, Johannesburg, Khartoum*, Nairobi, Shanghai*
- Virgin Australia VA (A320, A330-200, 777-300ER) · 6 routes: Islamabad*, Lahore*, Melbourne*, Peshawar*, Singapore*, Sydney
- Pakistan International Airlines PK (310, 737-800, 737) · 5 routes: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Rahim Yar Khan
- Air Baltic BT (A330-200, A330-300, 345, A340-600) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich
- Air India Express IX (737-800) · 4 routes: Calicut, Kochi, Muscat, Trivandrum
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (A320, 330, A330-200, 777-300ER) · 4 routes: Amsterdam, Bahrain, Islamabad*, Lahore*
- Nas Air XY (A320, 777-300ER, A319, A330-200, A340-600) · 4 routes: Dammam*, Jeddah*, Madinah*, Riyadh*
- Air France AF (330, A340-600) · 3 routes: Amsterdam*, Bahrain*, Paris*
- Malaysia Airlines MH (A320, A330-300) · 3 routes: Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Muscat*
- Saudi Arabian Airlines SV (A320, A321) · 3 routes: Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh
- Shaheen Air International NL (734, A320) · 3 routes: Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar
- TAP Portugal TP (A330-200, A330-300, A340-600) · 3 routes: Amsterdam, Casablanca*, London*
- Yemenia IY (A320, 310) · 3 routes: Aden, Mukalla, Sayun Intl
- Air Astana KC (A320, A321) · 2 routes: Alma-ata, Tselinograd
- Air India Limited AI (A319) · 2 routes: Delhi, Mumbai
- Air Seychelles HM (A330-200, A320) · 2 routes: Hong Kong*, Mahe*
- All Nippon Airways NH (A330-200) · 2 routes: Beijing*, Tokyo*
- Bangkok Airways PG (A320, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Bangkok*, Muscat*
- British Airways BA (777) · 2 routes: London, Muscat
- Delta Air Lines DL (330) · 2 routes: Amsterdam*, Bahrain*
- Garuda Indonesia GA (A330-200) · 2 routes: Amsterdam, Jakarta
- Iberia Airlines IB (777) · 2 routes: London*, Muscat*
- Kuwait Airways KU (A320) · 2 routes: Kuwait, Muscat
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A330-300) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Muscat
- Royal Air Maroc AT (A330-200, A330-300, A340-600) · 2 routes: Casablanca*, Singapore*
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A320) · 2 routes: Amman, Colombo
- United Airlines UA (A330-300) · 2 routes: Frankfurt*, Muscat*
- Vietnam Airlines VN (A330-200, 777-300ER) · 2 routes: Ho Chi Minh City*, Kuala Lumpur*
- Aegean Airlines A3 (A320, A321) · 1 route: Athens
- Aer Lingus EI (A330-200, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Dublin*
- Air Canada AC (777-300ER) · 1 route: Toronto
- Air New Zealand NZ (A330-200) · 1 route: Singapore*
- Air Serbia JU (A319, A320) · 1 route: Belgrade
- Asiana Airlines OZ (345) · 1 route: Seoul*
- Belavia Belarusian Airlines B2 (A319) · 1 route: Minsk 2
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines BG (313) · 1 route: Sylhet Osmani
- Brussels Airlines SN (A330-200) · 1 route: Brussels*
- Cathay Pacific CX (A330-300) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Cyprus Airways CY (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca*
- Egyptair MS (330, 737-800) · 1 route: Cairo
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A320) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Kish Air Y9 (F50) · 1 route: Kish Island
- Korean Air KE (345, A340-600) · 1 route: Seoul
- L MJ (A320) · 1 route: Colombo*
- Middle East Airlines ME (A320) · 1 route: Beirut
- Oman Air WY (737-800, ATR, Embraer 175, 737-700) · 1 route: Muscat
- Philippine Airlines PR (330) · 1 route: Manila
- Qatar Airways QR (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Doha
- Royal Jordanian RJ (A319, A320) · 1 route: Amman
- S7 Airlines S7 (330) · 1 route: Moscow*
- South African Airways SA (A330-200) · 1 route: Johannesburg
- Sudan Airways SD (AB6) · 1 route: Khartoum
- Turkish Airlines TK (A321, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Al Bateen Executive Airport (AZI) 1.2 km to the centre
Abu Dhabi, AZ, AE — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 1 airline (VRG Linhas Aereas) · direct flights to 4 destinations incl. Dubai, Fujeirah, Sir Bani Yas Island, ZDY (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 1 airline, 4 direct destinations
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Futaysi Airport 15 km to the centre
Al Futaisi, AZ, AE
KIZAD Airport 51 km to the centre
AZ, AE
Sir Abu Nu'ayr Airport 90 km to the centre
Sir Abu Nu'ayr, SH, AE
Abu Al Abyad Airfield 65 km to the centre
Abu Al Abyad, AZ, AE
Getting there by ferry
Water Taxi Stop
Ferry terminal · 17 km from the centre · admaritime.ae
Where things are
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping
base map © OSM
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
Tourist season
May – September
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Shoulder season
April, October
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Worth avoiding
Deep winter
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Al Bateen Executive Airport (AZI); 7 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: AUH has direct flights to 87 destinations on 58 airlines (incl. Muscat, Bahrain, Amsterdam, Lahore, Islamabad…). By water: 1 ferry terminal within 20 km (nearest: Water Taxi Stop, 17 km).
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Abu Dhabi, UAE. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
Rail operator
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Charter · Boeing Business Jet, Global, Learjet · Abu Dhabi-based premium charter with the world's largest BBJ fleet.
Charter · Airbus ACJ319 · Emirates' VIP Airbus for bespoke charters from Dubai.
Charter, management · Managed fleet · Dubai-based aircraft management and charter.
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Tours & experiences
Adventure
Sightseeing