Tours in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the capital and the quieter of the two big emirates, built on an island joined to the mainland by bridges and laid out with more space than Dubai ever had. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the landmark: white marble, 82 domes, room for forty thousand worshippers, and the largest hand-knotted carpet in the world on the floor of the main prayer hall. On Saadiyat Island, the Louvre Abu Dhabi sits under Jean Nouvel's perforated dome, which drops a shifting pattern of light onto the galleries below. Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace, opens most of its state rooms to visitors. The Corniche runs eight kilometres along the beach on the western side. Yas Island, out towards the airport, carries Ferrari World and its Formula Rossa rollercoaster, Warner Bros World, the waterpark and the Formula One circuit. Inland the sand turns into the Liwa dunes at the edge of the Empty Quarter.

The mosque and the Louvre are the two fixed points and are usually taken together in a half-day city tour, with Qasr Al Watan and the Corniche added for a full one. Desert safaris run from here as they do everywhere in the country, and the Abu Dhabi versions reach bigger dunes than Dubai's because Liwa is closer. On the water there are self-drive boats around the islands, kayaking in the mangroves on the eastern shore, and the ferry out to Sir Bani Yas, a wildlife reserve island with oryx and cheetahs. The Yas parks are a day each. Transfers between Abu Dhabi and Dubai take about ninety minutes and are booked constantly, since many visitors sleep in one and visit the other.

Practical. Season and heat work as they do across the Emirates: November to March is the window, summer is above 40C. The Grand Mosque enforces its dress code strictly — ankles, wrists and hair covered for women, no shorts for men — and abayas are lent at the entrance, though the queue for them is long; it closes to visitors on Friday mornings. Entry to the mosque is free and needs a booked slot. The Louvre closes on Mondays. Taxis are metered and cheaper than in Dubai, and the city is too spread out to walk. Alcohol is served in licensed hotels. The dirham is pegged to the dollar, cards work everywhere, and tipping is around ten per cent.