Abu Dhabi might have countless shopping malls, fancy hotels and high-end restaurants, but what many don’t realise is that it also has lots of green open spaces, pretty beaches and areas of natural beauty, too.
During the cooler months of the year, heading out for a stroll is a great way of exploring your home city, fitting in some exercise and getting some of those very important snaps for Instagram.
So here are our top five favourite spots for a walk in Abu Dhabi.
Eastern Mangroves
Abu Dhabi’s Mangrove National Park takes up about 43 square miles of the city’s landscape. You can explore this area of outstanding beauty by kayak, paddleboard or boat (you can hire equipment from several different operators), and refuel afterwards at one of the many cafés on the Eastern Mangroves Promenade. A boardwalk is also due to open here early next year.
Eastern Mangroves Promenade, Salam Street (02 406 1462).
Saadiyat Public Beach
Saadiyat Island has postcard-perfect bright blue waters and white sands, and if you’re lucky you might even spot a pod of dolphins while you’re meandering along by the water. There’s a small fee for entering the beach, and this is to help preserve this stunning area of natural beauty. The Beach Café offers food and beverages and they’ll even deliver your refreshments straight to your lounge chair, so we recommend sticking around for a spot of lunch afterwards, too.
Open daily 8am-sunset. Dhs25 per adult and Dhs15 per child aged six-12. Kids under five go free. Sun lounger and an umbrella: Dhs50 (weekdays), Dhs75 (weekends and public holidays). Saadiyat Island.
The Corniche
This eight-kilometre stretch of beach has free public areas, parks, playgrounds and loads of cool cafés and food trucks. Walking along the waterfront also lets you take in some of the most iconic buildings in the capital such as Emirates Palace and The St. Regis Abu Dhabi. There’s some super opportunities to get some amazing pics of the white sands and blue waters along the way, and afterwards you can recover with a snooze on the public beach (which is free to enter).
From Dhs20 (bike hire for 24 hours). The Corniche, www.bikeshare.ae (800 292 253).
Umm Al Emarat Park
As one of the largest and oldest parks in the city, this green space is home to an animal barn, amphitheatre, botanical garden, children’s garden and many other wonderful features. It’s a lovely spot for a stroll around as you enjoy the beautiful scenery, and there’s plenty of benches and pretty areas for a picnic, too. If you’re there on a Saturday you can check out the fresh fruits and vegetables up for sale at Ripe Market, and it’s always a temptation to resist stopping by the SALT food truck on the way out. It you walk far enough you totally justify one of those burgers, honest…
Dhs10. Open daily 8am-midnight. Umm Al Emarat Park, 15th Street, Mushrif Area (02 666 9559).
Yas Marina Circuit
TrainYAS has been around for a while now, but the free sessions at Yas Marina Circuit aren’t just for runners or cyclists. Every Sunday and Tuesday evening you can walk around the 5.5km loop for free. There are regular water stations along the way, plus with pumping music and friendly vibes, it’s a super fun way of getting in your weekly cardio and experiencing this awesome race track, which hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix every November.
Free. Sun &Tue 6pm-10pm. Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island, www.yasmarinacircuit.com (02 659 9800).
