Your ultimate guide to the best summer fun in Abu Dhabi
Sponsored: Summertime and the livin’ is easy in the capital…
It seems like many folks are booking their plane tickets home and jetting off on holiday. But what happens if you have a long summer in Abu Dhabi stretching out ahead of you? Well, plenty, actually, with our guide to keeping busy morning, noon and night.
But before you jump into our guide, find out how you can unlock unbeatable savings in Abu Dhabi this summer. Grab the Abu Dhabi Summer Pass from summerpass.visitabudhabi.ae and experience the best of the UAE capital in one exclusive, limited-time pass. This bundle of fun costs AED 599 for adults and AED 499 for children between 4 and 17 years of age, while kids under aged three and under go free.
Make your money go further as you ride the world’s fastest rollercoaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, meet your favourite DC Superheroes at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, and make a mighty splash at Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi with the Abu Dhabi Summer Pass. Soak up the emirate’s rich cultural scene with one-day entry to Louvre Abu Dhabi, and also get free or discounted access to 13 cultural sites across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, including Qasr Al Hosn, Qasr Al Watan, Al Ain Palace Museum, and Al Jahili Fort. Move around the city with ease, as the pass enables complimentary transportation on the Visit Abu Dhabi Shuttle Bus network and Yas Express.
What’s more, you can also purchase the Abu Dhabi Summer Pass when booking your stay from a selection of 40 world-class hotels on summer.visitabudhabi.ae – saving up to a whopping 50 per cent.
From top staycations, to perfect pool days and thrilling indoor fun, here’s how to summer like you mean it in Abu Dhabi…
FAMILY FUN
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
If you want bragging rights to having tackled the world’s fastest roller coaster, you have to visit this indoor shrine to speed. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is home to record-breaking roller coasters, a connoisseur’s collection of classic cars, family-friendly thrill rides, a huge zip-line and roof-walk adventure attraction and a series of fun festivals throughout the year.
Clymb
Inside Yas-based adventuredrome Clymb, you can brave an indoor skydive and scale up an artificial Everest. The venue is home to a truly epic wind tunnel that lets you live out all the thrills of hurling yourself out of a plane, except at a few metres above sea-level. Prefer your ascents a bit more hands-on? There is a huge collection of climbing walls, and boulder-edging to pit your finger strength against.
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi
The What’s On Award-winning attraction is a summer must-do for all, where your favourite superheroes (and villains), Tom, Jerry, Bugs, Daffy, Tweetie, and The Flintstones are all backed up by some spectacularly wild rides, and expertly choreographed shows.
Prison Island
Taking inspiration from iconic TV show, The Crystal Maze, Prison Island – Beat the Bars is a new adventure experience now open at Abu Dhabi Mall. Set over a 1,000sqm expanse, this is no escape room, it’s a network of 26 individual ‘cells’ featuring tasks each more fiendishly conundrous (shhh, that’s a word) than the last, and you’ll have to beat them all if you want to escape the island, with winner’s bragging rights.
For more summer fun ideas, visit Summer.VisitAbuDhabi.ae
The National Aquarium
When it’s all looking a bit scorchy outside, why not head to Abu Dhabi’s stunning underwater kingdom, The National Aquarium? In addition to the eight themed zones, an XXL reticulated python known only as ‘Super Snake’, back stage tours, and marine animal rehabilitation projects, there are also a range of marine life meet and greets. You can, for example, have an ‘Ocean Encounter’ feeding sharks measuring up to two metres in length for just Dhs180. And that price includes access to the ‘Aquarium Journey’.
LIVE IT UP
Island fun at Saadiyat Beach Club
If you’ve got sunshine on your mind, then Saadiyat Beach Club is the place to be this season. The luxury beach club is including a special offer of Dhs399 instead of Dhs499 for its weekend brunch, plus day pass access exclusively for Visit Abu Dhabi Pass holders. Read more here.
The royal treatment at Emirates Palace
The summer Luxe Life pool pass at Emirates Palace is the perfect way to spend a day. Adults gain access to the pool and beach facilities for Dhs400 (with Dhs400 credit for Cascades restaurant). Children aged six to 12 gain access for Dhs200 with Dhs200 back as credit. And there’s a ‘buy five get one free’ deal on these Luxe Life passes, deal valid until September 30. For the ultimate Abu Dhabi-only extravagance, check out of the hotel’s signature 23K gold cappuccino and ice creams for the perfect luxury treat.
Take a dip in Cafe Del Mar
Straight from the Balerics beat factory of Ibiza, Cafe Del Mar has landed on the waterfront next to Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island. There’s an infinity pool, a cheeky little manmade beach, a swim-up pool bar, and an appropriately slamming soundtrack. Access is free for the adjacent Hilton guests, but for everybody else, day passes are available for Dhs250 between Monday and Friday (with Dhs150 back as F&B credit). On weekends, its Dhs350 (also with Dhs150 back as credit). We’ve been told brunch and ladies’ night will arrive shortly.
Family fun at InterContinental Abu Dhabi
The Bayshore Beach Club offers day pass access to the property’s extensive outdoor space. You can enter this leisure lagoon for Dhs100 as an adult during the week (Dhs50 for kids or nannies), or for Dhs130 at the weekend (Dhs60 for children). Facilities include the private beach, infinity pool, kids pool (although the slide is currently closed), gym and Bayshore restaurant.
BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN TOWN
Aerial tours of Abu Dhabi
You might have travelled the length of Abu Dhabi and back a million times, but have you ever seen the city from
the air? Seawings operates special 30-minute aerial tours (from Dhs998) onboard a seaplane. This iconic aerial tour provides the ultimate view over Abu Dhabi, the exquisite domes that rise across the Emirates palace, the gorgeous stretches of mangrove forests and the stunning beaches of Yas Island.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
This architectural work of art is one of the world’s largest mosques, but it’s also arguably the most beautiful, too. Just a moment here and you’re transported to a land of spirituality and dreams. It’s a breathtaking sight.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
The museum is made up of multiple interconnected gallery spaces nestled beneath a vast perforated dome that allows shafts of sunlight to penetrate the open areas. Its unique structure is just as breathtaking as the art within the museum itself and is one of the most important sights for visitors and residents to visit. Be sure to look out for the exciting yoga classes that take place under the dome.
Pick up your Abu Dhabi Summer Pass now…
The Abu Dhabi Summer Pass gives visitors access to three leading theme parks – Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, plus all cultural sites, including Louvre Abu Dhabi, the majestic Presidential Palace Qasr Al Watan, Qasr Al Hosn (the oldest standing structure in Abu Dhabi) and free transportation via Visit Abu Dhabi Shuttle Bus and Yas Express. Check out summerpass.visitabudhabi.ae.