Dragon boats race at the Dragon Boat Festival.Courtesy Shangri-La Hotels
Dragon boats race at the Dragon Boat Festival.Courtesy Shangri-La Hotels
Dragon boats race at the Dragon Boat Festival.Courtesy Shangri-La Hotels
Dragon boats race at the Dragon Boat Festival.Courtesy Shangri-La Hotels

Skip brunches and try public transport: 10 things you should know when you move to Abu Dhabi


Rupert Hawksley
  • English
  • Arabic

People like to give advice, not because we actually want to help one another (wise up!) but because it makes us feel important, possibly even a little bit superior. "You went there for dinner? You should have asked me – there's a great place, super-cheap, just around the corner." It's good to be the one "in the know".

So I hold no grudges against those people who rushed to offer me advice before I moved from London to Abu Dhabi last summer. They were merely indulging a basic human impulse. The problem? Well, almost none of this advice was helpful. Most of it was predictable and linked to the heat (if you're losing your hair and moving to a hot country, hat-related words of wisdom are apparently irresistible), while some of it was oddly specific (one friend insisted that "everyone wears pastel colours in Abu Dhabi", and not a day goes by when I don't miss my navy chinos).

Having now actually lived in Abu Dhabi for a year, I wonder if I can do any better – and not only because I want to feel important. Here are my top 10 recommendations based on what I've learnt over the past 12 months. If you're new to Abu Dhabi, I hope you find something useful. If you're a veteran, you can snort in derision at how much I still have to learn.

1. Join a sports team

In all the excitement of moving to a new country, finding a place to live and meeting friends, exercise is easily forgotten. Before you know it, six months have passed and, to borrow a phrase from P G Wodehouse, you're starting to look as if you were poured into your suit and forgot to say "when". There are so many sports teams and clubs in Abu Dhabi – from football and squash to softball and dragon boating – so just take your pick and dive in. People talk about the "Dubai stone". Believe me, the "Abu Dhabi stone" is very real, too.

2. Find time to walk every day

Discover the side streets of Madinat Zayed. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Discover the side streets of Madinat Zayed. Chris Whiteoak / The National

With so many taxis on the roads, it’s tempting to wobble from your apartment block straight into the back of a cab. Don’t. Despite the heat, Abu Dhabi is actually a city that rewards walking. The side streets around Madinat Zayed, for example, are full of tea shops, cobblers, butchers and bakers that you’d easily miss in a car. Travelling by taxi also makes you feel as though you are in a rush all the time, as the drivers battle one-way systems, traffic lights and jams.

3. Always carry cash

If you do decide to take a cab, though, remember to carry cash. In my experience, none of the drivers in Abu Dhabi accept cards. They also tend to carry very limited change (offering a Dh100 note for a Dh35 journey often leads to pained expressions and vigorous shaking of the head), so make sure you hoard those smaller denominations.

4. Remember less is more when it comes to brunch

You'll hear plenty of stories of epic Friday afternoon brunches and the occasional one to let off steam is certainly no bad thing. But there is something slightly odd about some expats' obsession with paying hundreds of dirhams every weekend for the privilege of stuffing oneself in a four-hour binge with piles of sushi, barbecued meat, puddings and cheese – often all on the same plate. Make like the long-term residents and locals instead, and ease into a long lunch with some friends.

5. Try and resist the Reem Island stampede

When you arrive in Abu Dhabi, everyone will tell you to find an apartment on Reem Island. I can understand why – a lot of people live there and the facilities in all the tower blocks are exceptional. But did you really move all this way for access to a Waitrose and a nice pool? For your first year at least, resist the Reem Island stampede and try somewhere like Khalidiya, where you will be surrounded by cheaper restaurants, fabric shops and food markets – or, to put it another way, real life.

Think of the summer as your chance to make good on decades of lapsed promises to learn a language, take up the piano, etc.

6. Embrace the summer

It's tempting to put a red ring around "October 1" in your diary, turn up the air-conditioning and log in to Netflix. Approach it more positively – you may never again have so much free time. Think of the summer as your chance to make good on decades of lapsed promises to learn a language, take up the piano, etc. There are art classes and classic film programmes at Manarat Al Saadiyat and plenty of summer activities and exhibitions at Louvre Abu Dhabi and NYU Abu Dhabi.

7. Eat in these restaurants

Bonna Anne, Al Liwan, Moti Mahal and Dragon Bao Bao.

8. Explore the other emirates

There is more to the UAE than Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Don't get stuck. Venture into Ras Al Khaimah's rugged mountains, enjoy a weekend of diving in Fujairah or explore Sharjah's world-class art museums. 

9. Use public transport

City buses start at just Dh2. Victor Besa / The National
City buses start at just Dh2. Victor Besa / The National

One of my colleagues admitted recently that it took her an hour-and-a-half by bus to get from her apartment block to the office. So I’m not advocating using the buses for the daily commute (although at Dh2 a journey, you might think it’s worth the hassle). But, if you need to get to Dubai, for example, there are air-conditioned buses every 10 to 20 minutes from Abu Dhabi Central Bus station, which take you right into the centre of the city – and only cost Dh25. A taxi might easily cost you 10 times that.

10. Get The Entertainer app

This should be the first thing you do when you arrive in Abu Dhabi. Dozens of restaurants and bars offer discounts or two-for-one deals for customers with The Entertainer. It costs Dh495 for the year but after one or two meals out with friends, you'll have recouped that cost. After that, it's all plain saving.

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

Joe Root's Test record

Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27

The biog

Siblings: five brothers and one sister

Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota

Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym

Favourite place: UAE

Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera

What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Intercontinental Cup

Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19

Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Timeline

1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line

1962
250 GTO is unveiled

1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company

1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens

1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made

1987
F40 launched

1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent

2002
The Enzo model is announced

2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi

2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled

2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives

2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company

2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street

2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary

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Match info

Deccan Gladiators 87-8

Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16

Maratha Arabians 89-2

Chadwick Walton 51 not out

Arabians won the final by eight wickets

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.