Hi there,
on my way to Asia, i got an 6.5 hours-stopover in Abu Dhabi. As it will be at night (from 20:15 to 2:45) and being Ramadan time, I thought it would be nice to get to the city and check the atmosphere. I was planing getting to the city with public bus 901.
Do you think It is worth it? Will i have enought time to do it?? Where should i go?? to the corniche?? Or better forget it and stay at the airport??
Cheers!!
I am in a similar position but have read that in order to get a transit visa, your transit time has to be at least 8 hours... anyone had any experience of this?
Depends which country you hail from. If from one of those countries which falls in the "no visa on arrival" , then, a minimum transit time is needed. If not, you can go out.
Abu Dhabi to see - to be honest, not much. The Corniche is probably the most lively in the city but is not really going to fill up more than an hour or so. The Sheikh Zayed mosque may be worth a visit.
Op - check with your airline since I assume you have not used a human being - aka travel agent - if you need a visa. Also have a look at the airlines' stopover brochure for some ideas on what you could do. Also, IF you want to do a tour organise it through the airline. Whoever the airline subcontracts this to that company is guaranteed to get you back to the airport in time for your departing flight. This company can also organise your visa if required.
It is not necessary to check with the airline on the visa. The UAE is very clear on their list of countries that do not require a visa (note - they call it a "visa on arrival" but it is free and really just a passport stamp.
Assuming you do not need a visa, Abu Dhabi immigration and customs usually clear quickly. Now, even by taxi they are a solid 45 minutes from the city so with buses be very careful of your times. I know it would be more expensive, but perhaps you would want to negotiate with a taxi driver to stay with you and wait for you to make this worthwhile.
I assume that if he has a stop over in Abu Dhabi it is Etihad? I don't believe Etihad does tours of Abu Dhabi and if they do - I very much doubt they do them at night.
I would probably go to the corniche. There isn't going to be a lot to do; even in the day - but the corniche will be full of people and is always fun to just walk. I think with this short time you will be able to view a bit of the city and just enjoy the ambiance.
List of countries that do not require true visas is to the right of this page. The UAE calls these visas on arrival countries - but it is just a passport stamp. These are for 30 days or less.
Countries not needing visa to visit the UAE
Edited by: SuzanneSchuelke
Another thought. Fairly near the airport is the Shangria-La hotel and a small (unimportant) shopping mall and restaurant space. The importance of this is from the outside (waterside) - you get magnificent views of the Sheik Zayed mosque. It won't be open (at least to visitors) at that time in the evening - and this is where you can get great after dark views.