How to travel in Abu Dhabi on a budget? What places can you visit for free? How to make the most out of your stopover? How to get there by bus from Dubai? Our travel guide will show you exactly how you can save money in Abu Dhabi and that even the most expensive destinations can be travelled on a budget without losing comfort. Find out where to eat cheap and delicious food, where is the cheapest accommodation, how to use public transport, or how to get from the airport to the city centre for an unbelievable 1$. We also share our 48-hour exact itinerary full of top things to do for free and, therefore, enjoy Abu Dhabi to the fullest & cheapest.
Jakub and I visited Abu Dhabi on a 2-day stopover (that turned out to be 14 days because we got sick from AC, but that’s a story for next time) when travelling from Kazakhstan to Maldives. Abu Dhabi is often overlooked because of Dubai, which steals a big chunk of attention; however, now the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, is also gaining the attention of travellers. You will be surprised to find pristine white sand beaches here, affordable restaurants, breathtaking mosques, beautiful parks or mangrove national parks in the city centre. Sneak peek: you can see all this on a budget! Continue reading to find out the best tips.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS/VISA
Most nationalities from the EU don’t require a visa if your stay doesn’t exceed 90 days. The rest either get a visa on arrival and for some, it is required to obtain an e-visa. Don’t forget to check the visa requirements for your nationality.
HOW TO GET TO ABU DHABI
Flight
Abu Dhabi is the best transportation hub in the United Arab Emirates. The airport is small, but most budget flights come and go from here. Wizz Air is the most popular low-cost airline connecting Abu Dhabi with multiple locations in Europe, as well as Kazakhstan and other great options. We came from Almaty, Kazakhstan, to Abu Dhabi with WizzAir. Another great option is a flight from Katowice, Poland, which costs as little as $35.
Find your cheap flight to Abu Dhabi here.
Once you arrive in Abu Dhabi, buy a sim card right before you enter the exit doors, as they have the best deal. And once you get to the arrival hall, you can buy a Hafilat Card for public transport and top it up. We explain more details below.
Did you know? You can fly from Abu Dhabi to Maldives with low-cost airline Wizz Air, as we did fora $210 round trip. Read our Maldives travel guide here.
Read more: Dhiffushi Island: Travel Maldives on Budget, $39 per Day!
From dubai by bus
Many people visit Abu Dhabi from Dubai by bus, and it has never been easier. Abu Dhabi is only 140 km from Dubai, and you have three options. Bus E100, E101 and E102.
- Bus E100: from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station to Abu Dhabi, Central Station.
- Bus E101: from Ibn Battuta Bus Station to Abu Dhabi, Central Station.
- Bus E102: from Al Jafiliya Bus Station through Ibn Battuta Bus Station to Abu Dhabi International Airport Terminals 1 and 3 and continues to Mussafah Shabiya Bus Station in Abu Dhabi.
We created a separate and detailed travel guide on how to travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi by bus, where you can read more information, such as travel times and ticket details. Read it through the link below.
Read more: How to travel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi by bus. (Coming Soon).
HOW TO GET AROUND ABU DHABI – PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Even if you have just 2 days in Abu Dhabi, it is best to travel by bus. It is easy to navigate, super cheap and goes to all locations you might want to visit, including Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the airport. You can also take a taxi (Careem and Uber work well), but since this is a budget travel guide, let’s concentrate on public buses.
BUS ROUTES
It is super easy to find the right bus. Just use Google Maps where you put a location where you want to go. It works perfectly fine and shows you all the bus stops and connections. Abu Dhabi has an app for public transport, and all the routes are very well marked in their Darbi App.
HAFILAT CARD
You can’t pay by cash on buses. The first thing you do when you arrive at the airport is buy a Hafilat Card used in Abu Dhabi public transport. Once you arrive at the airport, find an information desk. There is a person who will help you with everything – you can buy a Hafilat Card there, top up your balance, get information on what bus to take depending on where you want to go and also get a map of public bus routes, which is very handy for Abu Dhabi.
Optionally, you can buy the card from a vending machine next to the information desk. We got an Anonymous card for 10 AED ($2.7). Using one card for two people is not possible, so you need your own card, which is valid for 5 years.
The ride within the city costs 2 AED ($0.5). From the airport to the city centre, 4 AED ($1). To top up the card, you can do so in any Hafilat card machine – by the bus stops, malls, vending machines – seriously, these machines are everywhere. You can usually pay by cash, as some machines don’t accept cards.
HOW TO GET FROM THE AIRPORT TO CITY CENTER BY BUS
Super easy. From the airport, there are buses A1 and A2, which both go to the city centre every half an hour. The bus stop is in front of the airport exit, and the ride costs 4 AED ($1). It is around 36 km and takes roughly 1 hour.
- Maybe? If it is possible for you (the amount of luggage, time of arrival etc.,), you might go straight from the airport to visit Sheikh Zayed Mosque as it is halfway between the city centre and the airport and saves you a lot of time.
WEATHER IN ABU DHABI
Don’t come between the end of May and mid-October if you can. The weather is too much. Hot and humid. Even at night, there is no mercy with the weather in UAE. However, since Abu Dhabi is usually a stop-over destination, you may come when it’s not the most ideal. Like us. We visited Abu Dhabi in the middle of September, and God! it was hot! Even though the temperature showed 38 degrees, it felt 10 degrees more in reality as the humidity was insane. Is it bearable? Yes. Will you enjoy it? Most likely, no.
MONEY, ATM
The currency in the United Arab Emirates is the United Arab Emirates Dirham. ATMs and money exchange offices are widely available around Abu Dhabi and the airport. We mostly used our cards to pay for everything as it was convenient and easy. However, you’ll need some cash at least to buy a Hafilat card & top up. Otherwise, no cash is needed in Abu Dhabi.
INTERNET, SIM CARD
Internet in Abu Dhabi will solely depend on the hotel you stay. At Novel Hotel, where we stayed, wifi was absolutely perfect without any issues. However, based on reviews, the cheapest hotels don’t have that reliable connection. There are many spots with free public wifi – in buses, some malls & restaurants.
Getting a SIM card is not the cheapest thing in Abu Dhabi. We bought a 2 GB sim card, including 30-minute calls for 49 AED ($13) from Etisalat. We got the SIM card at the airport; they had a desk in the baggage collection room before the exit. The Internet worked perfectly. You can get 4 GB for 79 AED ($22), 8 GB for 125 AED ($34), 22 GB for 200 AED ($55) or unlimited for 319 AED ($87).
Another great data provider is Du. However, they have even higher prices.
- Electricity: The UAE uses three-prong British-style electricity plugs.
VPN FOR ABU DHABI
Must have for Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, a VPN is essential because many sites are blocked in the United Arab Emirates, and you can’t access them without a VPN, including WhatsApp or Facebook, and many other apps. We tried many free VPN apps during our travels, but they didn’t have good security and mostly didn’t work. That’s why we use NordVPN, a reliable app with fast customer service in case you need assistance, and they offer different kind of plans that save you a lot of money, especially with their two year plan.
Get the best deal with NordVPN here.
WHERE TO STAY IN ABU DHABI FREE & ON BUDGET
Couchsurfing
Abu Dhabi has a big Couchsurfing community, and it is very easy to find a host there. There are usually expats living there, so you most likely won’t spend time with someone from the Emirates, but you will surely meet friendly people. We organised our Couchsurfing host for the first two nights of our stay, as he lived very close to the mosque, so we could explore that part of Abu Dhabi more easily. Make sure you find your host at least a week in advance as, from our experience, it took a few days to get some response. Some hosts live in pretty cool skyscrapers, and you will feel like you are in a hotel. As a bonus, you can make new friends in a different country! We love Couchsurfing for that.
- Price: Free
Trusted Housesitters
Another free option is to use Trusted Housesitters. This is a perfect platform to find a pet sitting. You stay in people’s homes for free; in exchange, you water their plants or care for animals while they are gone. We sometimes do this. It is a perfect way to reduce the budget or slow down. When I checked, there were few offers for 2-3 nights in Abu Dhabi.
- Price: Free
Hotel
Prices for hotels in Abu Dhabi vary depending on the season you come. Until the end of September, you can find some epic deals as we managed in Novel Hotel City Center (see below); however, coming from October, it gets increasingly expensive, and the prices could be very high.
We carefully selected all hotels below, so they’re centrally located, which is crucial when choosing accommodation in Abu Dhabi. If you stay far from the centre, you might spend a lot of money on taxis, or even the cheap buses add up in price and time. Since you have only 48 hours in Abu Dhabi, why waste the time on a bus. The following hotels are within walking distance from Corniche, which, in our opinion, is the best part of Abu Dhabi to base yourself on.
