On my recent trip to Kenya I decided to stopover in Abu Dhabi on the way home. I have stayed the night in the very convenient hotel in Abu Dhabi airport a few times now, but this was the first time I got to explore Abu Dhabi itself. With that in mind, I thought I’d share everything I learnt and what I’d do differently next time.
Stopover in Abu Dhabi
At the time of writing, Etihad Airways has a free stopover program when you have a flight connecting through Abu Dhabi. As an Australian who loves to travel, I am frequently stopping over in the Middle East en route to Europe or Africa.
My absolute number one tip for a stopover in Abu Dhabi is to ensure you have checked ‘stopover in Abu Dhabi’ when SEARCHING for the flight. Their page for the stopover program advises you to ‘book a flight and then check your availability’ or something to that effect. This is cheeky because you have to be intentional about clicking the stopover box before booking, whereas the stopover web page appears to imply that any flight is eligible. The suggestion that you book first and ask later leaves a lot of people having to pay more to change their flight to a stopover flight. This happened to me, which is how I know.
Reddit is littered with users feeling scammed because of this, so I must insist you be certain you’re booking a stopover flight from the get-go. This is (obviously) not sponsored by Etihad lol. Adding the stopover later generally involves you being out of pocket.
How to book a stopover in Abu Dhabi with Etihad
I intended to include a link to booking a stopover here. However, I find that sometimes the Etihad website prompts you to check a box if you’d like to stopover and sometimes it doesn’t. So, a quick step-by-step.
- Google free stopover in Abu Dhabi and go to their website.
- Click on the ‘book your flight now’ button a little way down the page.
- Input your country of origin and destination and dates and click next.
- If you are not led to a pop up that offers you the stopover and asks which leg you’d like to stop over on, start again.
- Once you have selected the stopover option, you’ll go through to choosing and paying for your flights.
- Once you have booked and paid, return to the stopover page and input your flight confirmation details into the ‘my flight is booked’ section.
- You might be prompted to choose 3 hotels from the list of free hotels they have. One time I had to choose 3 hotels as options and I got to choose from all the options in my tier. I chose one in the Corniche area which I was happy with.
More tips for your stopover
My second big tip for stopping over in Abu Dhabi is that their online chat is AI. I spent hours trying to be polite to the AI and not asking too much because I assumed it was a human. Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely not advocating anyone is rude to AI. I’m simply pointing out that for more than basic tasks, you will not get far with the AI system.
A regret of mine is that I only stopped over for 1 1/2 days because I assumed it was a human re-booking my flight and I didn’t want to cause too much bother. If I had known it was AI I would have been more assertive in asking questions about other flights and potentially changing my itinerary to better suit me. I ended up flying on my birthday night and absolutely could have used another day in Abu Dhabi to not feel so rushed.
When I was assigned a hotel that I didn’t include in my 3 choices, the AI chat basically said ‘sorry, I wish I could help.’ A quick email to AbuDhabiStopover@etihad.com sorted out my issue almost immediately.
Things I recommend in Abu Dhabi
With a 2 day stopover, I recommend choosing two ‘big’ things you want to do. For me, that was the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque and The Louvre. I loved both and would highly recommend them to anyone visiting. The Mosque is free to visit but you need to book your ticket. The Louvre is paid and you need to reserve in advance.
In the ‘off’ season (aka the season with less oppressive heat) The Louvre apparently has quite a cool rooftop bar called Art Lounge. This would be a really cool spot to see the sunset.
I also went to the Presidential Palace which was very palatial and interesting to see. I wouldn’t personally place it on the same level as the Mosque and the Louvre, but it is interesting if you have time.
Corniche beach was lovely and the water was very warm. I’d recommend keeping track of where your Uber drops you off because it was a bit of a nightmare trying to cross the road or find a place for an uber to stop on a good portion of that road. A nightmare in 36 degree humid heat.
Hidden Bar at The Rosewood hotel was an absolutely gorgeous spot for a sunset drink. The drinks were inspired by Abu Dhabi, incredibly creative and delicious. The interior is gorgeous, the whole hotel is gorgeous and you can sit outdoors with a view over the water.
Galleria Al Maryah Island shopping mall was an experience unto itself. It is absolutely enormous and provides an interesting glimpse into life in Abu Dhabi. If you’re wondering where on earth all the people are, chances are they are at the mall (in summer. anyway).
Tips
- Uber is easy and comfortable. You might think you’ll be able to do a lot of walking, but it’s not really a walking sort of place. When many Australians are travelling through Abu Dhabi (August/September for European summer) it is offensively hot in Abu Dhabi. The Ubers all had amazing air conditioning, weren’t outrageously expensive and the drivers were professional and polite. I also never felt unsafe at night as a woman on my own.
- A tip for women at the Grand Mosque: a nice big scarf is a suitable option for a head covering. I forgot to pack one and regretted it! I paid $60 for what is essentially a barely hemmed piece of material once I got to the Mosque. Bring your own from home or buy something beautiful as a souvenir. They do sell them at the entrance to the Mosque (which is a dystopian underground shopping mall, might I add) but the price is jacked up.
- If you have time, factor in a visit to the Oasis of Dignity for gorgeous views of the Mosque. I didn’t know this was a great spot when I was there, so hopefully you can benefit from my mistake! I would do golden hour at the mosque and then sunset at Oasis of Dignity or vice versa.
- TikTok has plenty of recommendations for Abu Dhabi coffee and food. Some highlights for me were Tawa Bakery (it’s fully gluten free) and Rempah Indonesian food. The Espresso Lab for the best coffee I had the entire month I was away. Of course, I am always a sucker for % Arabica.
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