Visiting Dubai? Take a day out and check out these top 5 places in Abu Dhabi

Offering the perfect blend of traditional and contemporary cultures, Abu Dhabi is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination for Indians. It's less than 2 hours away from Dubai by road and you can also reach the UAE capital by flight from India

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While Dubai is a popular tourist destination for Indians, located less than 140 km away from Dubai is the capital and second most populated city of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. The city is a collage of magnificent architecture, stunning beaches, traditional and cultural monuments, adventure-filled action, and high-end shopping malls. Offering the perfect blend of traditional and contemporary cultures, Abu Dhabi is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination in India.

If you are planning to visit Abu Dhabi, you can directly take a short flight from India. And even if you are visiting Dubai, you can take a day or two out of the itinerary and cover the top attractions of Abu Dhabi. Visit Abu Dhabi, the main travel site of Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, lists out the key attractions of the UAE capital.

5 places to visit in Abu Dhabi

1) Jubail Mangrove Park: This is the perfect place to discover, explore and learn about the native species of Abu Dhabi and spot an array of wildlife from turtles to herons. This jewel in Abu Dhabi’s crown is home to meandering boardwalks allowing you to wander through the mangroves. This is a family-friendly park that enhances the importance of nature. It lets people understand the importance of the ecological function of the city’s mangroves habitat, which not only supports biodiversity and protects the Abu Dhabi coastline but also helps prevent climate change by sucking up carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and trapping them in their flooded soils for millennia.

2) Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi: This is touted as the world’s biggest indoor theme park and it is situated in the heart of Abu Dhabi, bringing some of the best experiences to the visitors. The theme park brings all the legendary cartoon characters to life – from meeting Batman or catching up with Superman, to wandering around with Wonder Woman, the park has it all within an impressive 1.65-million-square-foot theme park boasting of 29 state-of-the-art rides, interactive family-friendly attractions, upbeat live entertainment, a range of dining options to suit all tastes, and exclusive shopping outlets.

3) Emirates Park Zoo: This is one of the most exciting educational places in the UAE which is now home to various animal species, including an ever-growing list of attractions and fun activities such as animal feeding, animal shows, ziplining and climbing, and car adventures. The zoo was built on the premise that every guest will be able to appreciate nature all over again, after encountering new discoveries, unique experiences, and unforgettable memories, including interacting with its many farm and wild animals. Guests can also enjoy VIP experiences like breakfast with birds, breakfast with giraffes, lunch with a leopard, a crocodile experience, and dinner with elephants.

4) The Empty Quarter: The magical Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter) offers the same serene silence that it did when Thesiger explored it with his Emirati and Omani companions in the 1940s, its fine golden and red sands shifting with the winds to form dunes hundreds of feet high and visible as far as the eye can see. Beautiful by day or starry night, this ever-changing expanse of desert boasts one of the world’s most luxurious hotels: The magnificent Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara.

5) Louvre Abu Dhabi: The iconic Louvre Abu Dhabi is the first universal museum in the Arab World, translating and fostering the spirit of openness between cultures. As one of the premier cultural institutions located in the heart of the Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, this art-lovers' dream displays works of historical, cultural, and sociological significance, from ancient times to the contemporary era.