We stayed here I Novel Hotel City Center – after spending 2 days with our Couchsurfing host we moved to this hotel for two weeks and absolutely loved this place. There is an outside pool, sauna, and gym, and the view is pretty good. The rooms are clean, wifi super fast, and after 6 months of travelling, we had a well-needed rest here. We stayed 6 nights because we were sick from AC and needed to relax. This place gets expensive in the main season – up to $250/night. However, from time to time, especially in the off-season, they have offers for $30-50 per night, which we managed to get through Booking.com.
- Price: $44
Mid-Range I Uptown Hotel Apartments AD – you can rent a whole studio with your own kitchen. The location is very great, in the centre, close to the Corniche.
- Price: from $43
WHERE TO EAT CHEAP IN ABU DHABI
Looking for budget options on where to eat and drink in Abu Dhabi? Look no further, as we did all the research for you. Food is one of our favourite parts of travelling and researching good food, let alone good food for a good price, is our hobby. Check our list of cheap places to eat and drink in Abu Dhabi.
- Sangam Vegetarian Restaurant – Our favourite Indian restaurant in Abu Dhabi. Every morning, we came here for breakfast. Try their Ghee Masala Dosa (14.5 AED, $4) or just a Masala Dosa (10 AED, $2.7) filled with potatoes and amazing sauces. They also serve lunch menus or dinners. This restaurant is always packed with people, their menu consists of North and South Indian dishes.
- Al Ibrahimi Restaurant Electra Branch – We often ate their amazing Dhaal (10 AED, $2.7) in this Pakistani restaurant. Another busy restaurant in downtown Abu Dhabi.
- Sangeetha Restaurant – Another great South Indian restaurant that we enjoyed going to. Great selection for lunch menus and also dinner.
- Lassi Shop (opp ADDC, Madinat Zayed Abudhabi) – the best place to go for a refreshing juice, lassi or ice cream. Delicious and fresh lime juice costs 4 AED ($1).
- Manila Pinoy Bakery – our go-to place for delicious pastries or cakes. This Phillipono bakery is everything. They also have Phillipino food, which we haven’t tried. We loved their chocolate pastry (from 2 AED, $0.5)
Other budget-friendly restaurants:
- Lebanese Mill Restaurant
- Aldayfa Al Lebnaiya Cafeteria (falafel 5 AED, $1.3)
- Ariyana Bakery (bread filled with cheese from the tandoori oven, Pakistani street food from 4 EAD, $1)
- Beit El Khetyar
You can find many more cheap restaurants around Abu Dhabi. During our 2 days in Abu Dhabi, we ate breakfast at Sangam Vegetarian Restaurant, lunch at Sangeetha Restaurant and dinner at Al Ibrahimi Restaurant Electra Branch. We also went for lime juice and ice cream to Lassi Shop (opp ADDC, Madinat Zayed Abudhabi) and bought pastries at Manila Pinoy Bakery. Everything was absolutely delicious.
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR ABU DHABI
Remember to have proper travel insurance for visiting Abu Dhabi that covers you well. We recommend IATI Travel Insurance, which provides various insurance options and has 24/7 customer service. As a reader of Broken Navigation, you also get an exclusive 5% discount on any insurance you purchase through the following link.
Get your 5% discount for travel insurance with IATI here.
WHAT TO DO IN ABU DHABI IN 48 HOURS for free
To our surprise, Abu Dhabi can be done easily on budget. For some reason, it is considered a super expensive region; however, if you do research before you come, it’s actually not that bad! Abu Dhabi probably won’t be your main destination; it is rather a popular stopover and surely won’t disappoint, as there are plenty of interesting things you can do and see in just a few days. Is 2 days enough thought? We say yes, if you don’t want to spend time chilling on the beach, 2 days is enough to see all the major attractions around the city. If you want to relax on the beach, add 1-2 days to your itinerary, depending on you. So, what can you do in 48 hours in Abu Dhabi?
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque + Viewpoint
It is almost unbelievable that such a majestic sight is for free, but we can assure you it is true. Sheikh Zayed Mosque is one of the most impressive mosques ever. White and gold decor gives a luxurious vibe; this mosque is really impressive. More than 80 marble domes and floral designs can be admired inside the complex. This place is the final resting place of Sheikh Zayed.
We had a blast walking around this mosque, admiring all the corners. Visiting is very organised, and there are two steps you need to follow to visit the mosque. First, you need to pre-book your ticket through this link. Second, you must have a proper dress code, explained here.
