Corniche & Emirates Palace

The details

Duration

About 4 hours

Basis

Private: your own vehicle, up to 7

Vehicle

Kia Carnival or similar with driver-guide

Pickup

Your hotel lobby (pickup included)

Cancellation

Free up to 7 days before travel; rescheduling always free

Confirmation

By a person, by email

Effort

Easy: suitable for all

Payment

Pay by card when you book

Support

Our team, by email, before your day

Operator

Meydan Free Zone-licensed, Dubai

About the operator

Meydan Free Zone-licensed, Dubai · Our team, by email, before your day

Your day, stop by stop

1. 1

   15:00 · Pickup, heading for the water

   Your driver-guide collects you in the Mercedes-Benz V-Class in the mid-afternoon (deliberately, so the light improves as the tour unfolds). The Corniche is minutes from most city hotels. First, the story: this shoreline was the pearl-diving economy before oil, and the whole city faces it.

2. 2

   15:20 · The Corniche, end to end

   Eight kilometres of waterfront promenade, gardens and beach, driven with stops wherever the view or the mood demands. You can walk any stretch you like (the cycle track and footpath run the whole length) while the V-Class leapfrogs ahead. Your guide points out what the towers replaced.

3. 3

   16:15 · The breakwater and the flag

   At the western end, the breakwater juts into the Gulf beneath one of the country's great flagpoles. This is the definitive Abu Dhabi skyline photograph: the whole Corniche curve in one frame. Late afternoon puts the sun behind you, which is exactly why we scheduled it now.

4. 4

   16:45 · Coffee at Emirates Palace

   Then coffee beneath the domes of Emirates Palace, where the signature cappuccino arrives dusted with real gold flakes. Smart-casual and modest dress gets you in; we arrange the table. Allow a full hour. The building rewards wandering, and the interiors out-gild most palaces that house actual royalty.

5. 5