Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is about 2 hours away from Dubai, so I thought I should check it as I’m so close. I caught a coach from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station, and it’s about 30 seconds walk from Al Ghubaiba Metro stop. Coaches run every 15 minutes and you can catch coach number E100. Everything is slightly unorganised and a bit chaotic, so make sure you know where to go before hand.

As Friday is a holy day (Friday and Saturday = weekend) the metro doesn’t open until 10am, everything can get slightly delayed, if you’re looking for an early start. This is the reason why I only stayed here for half a day, I wasn’t sure of the closing times and wanted to be back in Dubai for evening. The only thing I wanted to see was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and to pray inside. Unfortunately as I was delayed leaving I couldn’t make it in time for the prayer and wasn’t able to go inside. You have to go through security and there are selected times you can go in. I managed to see the mosque from the outside, it was massive. I was so gutted I couldn’t go in and felt this trip was slightly rushed for me.

Top tip: Go to the toilet before hand even if you don’t fee like it! The coach I went on had no toilet and I was bursting. Not good, especially if you drink lots of water and then cool down in the coach.

For my next trip I would probably stay a couple of nights and see the rest of the sites in Abu Dhabi. There is Ferrari World Abu Dhabi which is an amusement park on Yas Island. This would’ve been a perfect little outing for me. It can get really expensive if you’re travelling on your own, as you have to pay for taxi/car hire without splitting it. You can also have an evening desert safari (I had one in Dubai – booked it through my groupon account). The Emirates Palace hotel is a central hub for the city, so you don’t need to book a room to enjoy the opera, showcase screenings, during the film festival or galleries. You can even check out the ATM dispensing gold here! Why not?

Top tip: You can swipe your travel card when you get on and off the coach for easy travel.