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Written By Arabiers Digital & Reviewed by Robeena Brown
24 February 2026 | 12 min
Layovers in the airports can be considered as one of the most anxious experiences for most of the travelers. The layovers can extend up to 48 hours and sometimes more than that. To spend the hours there, many travelers using various methods. Some trying to sleep in the corners of the airport under the bright lights, some are scrolling the phone for hours, while some people walking, here and there inside terminals.
But if you are transiting through Zayed International airport (AUH) in Abu Dhabi, there is an opportunity for you to convert short term 48 hours stay in AUH into a mini journey through visiting Abu Dhabi`s three big places which are located nearby to AUH. The three big places located at Abu Dhabi are the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. These places have cultural significance.
No matter, how many hours you stay, when you are planning to visit Abu Dhabi in the transit hours , you must prepare your travel document in a suitable way and should apply for entry permits or visas. And to do this in the proper way, you can apply for a visa online via Arabiers Abu Dhabi, a licensed local visa agency that has local offices in Abu Dhabi. You can apply via Arabiers online visa applying portal.
Many international travelers can enter the Abu Dhabi during short layover .To enter the country ,you may have an opportunity as visa free passengers, to some on arrival visa and some may need short term visa or entry permit depending on the country you belong. If you want entry permit, you can consult online via Arabiers and can get it online without further delays.
Depending on nationality, air passengers can enter to the Abu Dhabi without complicated documentations in their transit stopover. The design of AUH is transit passengers friendly and therefore transition process is relatively smooth in AUH. If your visa is valid and you have valid passport and if you hold confirmed onward ticket, entering to the Abu Dhabi is not a complicated process. It should be noted in mind that you do not need weeks of plans to enter the Abu Dhabi from AUH while you are in your short layover.
One main advantage of Abu Dhabi to a general passenger is that Abu Dhabi is a compact city and it`s navigability the airport, you can find metered taxis for fair prices towards the hotels etc. to reside and it is convenient for the travelers. Sometimes hotels provide the transport from the Airport. The traffic situation of the Abu Dhabi is incredibly low and it`s a blessing for transit passengers to roam in Abu Dhabi.
The big tree places are well connected through roads and those can be easily accessible around half a minute time. Find the accommodation in city Centre or the Corniche will help you to get maximize benefit from your short layover to visit the big three locations as accommodations near those locations can be well connected to big three places and those are located near to the airport.
If you have only 48 hours layover, Abu Dhabi`s “Big Tree” locations will provide you valuable insights on Emirati culture ,governance and also the history and creativity while making your transit time more valuable.
Start your journey from this mosque, one of the most prominent travel locations in Abu Dhabi. This mosque can be considered as the major focal point of Abu Dhabi in terms of architecture and the religion. Travelers belong to all backgrounds are welcomed to visit the place and however dressing modestly and polite behavior inside the place is highly required.
One of the largest mosques in the world, this mosque can be considered as a symbol of the religious harmony of Abu Dhabi. Visitors to this are welcomed after the prayer times and guided tours are delivered to explain the visitors about Islamic traditions, culture and how the society of Abu Dhabi is influenced by the mosque. Even self-guided tours by families or solo travelers can get some basic ideas about the cultural scene of the Abu Dhabi from this mosque. For many travelers, it`s worthy to observe this mosque and it makes justify their temporary departure from airport to the Abu Dhabi city.
This is the President`s palace and it gives insights about the Arabian heritages, culture and the governance there. The meaning of the Arabic term Qasr Al Watan is the palace of the nation. This can be considered as the most important cultural landmarks of Abu Dhabi when it comes to the governance. Many traditional museums do not show and give insight about the governance or policy related matters. However, this place is important as it gives insights on policy matters.
Visitors goes through big halls displaying diplomacy related matters, political history, constitutional milestones and important principles in making policies there.
There is a part of the palace which is called as the house of knowledge, and it shows how Arab region influence on the science, mathematics and philosophy of the world.
