Shaped like two parallel sand dunes – smooth and curvaceous on the windward side, steep and rippled on the eroded side – this award-winning building by Sir Norman Foster and partners was designed for the 2010 Shanghai Expo and then relocated here. Along with neighbouring Manarat Al Saadiyat, its major role since arriving on Saadiyat has been to host Abu Dhabi Art. In 2018 the building was closed, undergoing refurbishment to become a cultural centre, with an expected reopening date of 2020.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
9.04 MILES
Rising majestically from manicured gardens and visible from the bridges joining Abu Dhabi Island to the mainland, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is an…
1.26 MILES
Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Jean Nouvel, the highly anticipated Louvre Abu Dhabi finally arrived in late 2017. Through 12 galleries, the…
19.7 MILES
Standing outside Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital, watching anxious owners from across the region delivering their hooded 'patients' in person, you will quickly…
7.66 MILES
After six years of planning and construction, this memorial celebrating the life and achievements of Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the United Arab Emirates…
12.36 MILES
If you want bragging rights to having 'done' Formula Rossa, the world's fastest roller coaster, visit this indoor (perfect in summer) temple of torque and…
5.96 MILES
You almost walk away from this five-star urban park feeling like you've visited a museum. Manicured to perfection and full of design-forward and…
5.05 MILES
The waterfront Corniche, with its white sandy beaches and generous promenade, stretches the entire length of the northwest shore of the city. Giving…
8.06 MILES
What the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is to the vertical, the Emirates Palace is to the horizontal, with audacious domed gatehouses and flying ramps to the foyer…
Nearby Abu Dhabi attractions
0.03 MILES
Housed in a postmodern building with an eye-catching honeycomb mantle, Manarat Al Saadiyat ('place of enlightenment') hosts regular art courses and…
1.18 MILES
If you're a fan of cutting-edge art, the temporary art exhibitions held here, in the art gallery of New York University's Abu Dhabi campus, focus on…
1.26 MILES
Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Jean Nouvel, the highly anticipated Louvre Abu Dhabi finally arrived in late 2017. Through 12 galleries, the…
1.44 MILES
By far Abu Dhabi's nicest public beach. A boardwalk leads through a protected zone of coastal vegetation, home to nesting turtles, to this prime slice of…
2.62 MILES
This luxurious, exclusive beach club, spa and fitness centre is open to day visitors and offers an expanse of pristine beach with plenty of sun-loungers…
6. Abu Dhabi Global Market Square
2.88 MILES
If you're into modern architecture, this development's cluster of glass-and-steel office monoliths on Al Maryah Island is the heart of Abu Dhabi's new…
2.93 MILES
This 5.4km-long promenade bends gently round the western shore of Al Maryah Island and offers good views of Abu Dhabi and the busy channel of water in…
3.02 MILES
This large fish market bustles with traders selling row upon colourful row of the sea's bounty from the ice bars. It's busiest early in the day when…