Abu Dhabi

in

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, occupying an island and a wider group of coastal districts beside the Persian Gulf. Broad roads, landscaped avenues and modern towers give the city a spacious appearance, while the vast white Grand Mosque and a major art museum on a nearby cultural island provide its best-known landmarks. Beaches, mangroves and low desert landscapes remain close to the built-up areas.

The city is calmer and more spread out than neighbouring Dubai, with cultural institutions, government districts and waterfront recreation forming separate areas rather than one continuous centre. Large-scale architecture is a major part of the experience, but kayaking through mangroves, walking along the seafront and visiting traditional markets show quieter sides of the capital. Its distances make planning by area more useful than wandering without a route.