Jakub wore long trousers and t-shirt. For me, I went to the mall the day before and bought an abaya that I just wore over my clothes. I used my scarf to cover the hair. They don’t borrow abayas or scarves anymore; you must bring your own.
We arrived at the mosque entrance, and to our surprise, we first had to walk through the underground shopping mall; before reaching the entry point, just follow the signs. If you think you will buy an abaya in this supermarket, I have one tip for you. There are many stores selling abayas and scarf, but I found them quite expensive (starting at $55), but probably of much better quality than I had. However, I did not want to spend a lot of money since I needed the abaya only for a mosque visit, so the day before we went to the mosque, I went to a random mall, where there was also a small shop selling clothes, and I bought my dress there for $5, it was just perfect.
Once we entered the mosque area, they picked us up by a golf cart and drove us to the main entrance (Free), from where you should follow the marked path around the mosque. Certain photo spots are designated for taking photos. However, we did not have any issues with taking photos from any other place where we went. The path is marked with ropes so you can clearly see where you can and can’t go.
No food or drinks are sold inside the mosque, and you can’t bring any of these inside. They will check your bag before they let you in. But there are water fountains inside the mosque.
There is a beautiful viewpoint from where you can get a perfect shot of the mosque from a distance. This place is not inside the mosque area, so I recommend you go there after you visit the mosque. Also, it is the best at night. You find this viewpoint on Google Maps as View Point On the mosque. Or click here for the exact viewpoint location.
- When is the best time to visit the mosque? Without a doubt, it is before sunset. You will get the best light for photos, enjoy the sunset over the white domes, and see the mosque with all the beautiful lights after sunset. So it is good to come maybe 2 hours before sunset, which gives you enough time to explore the mosque.
- Opening hours of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: Saturday to Thursday from 9am to 10pm and Friday from 9am to 12pm and 3pm to 10pm.
- How much time do you need: 2-3 hours
Essential reading: A quick guide to visiting Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. (Coming soon)
Corniche
Cornice is a perfect place for an early morning or evening walk to avoid the sweltering heat of Abu Dhabi. The walk takes you through the waterfront with beautiful white sand beaches on one side and epic skyscrapers on the other.
Beach
We found free public beaches in Abu Dhabi just perfect. Freshwater fountains, changing rooms, showers and toilets are available for free. Our favourite spot to swim and chill at the beach is Abu Dhabi Beach. Locals and tourists come here daily, and it feels normal and common for women to wear a normal swimsuit. This beach is patrolled, and you can’t go swimming after sunset. As a woman, I felt comfortable on the beach; many other women wore bikinis. It is a popular free spot for foreigners, so you don’t have to worry someone will stare at you. It is a perfect spot for watching the sunset.
Note that you can’t take photos with a big camera on this beach. We didn’t know, and after we took a few photos, security approached us and asked us not to take photos. Photographing with the phone, however, is allowed.
The Founder’s memorial & Visitor centre
A memorial celebrating the life of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the United Arab Emirates. It is a 3D memorial, especially beautiful when the sun is just about to set. During the night, the memorial is nicely lit. Not far from here is the Visitor Centre, where we recommend you go for a short documentary about Sheikh Zayed and the history of Abu Dhabi. We went there to escape the heat for a few minutes but were nicely surprised at how well the documentary was done. We really enjoyed visiting there.
Emirates Palace
If luxury is a building, it is surely the Emirates Palace. Inside, you will find 1002 crystal chandeliers and almost 400 luxury rooms. You can also go to the Le Cafe and try their gold cappuccino. And we are talking here about the real gold. Coffee sprinkled with golden flakes for around $30. If you want to go inside, you must respect the dress code. You can’t go inside if you’re wearing shorts. Long trousers are a must.
Etihad Towers
Impressive towers so typical for Abu Dhabi. You see the Etihad towers from many places in Abu Dhabi, but just walking around them, you realise how huge they are. If you want a view from the 74th floor, you need to pay quite high admission, but it is totally enough to see the towers from outside.
