Abu Dhabi Beach Guide

Built on a series of islands, Abu Dhabi offers a choice of public and mainly private beaches. The latter are maintained by several 5-star hotels and offer facilities available to both guests and beach club members; membership is available to anyone for a small fee.

The best beaches in Abu Dhabi include the following.

Emirates Palace Beach – Pick your own spot to sunbathe and swim on the sun-bleached white sands of this 1.3km-long private beach that sweeps around a small cove facing the impressive Emirates Palace resort.

The beach (with sand imported from Algeria) gently shelves into the warm waters of the Persian Gulf and offers a choice of water sports including sailing, windsurfing, sea kayaking and jet skiing. Sunbathe on the soft sands, relax on a sun lounger in the shade of a parasol and enjoy a range of creature comforts at this multi-billion dollar resort.

Facilities include two large swimming pools complete with swim-up bar, separate areas for adults and children and an adventure pool equipped with water slides, waterfalls and a river.

Hiltona Beach – Unwind on the white sands of this 400m-long private beach that is also open to non-hotel guests during weekdays (but not on holidays or weekends). Managed by the Hiltona Beach Club, facilities include umbrellas, parasols, changing rooms, toilets, a café and several swimming pools.

Water sports include windsurfing, water skiing, sailing, kayaking and fishing. The beach club lies just across the Corniche from the Hilton Hotel, which offers a range of creature comforts.

Corniche Beach – Pick your own spot to relax on this 2km-long white-sand beach that sits between the calm waters of the Arabian Sea and the Corniche, a 6km-long coastal road that runs parallel to the ocean.

Flanked by several water fountains and palm-ringed gardens, facilities on this public beach include umbrellas, sun loungers, water and snack dispensers, lifeguards, children’s playgrounds, beach volleyball courts, a cycle track and picnic areas. A central building houses toilets, changing rooms, a mosque and a choice of cafes and restaurants.