Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Ultimate Bucket List - and on today's show,
I show you around the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.
This is your complete guide to what to do, where to eat, where to stay,
and how to have the best time of your life whilst you're walking around this amazing city.
Abu Dhabi - the nation's capital and it serves as the administrative centre for the entire country.
It's usually overshadowed by its bigger sister city Dubai, and if you are interested in going to
Dubai - check out my video guide here. But whilst it's not as big as Dubai, or as famous as Dubai,
there's certainly a lot of things going for it, so let me show you around the place.
Let's take a look at a map of Abu Dhabi and it's immediately obvious that
Abu Dhabi isn't just one place. In fact it's an archipelago of islands that are all interlinked.
This makes Abu Dhabi a very interesting mixture of high-rise buildings,
beaches, sea, coastline and everything in between. I think I’ve only come across a few places
on planet earth that resembled this place. If I had to guess Miami would be very very similar
and it definitely has that south beach kind of feel. There's plenty of things to do here
in Abu Dhabi, but I think the most famous attraction is also its most beautiful.
The Grand Mosque. It's possibly the most beautiful mosque that you'll ever see.
There's a lot of things that you have to know before you actually go.
Now I made a separate video about it right here on my channel and if you are going, I urge you
to watch that video before actually stepping foot in it. Because it's pretty easy to be kicked out.
Abu Dhabi is a famous marketplace you can buy literally anything here.
One thing that it is famous for are the souks that sell dates and chocolate.
So if you are a big fan of dates and chocolates you can just about get any kind of it right here.
And whilst we're talking about food it's also a hot spot for authentic
Emirati cuisine. If you've never had any Emirati food before,
definitely walk into any restaurant here in Abu Dhabi and they serve authentic real stuff.
And if you are interested in authentic Emirati stuff I highly urge you to visit Heritage Park.
It's a free of charge historical attraction it's almost like a fort from the outside.
And when you go in, you can learn a lot about the country, about its rulers and royal families,
and you can even see some of the traditional crafts that make Abu Dhabi so famous. It also
has this lovely vantage point of the entire city. Speaking of vantage points you might come
across this place on your travels; the Emirates Palace. Now contrary to its name
it's actually a hotel! It's quite possibly one of the nicest hotels in the entire country. Obviously
being a cheapo traveller I can't afford to stay here, but if you have a bit of money to waste
definitely stay in this place. Whilst we're talking about palaces you'll probably come
across the Presidential Palaces. It's not just one building, in fact it's this entire area.
Each one of these buildings is actually owned by a member of the royal family.
One thing that you can definitely look at are the amazing city views from pretty much
anywhere in Abu Dhabi and if you want a nice high vantage point I highly recommend
you check out the Etihad towers. There's an observation deck at Level 300 which gives
you an almost 360 degree view of the entire city. And it's a very pretty city indeed.
In recent years Abu Dhabi has tried to become an international city importing the very best
of international culture and art. And whilst we're speaking about art they've built this
this is; The Louvre. It's kind of owned by the same company that owns The Louvre in Paris.
As you can imagine it's an art gallery. It's nice to go around admittedly but it's not a patch on
the one I saw in Paris. If you are interested in watching that check out this video here.
There's a famous section of Abu Dhabi where there's a lot of attractions all in one place.
You might have heard of this; it's Yas Marina.
Now if the name rings a bell it's probably because of this place: the Yas Marina F1 Circuit.
This is the venue for the final race of the season in Formula One and arguably the best racing track
in the entire world. You can take a tour here or drive fancy cars around here. Obviously that costs
a little bit of money, but if you like that you might as well check out the attraction literally
right next door; Ferrari world. If you like all things cars especially all things Ferrari’s this
is a theme park dedicated to everything Ferrari. Again I made a separate video about it on my last
trip to Abu Dhabi, which you can see right here. Yas Marina is also home to Yas Water World,
a really really extensive big massive water park. And recently opened; Warner Brothers
World. A Warner Brothers themed theme park that you'll have an amazing time. And all of this
is interjoined by Yas Marina mall. So if you get bored of any of that I can't believe that
you would but let's say that you do, Yas Marina Mall is a cool place to go shopping.
With all of these attractions Yas Marina Mall, Yas Marina F1 Circuits, Ferrari World, Warner Brothers
World, Yas Water World it's all a short drive away from Abu Dhabi International Airport. So if you
are on a short layover you can literally hop out of the airport, do one of these attractions and
hop back in. It's a cool way to waste some time if you are on a short layover here in Abu Dhabi.
But let's say none of that stuff interests you. Let's say that you want to see some natural
beauty, right? Well here in Abu Dhabi, you can! You can literally drive into the desert and do
things like sand bashing, going around sand dunes, and exploring some of the natural beauty that
you'll find in the desert. Abu Dhabi is definitely worth visiting once in your life, and if you are
interested in any of these attractions; I urge you to go definitely add this to your bucket list.
Okay Ninh I’m sold, what do I need to do? Well you need to come here to Abu Dhabi.
It's served by two airports that are pretty much within the city limits.
The one that you'll probably come across is Abu Dhabi International Airport.
And to book a flight over here you'll need to fly in through the national carrier; Etihad airways.
The best way to get around the city (believe it or not) is use a taxi.
Taxis here are significantly cheaper than they are in Dubai. If taxis aren't your thing, there's
various buses that will take you places. But you have to know the bus system inside and out.
If you're running short on time I recommend that you take the tour bus or the tour boats that will
show you around the best parts of Abu Dhabi without you having to worry about a thing. Be
careful if you're hiring your own car because sometimes car hire companies in this country
have a dirty habit of not returning your deposit, so please bear that in mind.
If you're looking for a place to stay, to be honest everywhere around Abu Dhabi is fine.
If you can afford to stay in the Emirates Palace good for you! I can't afford that yet
but maybe one day?! Most of the hotels here are a little on the steep side but
there are a few that are reasonably priced. The cost to do things, well Abu Dhabi is an
interesting place because things vary wildly in price. So some attractions are free and some
attractions are stupidly expensive. My advice to you is to make a list of the attractions you
want to do and basically put a budget for it. Is there anything else I need to know? Yes,
the rules and laws are stricter than those in Dubai. Even though they're in the same country,
you'll notice that the police are a lot less tolerant of rule breakers here.
Please check the local laws before you end up going. You'll need a negative PCR test taken
within the last 48 hours to be able to do various attractions, so bear that in mind if you don't
have a negative PCR test you'll have to find a place that will provide you with one at a charge.
Ot is completely illegal to photograph or video government buildings. This is a rule they enforce
strictly and there are signs warning you that if you are caught photographing and videoing
these places, you do face arrest, and this is something that they absolutely clamp down on.
Whilst we're on the same vein; absolutely no drones! The country recently passed laws
to prevent hobbyists flying drones and given that there are two airports within Abu Dhabi,
it's really not a good idea. So if you are thinking about bringing a drone here
as a hobbyist; don't! Just leave it at home. If you are coinciding this with a trip to Dubai
it's about a 90 minute drive in between the two so if you are on a tight time frame the two cities
are about 90 minutes apart and the best way to see them both admittedly is to hire your old car.
So guys, I hope you found this video helpful and if you have,
please be sure to like share and subscribe. Comment on the comment section below, and if
you've got any other bucket list ideas; you know what to do. Of I get enough suggestions I’ll go
ahead and do that. So guys thank you very much for watching and we'll see you in the next episode.
Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK