How many days do you need in the United Arab Emirates?
Five days. That is the length of the itinerary we built for the United Arab Emirates, across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Here is what each day holds. Every stop below carries its time, and every gap says how to get to the next stop, with the walk or drive time wherever both stops are mapped.
United Arab Emirates · 5 days Dubai → Abu Dhabi
Best time: November to March, when days are warm rather than punishing and everything moves outdoors.
Dubai: Burj KhalifaDay 1
🏛️9:00 AMBurj Khalifa
The tallest building on Earth at 828 meters. Book the At the Top observation decks ahead, morning slots are cheaper, clearer, and calmer; the 4:30 PM sunset slots sell out days ahead.
🚶 ~43 min · 🚗 ~6 min · 1.6 mi
🖼️1:30 PMMuseum of the Future
The torus of calligraphy-clad steel on Sheikh Zayed Road, immersive floors on space, ecology, and wellbeing inside one of the world’s most extraordinary buildings. Book a timed slot ahead.
🚶 ~45 min · 🚗 ~6 min · 1.7 mi
🌆6:00 PMDowntown Dubai
The showpiece district at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, the fountain lake’s free evening shows (relaunched in late 2025 after a full refit), the boulevard, and the mall that contains an aquarium.
Dubai: Dubai Creek and the souksDay 2
🏛️9:00 AMDubai Creek and the souks
Cross the creek by abra, a one-dirham wooden ferry ride unchanged in a century, between the Gold Souk’s window-bending displays and the Spice Souk’s sacks of frankincense.
🚗 ~21 min · 6.0 mi
🥾1:30 PMRas Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary
Thousands of greater flamingos winter on tidal flats minutes from Downtown, free viewing hides put you close enough to hear them, skyline in the background.
🚗 day trip · 32 mi
🎟️6:00 PMDesert safari
An evening desert excursion, dune drive, camels, and dinner under the stars in a camp. The conservation-reserve versions trade dune-bashing for wildlife and are the better pick.
Dubai: Jumeirah MosqueDay 3
🏛️9:00 AMJumeirah Mosque
Dubai’s most photographed mosque, and one of the few open to non-Muslim visitors, on guided visits every day except Friday built around open questions about Emirati life and faith.
🚗 ~10 min · 2.8 mi
🖼️1:30 PMAl Shindagha Museum
The creek-mouth heritage district turned museum quarter: perfume, pearling, and the story of how a hard little trading town decided to become Dubai.
🚶 ~16 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.6 mi
🌆6:00 PMAl Fahidi and the Creek
The oldest Dubai: coral-stone wind-tower houses, art courtyards, and wooden abras ferrying across to Deira’s Gold and Spice Souks for a few cents.
Arrive in Abu DhabiDay 4
🚌8:30 AMBus or car to Abu Dhabi
Dubai to Abu Dhabi is about 90 minutes by taxi or transfer down Sheikh Zayed Road, or roughly 2 hours on the frequent, comfortable intercity buses from Al Ghubaiba or Ibn Battuta stations.
🚌 ~1h30 · 76 mi
🏛️2:00 PMSheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Eighty-two white marble domes, the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet, and courtyards inlaid with floral marble, open free to visitors, and transcendent at sunset. Register online and dress modestly.
🚗 ~33 min · 9.6 mi
🌆6:00 PMThe Corniche
Eight kilometers of waterfront promenade, beaches, and parks wrapping the city’s west edge, Abu Dhabi’s evening living room, with the skyline arcing behind.
Abu Dhabi: Qasr Al WatanDay 5
🏛️9:00 AMQasr Al Watan
The working presidential palace, opened to the public, a white-and-gold dome hall built to showcase Arabian craft and statecraft, with an evening light show on the facade.
🚗 ~27 min · 7.6 mi
🖼️1:30 PMLouvre Abu Dhabi
Humanity’s story told across civilizations under Jean Nouvel’s perforated dome, where the “rain of light” is worth the ticket alone. The galleries pair a Rembrandt with a Ming vase and make it work.
🚗 ~19 min · 5.4 mi
🎟️6:00 PMMangrove kayak tour
A guided paddle through the mangrove channels. Go for the late-afternoon slot, when the light goes gold and the birds come in to roost.
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.
This is one of 126 free itineraries. Open it, change anything you want, and it becomes your trip.