The place has been open to the general public since 2019 and the architectural design symbolize the beauty of the Arabian architecture. This place has large granite halls and one of the largest domes in the world.
You need to stay 2-3 hours here and you will find insights about how UAE is governed with a mixture of traditional and modern law principles.
As you are filled with cultural and political insights throughout the daytime, better to get some rest at the evening.
A walk along Abu Dhabi Corniche will give your mind a rest from giving sights of sea views, horizon etc. In your walk can dine from seaside restaurants and there are other entertainment options available too.
Your second day start at the Louver Abu Dhabi Saadiyat island, from where you can get cultural insights and witness the centuries old artifacts of this world class museum.
This is a result of a collaborative project between Abu Dhabi and French and was opened to the public in 2017.In your mini journey in Abu Dhabi, this is one of the must visit place as this is a universal level museum located in the Arabian world. Artifacts belongs to prehistoric era as well as modern artworks can be observed in this large museum, which is housed under an attractive dome, which indicating an amazing architectural wonder. You can easily spend a half day in this museum while roaming between ancient artifacts to modern art works while attending to film screening and workshops etc.
In here, you can the artifacts belong to India, Egypt, Iran and Europe being showed side by side and it display the common ancient traits of humanity what extend beyond the borders of continents and countries.
As time is limited you can focus on the permanent collection there at the museum and one or two featured exhibitions there. It is a common view that people who generally do not favor history etc., also get some valuable insights about the world history from visiting this.
After visiting the Louver at morning, you can get a lunch there at Saadiyat island. The island has foods and beverages shops matching to people of all the cultures. You can get traditional Asian foods, Arab or European foods also in there. After this, you can go to shopping there at Abu Dhabi and there are lot of retail shops in Abu Dhabi city.
For those planning a fuller itinerary, adding an Abu Dhabi morning desert safari brings an exciting contrast to the cultural exploration, letting travellers experience golden dunes and peaceful desert scenery before returning to the city’s islands, museums, and architectural highlights.
When you are returning to the airport after your brief visit to the Abu Dhabi, you should come before two to three hours to the flight. While it is true that the airport is efficient, your early arrival will avoid the unexpected chaos and troubles, and it will make your journey more convenient.
From doing these activities and entering to Abu Dhabi city, you are making your transit time into a mini journey. The wise decision of you can transform your anxiety and tiredness in waiting for your flight into a marvelous life experience.
If you do not visit these places and stay in the airport until your international flight arrive, it will be a very boring and anxious experience. We are witnessing many airports how far people tired when they are waiting for transit flights, and many are scrolling social media apps via mobile anxiously and suffering a lot until the arrival of the flight. In the Abu Dhabi airport, no need to suffer and become uncomfortable you are waiting around 48 hours there, you have an option to do as we explained in this article. To get your entry permit to Abu Dhabi, you can get the help from Arabiers travel agency.
The experience you are getting from visiting the “Big Three” places of Abu Dhabi, will make you are more aware about the Abu Dhabi culture, religion, governance and how is the ancient traditions are shaping the characteristics of a modern city in the gulf region.
From your mini journey while waiting for transit flight, you will be curious about the culture and people in Abu Dhabi, perhaps, in the future, you may visit to Abu Dhabi, not as a mini journey ,but as a fortnight or longer full journey to explore the city of Abu Dhabi and all the aspects of it.
Yes, you can...That`s the beauty of Abu Dhabi. But you should have passport and an entry permit/visa. But it differs from person to person. In citizens of some countries can enter to the Abu Dhabi without Visa. Citizen of Gulf countries no need to get Vias to enter Abu Dhabi. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia are those countries.
Yes, early booking will make your short journey more comfortable. You can do booking via online from visiting official websites of those places.
Airport hotels are convenient for travelers who have tide schedules and leave early. However, city center hotels are suitable for travelers as those are close to the “Big Tree” locations.
You can return to the airport before three hours to your international flight. While it`s true that the airport in Abu Dhabi is more efficient, you can avoid the unexpected delays and troubles from returning to the airport few hours early.