A Family Itinerary in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

An itinerary in the United Arab Emirates for a couple plus three kids in September 2022 (a long weekend, Tuesday to Sunday). Five nights in the UAE, split into 2 nights in Dubai and 3 nights in Abu Dhabi.

Written by: Asaf Polak

Outbound flight with flydubai, our first time and surely not the last. It’s supposedly a low-cost airline, but it really doesn’t feel like one: they serve a hot meal and water at no extra charge, and you pay extra only for luggage and seat selection. We left on time with no delay, and the seats are very comfortable and roomy, with a personal screen for each passenger.

Landing in Dubai, car rental through Hertz (we booked a family Toyota and got a free upgrade to a Toyota SUV), and arrival at the hotel Radisson blu canal, located Downtown, 5 minutes from the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall.

A tip from the Check In Out team: Booking a rental car in advance is recommended and will save you the hassle of comparing prices and finding a reliable rental agency during your trip.
We’ve written a whole article with tips on renting a car abroad.

We chose the hotel mainly for its location and attractive price (about 1,200 ILS, roughly 300 euros) for a family suite including breakfast, and it even has a pool with a nice view that we managed to use a little. Overall the hotel is clean and functional, with a huge room divided in two, and good service. No complaints.

A Family Itinerary in Dubai

First Day in Dubai: Sky Views Observatory

We debated whether to go up to the Burj Khalifa observation deck or to Sky Views. In the end I decided on Sky Views, from which you see the Burj Khalifa and all of Downtown. You go up to the 52nd floor, where there’s a glass floor and a 360-degree view. The visit includes a glass slide attraction: nice, nothing more.

After that we ate at Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant (Jamie’s Italian) in The Dubai Mall and watched the fountain show.

Second Day in Dubai

We started at the Dubai Frame: very impressive. You go up to the top and get a lovely view of new Dubai facing old Dubai. From there we drove to The View at The Palm, a tower from which you look out over the artificial island built in the shape of a palm tree, with a museum and explanations about this monster project.

From there, for lack of time, we didn’t go intothe Museum of the Future, but we had to see its famous ring. The easiest way to stop for nice photos is at the entrance to the Emirates Towers hotel: you stop at the entrance and take your photos.

>> If you’re planning to visit Dubai and want to go into the Museum of the Future (highly recommended), buy tickets in advance to avoid the lines. Click here for prices and tickets.

From there we continued to the aquarium in The Dubai Mall. You must buy tickets online: the price difference is more than 50%! Very nice for kids.

We finished with dinner at Hard Rock Cafe Dubai. Recommended for fans of the genre; we eat at Hard Rock wherever there’s one, we really love it.

Click here for more recommendations for a holiday with kids in Dubai.

A Family Itinerary in Abu Dhabi

First Day in Abu Dhabi

A very easy drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi by car, an hour and a quarter. We arrived at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi’s island of theme parks, and checked in atthe Warner Bros. hotel by Hilton, a hotel right next to the Warner Bros. park and the water park.

An excellent hotel: clean and modern, and the rooms were ready as soon as we arrived in the morning. We took 2 rooms with a connecting door, very spacious rooms. Every room has bathrobes, an espresso machine and all the treats you’d expect from a 5-star hotel. The hotel has 3 pools, and the main pool has a huge screen showing short cartoons with all the Warner Bros. characters. There’s also an adults-only rooftop infinity pool. Life-size characters from the Warner Bros. cartoons walk around the hotel all day for photos with the kids.

For every night you stay at the hotel, each guest gets free entry to one of the 3 nearby parks. That’s why we came for 3 nights, so we could experience all the parks. Note that the Warner Bros. park and the water park are next to the hotel, a 5-minute walk away, and only Ferrari World requires getting there by car or taxi.

On the day we arrived we started with Ferrari World, which honestly we’d had doubts about: was it worth it, given that my girls are fairly young and not brave at all? We understood that most of the park is roller coasters, but we very quickly noticed that there are lots of rides for little ones too. It was simply a delight, and without noticing we spent 4 or 5 hours there.

If you’re coming by car, the easiest way is to park at Yas Mall, which has direct access to the park.

Second Day in Abu Dhabi

We got up ready and organized to go to the Warner Bros. park, and then discovered it only opens at 12. So we decided to drive to show the girls the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the largest, most magnificent and most impressive mosques in the world. Because we’d already visited it before, we only went to its amazing viewpoint, Wahat Al Karama, which is actually a memorial and heritage site for fallen soldiers, laid out like an amphitheater with a pool in the middle, with the mosque right opposite.

It’s a perfect viewpoint for the mosque, especially with its reflection in the water. Free entry and free parking.

After that we finally got to the Warner Bros. park.

It’s one of the largest indoor theme parks in the world. The park is divided into themed lands, and each land has rides classified as family-friendly as well as fast rides for adults and the brave.

A huge, very well-designed, clean park, and a paradise for kids. We spent 6 hours there and went back to the hotel tired and happy.

In the evening we strolled a little along the Yas Island promenade, called Yas Bay Waterfront.

The promenade has several restaurants and nice spots for photos on the waterfront, such as the giant astronaut statue and the diver statue. We ate at Central, a cool American diner-style restaurant with video games and bowling inside, and the highlight is its huge, decadent milkshakes.

Third Day in Abu Dhabi

The last park left was the water park, next to the hotel. A huge water park with lots of slides and areas for every age and of every kind, and the best part is that the water isn’t freezing but really pleasant. The park also has a huge wave pool, a calm lazy river and a 5D movie.

We spent 4 or 5 hours there and went back to the hotel pool for a while.

In the evening, the easiest option for families is the food court at Yas Mall, with all the fast-food chains. All that’s left is for everyone to choose what they want.