Abu Dhabi

Qasr al-Hosn, the Grand Mosque and the Saadiyat Louvre in two days

Two days cover Abu Dhabi's main sights: the old city with Qasr al-Hosn and the Grand Mosque, then Saadiyat for the Louvre. Each district sits on its own island, with Yas holding the theme parks and the Formula 1 circuit and Al Maryah the financial centre and Galleria Mall. Taxis between them are cheap, but traffic onto the main island is slow at peak hours, so give each island its own half-day.

• Two days: begin on the main island at Qasr al-Hosn. First built in 1761, it is the oldest stone building in the city. Move on to Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace that opened to visitors in 2019, and reach the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the late afternoon. Its 82 domes come with free guided tours every day, at times that change daily. Day two belongs to Saadiyat and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened in November 2017 (closed on Mondays).
• Four days: spend a full day on Yas Island, where Yas Mall connects directly to Ferrari World. Save an evening for the Corniche, which runs for miles from the breakwater by Marina Mall. Port Mina is worth a morning; its markets are split by trade into fruit and vegetables, dates, Iranian goods, flowers, rugs, pets and fish.
• A week: head inland. Al Ain is the largest oasis in the country and part of a UNESCO listing, about 90 minutes away. A 12 km hairpin road climbs Jebel Hafeet above it. The Liwa dunes are two hours from the city. Dubai also works as a day trip.

Two pieces of preparation save time. Desert safaris must be booked, though usually the day before is enough. Hotel receptionists arrange them. At the Grand Mosque women who arrive in long trousers or a long dress with a scarf skip the queue for borrowed robes; security checks clothing even for photos outside. The mosque reserves Fridays for worshippers, so check visiting hours before you go.

If you hire a car, keep out of the fast lane on the E11 to Dubai, the country's worst road for accidents.

Comfortable winters, summer humidity and the November Grand Prix

Come in winter. January afternoons average 25°C and nights about 14°C, the comfortable season lasts into March, and May to September is extremely hot and humid. Check the Formula 1 date before booking, because the Grand Prix closes the season in late November or early December. Winter is not entirely clear-skied. Dense fog settles on some mornings and a handful of days bring rain, so an early start on the highway can mean crawling in poor visibility.

Between May and September the city is extremely hot and humid. Those are also the months of intermittent sandstorms that can cut visibility to a few metres. Drive with care and keep desert trips for winter. Summer days work best when planned around museums, malls and the hotel pool. The humidity on the coast means the temperature that matters is the feels-like figure, which runs well above the thermometer.

Formula 1 is the date to check first. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been held at Yas Marina Circuit since 2009, and the city holds the right to stage the final race of the season until 2030, which puts it in late November or early December. It is a day-night race: it starts in daylight and finishes under floodlights.

Ramadan changes the daily rhythm more than the weather does. Some restaurants close in daylight while larger hotels keep one dining room open for non-Muslims. Eating, drinking or smoking in public during fasting hours is offensive and officially against the law, although enforcement has been rare. The evenings make up for it with hotel iftar buffets that fill up and need booking.

Indian kitchens, the Fish Market and rare Emirati food at Al Fanar

Emirati food is hard to find, so the good cheap meals come from Indian kitchens, the seafood from the Fish Market and the drinks from hotel bars. Al Fanar is one of the few restaurants serving traditional dishes such as harees, and lugaimat (the local spelling of luqaimat) is the dessert to order. For seafood, go to the Fish Market: you choose a fish, then pick how it is seasoned, sauced and served. The dates market at Port Mina is the place to buy the fruit to take home.

At an Indian kitchen, order a thali and you get rice with fish curry and lentil dhal plus peppery rasam on a large steel tray with small bowls for each dish. On weekends the Keralite places serve the sadya version. Cafeterias everywhere sell chai and juices with fried snacks such as the Zinker burger, and Afghan bakeries turn out flatbreads from gas ovens and tandoors. Vegetarians eat well across the city; Evergreen and Sangeetha in the Tourist Club area are fully vegetarian.

Almost every kitchen delivers, from falafel kiosks to hotel restaurants, and delivery is sometimes free. Order through Talabat or Deliveroo, or simply by WhatsApp.

Drinking happens in hotels. The legal age is 21, you cannot bring your own bottle to a restaurant, and drinking outside licensed premises is illegal. Many licensed venues run a weekend brunch, which here means a fixed package of several hours of food and drinks, often with entertainment. Drink-driving can end in deportation.