Abu Dhabi Top 15 Must-see Attractions With Grand Mosque And Souks

What an exiting way to see Abu Dhabi. Our tour guide (Shehzad) was punctual and attentive. This experience was a perfect way to end our Abu Dhabi trip. We had an entire day to fill since our flight was super late our final day. Shehzad was flexible and accommodating to our schedule. Having our own private tour guide always enhances our trips. We always learn something new. Touring with Shehzad was no different. We enjoyed his company and would greatly recommend taking a tour with him if you are ever in the Abu Dhabi/Dubai area. Thank you Shehzad. 🙂👍🏼

We had a great tour of Abu Dhabi from Dubai with our guide, Rajesh, and our driver, Heera. The mosque was amazing, and the architecture of the buildings in the city were beautiful.

I booked this private tour expecting a personalized, enjoyable day. Unfortunately, it fell short, mainly because of how the itinerary was handled. Saadiyat Island and the Louvre Abu Dhabi were the stops I cared about most. Both are listed on the itinerary as actual stops, with time allotted, so I planned to decide how long to spend at each when we arrived. Instead, the guide simply drove past both, pointing them out without stopping. I assumed we'd come back later, but a couple of hours on he announced we were heading to the last stop. When I asked about Saadiyat and the Louvre, he seemed frustrated and said I should have told him I wanted to stop, since they were far away. Only after he saw I was disappointed did he agree to take me. On a private tour, I'd expect the guide to confirm priorities at the start and follow the published itinerary, not treat listed stops as optional without asking. The experience didn't match the price.

Ahmed was the best tour guide we could have wished for. With great expertise, sensitivity, and consideration, he accompanied us throughout the day and tailored the tour to our wishes. We wish Ahmed all the very best and hope that as many others as possible get to enjoy this wonderful experience too.

OMG! Amazing. Our driver was really good. Told us about the places we stopped at. He even took our pictures for us. He knew all the best places to stop and take them. The palace we visited was breathtaking. The tour was beautiful. Our driver didn't rush us.

Had an amazing time with guide Rajesh. Rajesh was extremely good and caring to understand my interests and guided me around in the best possible way to have the best experience in limited time I had. By the end of the tour Rajesh was more a friend and would highly recommend this experience.

Rakesh was very helpful during my Abu Dhabi visit. He explained everything in detail and made the trip easy and enjoyable. Very friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. I really appreciate his support and would definitely recommend him to anyone visiting Abu Dhabi.

If you are staying in Dubai, a lot of your day will be commuting in the car. Our driver was excellent though and asked in advance what sites we wanted to prioritize to make sure we had a lot of time and didn’t feel rushed at any one stop. Be sure to wear modest clothes for the mosque and palaces. Bring a scarf. Ask for Shehzad - he was a great tour guide. Keep in mind closures of certain attractions - especially on Mondays

Our guide, Hafiz Shehzad, was great ! He explained everything about the country and monuments with many details, and was able to answer all our questions. He was very flexible and we recommend his services.

Wonderful and flawless experience with Viator from booking my private tour, customizing my trip as per the available time and accommodating to flight delays, picking me up from the airport, taking me around in Abu Dhabi and then to drop off to the hotel at the end of the tour! My tour guide Shazad was extremely courteous, friendly, flexible and knowledgable! He was helpful with suggesting places for shopping, food and gave some safely tips. At the end of the trip, I was dropped off to my hotel safely. With the time limitation, we had to cut out few places to visit but we were able to accomplish visits to most of the interesting and important places on my list. I planned my layover trip to Abu Dhabi on the way to India and I am so glad I made the choice of private tour with Viator. I was all alone and did not have to worry about anyone else’s preference of the tour schedules or timings. Thanks to Viator and to my tour guide- Shahzad for making it a successful, pleasant and memorable time in Abu Dhabi! 😊

Our guide for the private tour was Ahmed. He arrived promptly for our pickup in Dubai and was great communicating throughout the process. He gave us history and insight as we drove around and was very nice for the whole day-we were lucky to have him conduct our tour. You truly can make the experience as personalized as you want and will not feel rushed (were able to add time for Ferrari World and Louvre). Highly recommend and loved our time visiting Abu Dhabi.

Great guide, very knowledgeable, definitely recommend hafiz for any tours in the Dubai or Abu Dhabi area

I recently had the pleasure of traveling solo and was fortunate to have such an incredible guide throughout my journey. From the very beginning, he made me feel completely at ease with their warm, friendly personality and genuine care for my experience. What stood out most was how informative he was- every place we visited came with interesting stories, historical context, and local insights that I would have never discovered on my own. He always happy to answer questions and went above and beyond to make sure I understood and appreciated each stop. As a solo traveler, safety and comfort are very important to me, and my guide truly exceeded expectations. He consistently checked in to make sure I was doing well, adapted the pace to suit my needs, and made thoughtful recommendations that enhanced my trip. Overall, I felt well taken care of the entire time. His professionalism, kindness, and passion for what they do made my solo trip not just easy, but genuinely memorable. I would highly recommend them to anyone traveling alone and looking for a supportive and enriching experience.

