Abu Dhabi Day Trip: Grand Mosque, Heritage Village & Ferrari World

4.77

(187 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest—I mostly signed up for this Abu Dhabi day trip from Dubai because I wanted to see that huge white mosque everyone posts about. But the drive itself surprised me. Our guide, Ahmed, kept pointing out things along the highway: Jebel Ali Port (apparently the biggest man-made port in the world), trucks loaded with who-knows-what, and then suddenly you’re just… in Abu Dhabi. The city feels different—less rush than Dubai somehow. Maybe it was just me still waking up.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is even more massive in person. I fumbled a bit with the abaya they gave me (they provide one for women), but honestly, walking barefoot on those cool marble floors felt calming. The air smelled faintly of incense and something floral—jasmine maybe? Ahmed told us stories about how it took over a decade to build. There’s this echo when people whisper inside; it made me want to talk softer too. I caught myself staring at the way sunlight hit all that white stone.

After that we stopped at Heritage Village—kind of touristy but still interesting if you like seeing old boats and crafts. I tried saying thank you in Arabic to a guy weaving baskets (pretty sure I butchered it). Then there was a quick drive along the Corniche with these perfect turquoise waves and people jogging or just hanging out. Lunch was at Marina Mall—nothing fancy but good enough to refuel before we hit the date market (so many types! And yes, you can sample them). By then my energy dipped but Yas Island woke me up again—Ferrari World is loud and bright and honestly not my usual thing but… I ended up screaming on one of those rollercoasters anyway. Still think about that view from Etihad Towers though; wish I’d taken more photos.