Emirates Palace and Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi
Part of the full Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque on an AUH Layover
Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace hotel, the Etihad Towers across the road from it and the observation deck on the towers’ 74th floor all sit within about a kilometre of each other at the western tip of the island.
The Observation Deck at 300 on Etihad Towers’ 74th floor
Five towers stand together at the western end of the Corniche, curved and tapering, and the second of them carries a viewing floor 300 metres up that doubles as a cafe. From it the whole island reads as one shape: the seafront running east, the palace compound below, the water on three sides.
Entry is AED 95, of which AED 55 comes back as credit against whatever you order once you are up there, so it is priced as a cafe with a view rather than as a viewing platform. Opening runs 9.30am to 8pm with last admission half an hour before that, and visits are capped at 30 minutes.
That cap is the practical constraint, along with the security screening in the tower lobby that every bag goes through before the lift: this is a stop measured in minutes, with nowhere to leave anything larger than a handbag while you take it.
Emirates Palace’s pink stone gateway arch
The hotel opened in 2005 on the seafront at Ras Al Akhdar and is approached through a free-standing triumphal arch of pink stone, flagpoles down both sides, with the domed main building framed in the opening behind it. You can walk up to the arch and photograph it without going anywhere near a reception desk, which is the cheapest thing on this page.
Non-guests are welcome in the public areas, the grounds and the restaurants, dressed smart casual. The thing to order is Le Café’s Palace Cappuccino, finished with 24-carat gold leaf, or the camel-milk version of the same, both walk-in. The hotel’s afternoon tea is a different matter: it has to be reserved and paid for in full at least 24 hours ahead, runs to around AED 485 for two and is not refundable, which makes it a poor fit for a day that depends on a flight.
Ras Al Akhdar is the far end of the island from the airport
The headland sits about 30 kilometres from Terminal A at Zayed International Airport (AUH), which is roughly 10 kilometres further than the mosque on the mainland side and translates to 35 to 45 minutes in a metered taxi for something in the region of AED 70 to 90. Neither the A1 nor the A2 airport bus comes out this far; both stop in the middle of the island and leave a second leg to cover.
Allow 90 minutes back at the terminal after the ride. If the gap runs past five hours, the wider Abu Dhabi route adds the museums and the old fort to this corner rather than replacing it, and the seafront walk starts at the Breakwater a couple of kilometres east of the towers.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do during a layover near Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi?
Take the lift up first and walk the headland after. The Observation Deck at 300 sits on the 74th floor of one of the Etihad Towers, costs AED 95 with AED 55 of that redeemable against food and drink, and runs 9.30am to 8pm with a 30-minute cap on how long you stay up there. Emirates Palace is across the road, open to non-guests for its grounds and restaurants, with a gateway arch out front that is worth the walk on its own. Three or four hours covers both. The one thing you cannot decide on the day is the hotel's afternoon tea, which has to be booked and paid for a day ahead.
Can I go into Emirates Palace without being a hotel guest?
Yes, for the public areas, the grounds and the restaurants, though parts of the building stay reserved for people staying there and the dress code is smart casual rather than airport casual. The thing most people come for is Le Café's gold-flaked Palace Cappuccino, which needs no booking. Its afternoon tea does: reservations close 24 hours ahead, are paid in full at the time, run to around AED 485 for two, and are not refundable, which rules them out for anyone whose plans depend on a flight that might move.
How far apart are the sights on Ras Al Akhdar?
Within about a kilometre of each other, but not designed to be walked between. The presidential palace, the hotel and the towers sit on a headland built around driveways and eight-lane roads rather than pavements, with almost no shade on any of it, so the sensible pattern is a short taxi hop between each rather than one continuous walk, particularly between June and September. Inside each compound the walking is flat and step-free.
Is there anything free on this headland?
The Founder's Memorial, a walled garden at the tip of Ras Al Akhdar with a lit pavilion in the middle of it, costs nothing and is open in the evenings, which is when it is worth seeing. The grounds and public areas of Emirates Palace also cost nothing to walk through if you are not eating. Everything else here, the palace tour and the tower deck alike, is ticketed.