Our driver Abdul was great! He's your personal driver and takes you everywhere you want to go on the list of attractions. He never pressures you with time and always makes sure he can take pictures of you and your group. We saw so much with Abdul, and it was a full day! Even at the end, when it was getting late, he allowed us to take our time, and we never felt like we only had limited time somewhere. We had a situation at the Mandarin hotel, and he called the operator and handled it immediately, and we were let in to explore and take pictures. Ask for Abdul!

We originally met Khalid through our layover tour in Abu Dhabi — but what happened in the two days after is something we will never forget. Our flight landed in Abu Dhabi literally moments before the missile strike in Iran, which resulted in flights being grounded for two days (at the time of this post). What could have been a stressful and overwhelming situation was made so much easier because of Khalid. Even after our scheduled tour had ended, he continued checking in on us to make sure we were safe and doing okay. He didn’t have to — but he did. He went above and beyond, brainstorming alternative travel plans with us and helping us look into routes through Saudi Arabia to find an airport that was still actively operating. His kindness, compassion, and genuine concern for complete strangers speaks volumes about the kind of person he is. In a moment of uncertainty, he was calm, thoughtful, and incredibly supportive. We will always remember not just the incredible tour he gave us, but the way he showed up for us when it truly mattered. Thank you, Khalid — your generosity will never be forgotten.

Our driver and city guide, Khalid Mehmood, did a fantastic job on our “Abu Dhabi Top 15 Must-See Highlights Tour” from start to finish. The night before our cruise ship arrived, he sent a WhatsApp message introducing himself and describing where to meet at the cruise port. He even sent a photo of himself so that we could recognize him. His vehicle was clean with good A/C and he offered us complimentary bottled water once inside. His English was very easy to understand and he was friendly and had a good sense of humor, making the tour even better. Unfortunately (because of Ramadan?), some of the stops were not open to tour inside (Louvre), or we chose not to go inside (Ferrari World). We did enjoy riding around the city with Khalid as he explained what we were seeing and a lot of the history or backstory of the “must-see” sights. He brought us to very good sites for photos of iconic buildings and was more than willing to stop or extend time as we desired. By far the highlight of the tour was the impressive and huge Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. He ensured we went online to book reservations for the 10:00-10:30 slot (no charge) to ensure a smooth process entering the mosque. Lunch was at a good restaurant across the harbor from the Al-Watan Palace, where all the foreign dignitaries stay. Finally, we went to the Abu Dhabi Dates Souk, for an opportunity to buy dates and chocolates and more before returning to the ship. All-in-all we spent about 6 hours with Khalid and very much enjoyed our tour.

J was absolutely incredible! His patience, knowledge and overall demeanor made our entire experience worthwhile. He was personable and friendly, making sure our tour was memorable.

Today I was fortunate enough to experience a guided tour with Khalid . A true gentleman and professional with knowledge that covered all aspects of life in Abu Dhabi.i was made feel like a truly special person with compliments and respect the whole day . I would recommend this company for anyone interested in visiting Dubai or Abu Dhabi. I had an awesome experience.

We had the absolute pleasure of spending the day exploring Abu Dhabi with Mr. Khalid today, and it was the highlight of our entire trip. From the moment he picked us up, his professionalism and warm personality were evident. He didn't just drive us to the landmarks; he curated an experience. We visited all the main, iconic sights—the breathtaking Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the stunning President's Palace (Qasr Al Watan), and the vibrant heritage areas—but it was Mr. Khalid’s commentary that truly brought the city to life. He has an incredible talent for explaining the culture, history, and traditions of the UAE in a way that is both engaging and easy to understand. He answered all our questions with patience and depth, offering insights we never would have gotten from a guidebook. He shared stories about Emirati life that gave us a real appreciation for the nation's heritage and its vision for the future. By the end of the day, Mr. Khalid hadn't just shown us Abu Dhabi; he made us fall in love with it. We left with a profound respect for the culture and a much deeper understanding of this amazing city. If you are looking for a knowledgeable, kind, and truly passionate guide, request Mr. Khalid. You won’t regret it. Thank you for a perfect day!

We had a great half-day tour of Abu Dhabi with Khalid. He was very personable and warm, and made sure we saw all the places we wanted to include. He gave clear explanations of the places we visited. We felt that we learned and saw a lot in the short time we had available.