OTHER PLACES IN ABU DHABI YOU CAN VISIT FOR FREE:
- Traditional Souq and Al Mina Fish Market, Iranian Market
- Marina Mall
- Eastern Mangrove National Park
- Abu Dhabi Heritage Village
The best tours for abu dhabi
If you prefer to save time rather than money, or if you want to skip the navigation by yourself in a new city, we recommend you check out the following guided tours for Abu Dhabi departing either from Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
tours From abu dhabi
tours from dubai
HOW MUCH WE SPENT IN 2 DAYS IN ABU DHABI
This is a breakdown of how much we spent in 2 days in Abu Dhabi.
- Hafilat card: $2.7 (10 AED)
- Bus rides: $8.1 (30 AED)
- Food: $35 (129 AED) for two days. You can easily bring this down. We are foodies, and we ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner in restaurants, and we went for ice cream, juice and pastry in mentioned restaurants. You can get free drinkable water in your accommodation or from water fountains along Corniche.
- Accommodation: $0 (Couchsurfing). If you want to stay in a hotel calculate at least $40 for a hotel per night.
- Sights: $0 (all sights we mentioned in this post are free)
- Shopping: Abaya for Romana $5 (20 AED)
In 2 days in Abu Dhabi, we spent around $48 per person ($24 per day per person). Obviously, there are other interesting sights that you can visit and pay an entry fee for, such as the Louvre, Ferrari World, or Qasr Al Watan, which will add up some costs to your budget. If you want to eat in more luxurious restaurants, this will also quickly add up costs. But overall, we had a fantastic time in Abu Dhabi and hope our travel guide helps you save money.
Itinerary: 48 hours in Abu Dhabi
Day 1
- 8:00am Breakfast at Sangam Vegetarian Restaurant.
- 9:00am Walk (or take a bus) along Corniche until you reach the Emirates Palace; you can admire the luxurious design inside. Check the Etihad towers that are right in front of the palace.
- 10:00am Take a bus to Marina Mall, visit the Presidential Palace Viewpoint, Abu Dhabi Heritage Village, and check the Marina Mall.
- 12:00pm Take a bus back and go for lunch to Sangeetha Restaurant.
- 12:45pm Stroll around the streets of Abu Dhabi centre and have lime juice or lassi in Lassi Shop.
- 3:15pm Take a 50-minute bus to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, so you will be by the entrance around 4:30pm. Explore the mosque for 3 hours, then head to the Wahat AlKarama to get an epic view over the mosque from a distance.
- 7:30pm Take a bus back to the centre and dine at Al Ibrahimi Restaurant Electra Branch.
Day 2
- 8:00 Breakfast at Sangam Vegetarian Restaurant (again, because it is the best).
- 9:00 Head to the Abu Dhabi beach and enjoy swimming and relaxing there.
- 12:30pm Decide where you want to go, as there is no time to do all. You can visit Traditional Souq and Al Mina Fish Market, which, in my opinion, was nothing special compared to Middle Eastern markets. Or, take a bus to Eastern Mangrove National Park.
- 3:30pm Come back to Abu Dhabi and stroll around its skyscraper streets.
- Before sunset, head to The Founder’s Memorial & Visitor Centre and watch the presentation about Sheikh Zayed’s life and the history of the United Arab Emirates. Catch the sun setting behind the Founder’s memorial.
- Head to the airport, or if you stay another night, enjoy the sunset at Abu Dhabi Beach and enjoy a wonderful evening walk along the Corniche to end the day at Sangam Vegetarian Restaurant for dinner.
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SAVE IT!
It’s time to plan your trip!
Find our travel resources below that help you plan your next trip. Good luck and safe travels.
Book your flight
Skyscanner is our favourite tool for searching for the cheapest flights and flight combinations. Multi-city or Explore Everywhere helps us to find real bargains.
Rent a car
The best platform to rent a car and compare the prices for your next road trip anywhere in the world is Discovercars.com. The booking process is hassle-free.
Find your acommodation
On Booking.com we always find the best deals for accommodation. Another great option for cheap accommodation is Hostelworld.
Travel insurance
We always recommend IATI Travel Insurance which offers excellent plans. As a reader of Broken Navigation, get an exclusive 5% discount.
For Europeans Truetraveller offers perfect travel insurance for the best price.
Explore more with Tours
Some places are better off explored with a knowledgeable guide. Or, if you simply want to save time and hassle, we recommend GetYourGuide. Another great option that also has an amazing range of activities is Viator.
protect yourself online by VPN
We always use NordVPN everywhere we travel for safe internet browsing and access to specific sites that might be blocked.
Disclosure: We recommend only companies we personally use. If you book services through any of the affiliate links in our posts, it earns us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
