This Middle Eastern Hub Is A Lively City With World-Class Museums, Desert Dunes, And Thrilling Theme Parks

Gleaming in the light of the ferocious Arabian sun, the glass-walled skyscrapers that shine across the Abu Dhabi skyline separate lapping sea and golden dunes. The capital city of the United Arab Emirates comes with all the same trappings that earned neighboring Dubai its reputation as an unbelievably lavish destination: ambitious modern architecture, ultra-luxury resorts, millionaire-frequented megamalls, and ATMs that dispense solid gold bars. However, Abu Dhabi isn't all flash. It's packed with fascinating museums, glorious mosques, outdoor adventure options, and family-friendly theme parks, perfect for travelers on a whistle-stop layover tour.

As the home base of the high-end air carrier Etihad, Abu Dhabi is frequently visited on a quick stopover hop. It's an ideal connection option, with direct flight routes connecting the Emirati capital to five U.S. hubs and countless dreamy long-haul destinations in Asia and Australia. Its airport, Zayed International, lacks the ostentation of Dubai International's, the luxurious airport with the largest first class lounge in the world, but you won't want to spend too much time hanging around the runways anyway.

It's such a common layover destination that the airline has included it in its free stopover program: You can book a one- or two-night package with either a three-star or four-star hotel included, meaning you can book a more affordable one-stop route without having to waste a moment of your vacation. The airport is close to the city center, so you can set straight out for an action-packed day of activities, catering to culturally minded travelers, thrill seekers, and luxury lovers alike.

Away from the glitz and the glamour of the cloud-tickled high rises and the opulent resorts, you can delve deeper under the surface of Abu Dhabi's art scene, history, and religion on a culturally inspired city tour. The city is home to exceptional museums, none better known than the Louvre Abu Dhabi, one of the UAE's top tourist attractions. An architectural masterwork, the Louvre's overarching steel dome serves as a celestial canopy, patterned with 7,850 intricate metal stars. Within its striking walls, the museum's exhibitions are designed to take visitors on a journey through the shared history of humanity, a narrative interspersed with artistic masterworks and medieval treasures. The Louvre Abu Dhabi will soon be joined by another famous name, with the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi due to open in 2025.

For a more geographically focused historic excursion, head to the Heritage Village. A reconstruction of an old-world Arabian village, you can step back into a time before the city was even conceptualized. It contains a souk, a mosque, and a Bedouin encampment. Alternatively, you can visit one of the city's many contemporary souks, bazaars perfumed by heady ouds and burlap sacks of brightly-hued spices.

Abu Dhabi's greatest modern marvels are essential itinerary add-ons: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Qasr Al Watan. The former is a marble megalith — underlaid by over 1,000 columns, capped with 82 Mughal domes, and flanked by 350-foot-high minarets, the mosque is a white and gold paragon of Islamic art and architecture. The latter, an opulent palatial complex of ivory facades, is a resplendent tribute to the cultural heritage and irreplicable artistry of Arabia.

If you'd rather keep your heart racing for the duration of your stopover you've got two options. You can go the traditional route, rocketing down gigantic dunes and riding camelback through the wilderness. Or, you can take the modern approach, making the most of Abu Dhabi's cutting-edge theme parks.

Heading out into the vast desert sands that surround the young metropolis, you'll quickly leave the high rises in the rear-view mirror of your 4x4. Dune bashing is a popular pastime in Abu Dhabi, a roller coaster built by Mother Nature that sends you skidding down the desert sands. You can also pick up equipment in the city to try your hand at sandboarding — surfing on golden slopes — or you can settle in a humpback saddle and let a camel caravan guide your path across the UAE's Empty Quarter.

Those who prefer to get their thrills cityside can explore the world-class theme parks in Abu Dhabi. Board the world's fastest coaster for an unbelievably exhilarating ride over the vast Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, a massive park dedicated to the Italian racing brand and its high-speed ethos. Here, the whole family can emulate their Formula One favorites by racing around the go-karting track and adrenaline junkies can turn their stomachs on their sides by facing the Flying Aces ride, which has the world's tallest non-inverted loop. Right next door, you can follow up with a tour through movie history at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. Here, you can fly over Gotham City on a Batman-themed coaster, splash into prehistory on the Flintstones' river ride, or unmask the mysteries pursued by the Scooby Doo crew.