Excellent trip, and Khalid was the best guide we could have wished for. He was very attentive to our needs (including the needs of my very jet lagged 9yo) and really passionate about showing us the best of Abu Dhabi. We loved it. Highly recommended, whether (like us) you are on a very short stop-over, or as an introduction to further exploring. Thank you!

Faheem Malik, was very knowledgeable kind polite and always on time. we definitely recommend this tour with him.

Highly recommend this tour. Khalid, our guide, picked us up from the cruise port on time. He talked about Abu Dhabi history and provided a lot of information during our tour.

The very kind and affable Khalid took us on an efficient, full-day whirlwind tour of many if not most of the top sights in Abu Dhabi. He had all admissions tickets ready to go and zapped them to my phone right before we needed them. The touristy buffet lunch place he took us to was probably the only letdown, but if you decide in advance where you want to eat, he would gladly accommodate you. This is an especially valuable tour if you have limited time. We wish we had spent less time in Dubai and more in Abu Dhabi; even though it is smaller, it seemed to have more interesting things to see and do.

We had a beautiful day in Abu Dhabi with Khalid M. showing us around. Khalid touched base with us a couple of days prior to the scheduled tour, so we felt assured that we knew who we were meeting, where and when. He arrived early so we were able to start early and see the sites. He was very familiar with and knowledge about the places and was able to tell us stories and historical information. A highly recommended way to get a taste of Abu Dhabi in a day.

We had a five star experience. The gentleman was smart, courteous, and helpful. He was filled with fantastic ideas.

Khalid was very informative and friendly and we had an interesting and amazing day with him as he gave us the best experience…. would highly recommend

Our guide Sumaira Malik was wonderful! She gave us a nice overview of Dubai and Abu Dhabi as well as some excellent sightseeing and shopping recommendations. She was also a great driver and wonderful to spend time with.

We booked Khalid for the previous day, but had to reschedule to the following day because of a medical problem with one of us. Fortunately Khalid was our tour guide/driver for the following day. He made the whole day special for both of us. Taking away some wonderful memories to look back on. Khalid is very knowledgable with a wonderful warm personality. He was determined to show us a great day. We strongly recommend this tour covering the top 15 must see attractions, Everywhere was wonderful but the highlight was the Sheikh Zahed Grand Mosque Centre Khalid got all the passes for us, we simply had to walk in. Having previously been to Dubai a number of times we are more than impressed with what Abu Dhabi has to offer. That would not have been possible without this tour and Khalid.

Very good and interesting e,cursion, with all main places of interest in Abu Dhabi. Our guide Khalid was knowledgeable, very kind and helpful. We visited Sheikh Zayed mosque (make sure men have long trousers), Palace Mandarin oriental hotel (so beautiful with great views), Yas island with F1 , ROYAL palace, Heritage village, and we also passed other famous places

We had such a good time. The experience was amazing, but so was our driver. Musthafa was the best! I wish he could be our guide for all tours/experiences. So nice, professional, and knowledgeable. Don't hesitate to book this tour, and if possible, ask for Musthafa.

My husband and I were very tired when we went on this tour, but found it to be underwhelming. There were many stops that were skipped (above and beyond the stops we asked to skip in the interest of saving time because we were tired). I was glad to see some things in this amazing city, but can't recommend based on our experience.

The itinerary lked good and hence I booked but our guide was lazy and did not take us to places listed. We had to keep reminding him to show us the places. The itinerary said 7-8 hrs and he said we will finish in 3-4 hrs. Anyways, we pushed and kept him for 6-7 hrs. Omer was our guide. Not sure if u have 2 Omer’s. I read another review for Omer and they had a pleasant time with him.

Relax and enjoy the experience your are in good hands. Shakir is very polite and knowledgeable about Abu Dhabi. He was also flexible to our needs. His car was clean and he was very professional.

I should have known from the itinerary that there were too many activities listed to be able to complete all of them. First we went to Ferrari World for 20 minutes. What is the point of that? There's not enough time to even ride anything. We walked through the Yas Island mall, which was also worthless. I don't care about a mall that has all American restaurants that i can go to back home. Another waste of time. Then we went to the Louvre. But our guide told us to walk around outside, as tickets were not included. Another waste of drive time and exploration time. Since we were already there, my friends and i went inside and bought tickets. It was just another museum, with nothing that really interested us on display. If you're not really into art, I'd say don't waste your time. We went to the Heritage Village which was kind of cool. A few local stands selling goods and souvenirs, and some fun depictions of life in the past. Then we went to the Emirates Palace Hotel, which was also a waste of time. It is a grand looking building from the outside, but all you really have access to was the main lobby. The architecture was beautiful, but after ten minutes we were like, what are we doing here? Then our guide drove us to a lookout point maybe one mile away and told us to take a photo of the Presidential Palace. What?! The itinerary says we walk down the halls and see beautiful crystal chandeliers and ornate carvings. I asked our guide if we were going inside and he said no. I argued with him that it was on our itinerary and that was one of the reasons that i booked this tour! Not to go to the mall and Ferrari world or the lobby of a hotel. Such an immense waste of time. He finally took us to the Presidential Palace. I understand why he didn't want to take us, because there were long lines and it did take quite some time to buy tickets and walk through. But if you're not going to take us to the most culturally important places listed on the tour, you shouldn't have them listed in the itinerary! Our last stop was the Grand Mosque. I feel the communication regarding the dress code was not entirely clear. I had worn a scarf over my bare shoulders to enter the Vatican. I assumed i could wear a scarf over my arms in my short sleeved shirt. Nope! Everyone must wear long sleeves and long pants and women must cover their head w a scarf or hood. The guide should have mentioned it when i got into his vehicle at the beginning. I ended up having to buy a 45 AED ($12 USD) kaftan from one of the shops at the mosque and i found that frustrating. The mosque was gorgrous, and we had made it just as the sun had set, so it was all lit up and quite beautiful. There were still half the items in the itinerary that we did not do, like the white sand beach, walk down the corniche, etc. I would highly recommend to anyone thinking that this is a great all-inclusive tour to try to only focus on the activities that sound the most interesting to you. We wasted an immense amount of time doing things that we were not the least bit interested in. My recommendations are for the Heritage Village, Presidential Palace, and Grsnd Mosque.

This tour of Abu Dhabi’s main attractions was absolutely amazing. Mohammad Rizwan was super informative, incredibly helpful, and very friendly throughout the entire experience. He was also very accommodating and made sure we felt comfortable and enjoyed every stop. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Abu Dhabi!

Very pleasant and accommodating our private tour to Abu Dhabi including our teamlabs experience. Rafiq was incredibly kind and understanding and so helpful in organizing our tour.

Wonderful experience. Khalid Mehmood was such a kind, friendly, and proactive driver. Suggested a lot of great additions and scenic stops. Loved taking photos for us. I couldn't have asked for a better and more considerate guide.

Our guide today is Khaled. He not only brings us around to the places that we have chosen to visit, he also give some explanations, he also took a lot of photos for me and my husband. He went beyond, took us to a buffet lunch and bring us to some beautiful places that is not in our itinerary. We definitely had a memorable experience in Abu Dhabi through this trip.

Khalid Mehmood was our tour guide today. He showed up early in a clean van with plenty of water and couldn’t have been more accommodating. He had so much knowledge and made our day so pleasurable. The day was flawless and it was all because of him. If anybody wants to book this tour, I highly recommend you ask for him.

The experience was incredible our tour guide was amazing Khalid was very friendly and helpful to explain everything with detail and he will answer questions taking the time for my wife and I . I will recommend this tour for everyone. Thank you

One of the best excursions I’ve had in a long time. My guide, Abdul Salam was very polite and knowledgeable and is highly recommended.

Umer was our tour guide and his service was first-class. He explained everything to us and took us to the most important places. It was truly a great experience to have done the tour with him.

Perfect visit with Khalid!!! Our flight company changes the connection flight in AbuDhabi informing us the day before. So in the late afternoon we booked an Express 4 hours tour starting at 8AM the very day later. Khalid contacted me on what's app and we agreed meeting point and place to be visited. All instructions were really clear and communication perfect! A perfect personalized tour if have some hours to spend avoiding to stay at the airport! 100% recommended.

My friend and I took the city tour and it was marvelous! Our guide Abdul was top notch h! He was accommodating and made sure we had plenty of time to visit each place! He even waited for us to have dinner before he left us! Highly recommend and ASK FOR ABDUL!

Excellent tour with the best guide Farhan! A local with a lot of knowledge! Great driving skills too. We went to Abu Dhabi and did the Grand Mosque.

The tour guide/driver was very knowledgeable about the area. He exhibited great professionalism and a great sense of humor. We loved the fact that we come and went on our time. We hit all the tourist spots available and by the time lunch rolled around, we ended up in a restaurant he recommended and the food was reasonably and really good. I would go with this guy again if in Abu Dhabi.

Khalid Mehmood was my guide for the day. He is friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. What more could you ask for in a guide? We started out at the Formula 1 Track. Next was the incredible Grand Mosque. We then went to the historic Mandarin hotel. The heritage village was next. Lunch was at a fantastic Pakistani restaurant named Là Lqila. The food was great. I then had plenty of time to explore the Louvre Abu Dhabi. I never felt rushed and was completely comfortable. I feel that I have made a new friend in Khalid.

You can learn about Abu Dhabi 's culture and history. The Mousse is beautiful. Some thr sites will be great for picture taking. Ask questions and do some research before the tour so you can be prepared to discuss with the guide. It's much quieter here than in Dubai.