Abu Dhabi Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

The capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi is a place of great architectural beauty and a rich historical and cultural past. During your visit, you can visit iconic sites such as the Grand Mosque and the Royal Palace, tour the Etihad Gallery of Modern Art, stroll through its monumental shopping malls, relax on its beaches, and more.

A good option to enjoy the best things to do in Abu Dhabi during your stay is the tourist bus. You can tour the city on a daytime audio-guided sightseeing tour, hopping on and off as many times as you like along the circuit, so you can visit the destinations of interest to you.

Abu Dhabi 's Big Bus is the best way to explore the capital of the United Arab Emirates at your own pace. From the first floor of an open-top bus you'll experience a panoramic tour of the city, while listening to an audio guide with information about each destination. You can hop on and off at your convenience to visit the places that have caught your attention.

This hop-on, hop-off tour, considered one of the best tours in Abu Dhabi, is operated by Big Bus Tours Ltd. It runs during the day and offers two routes (the red route with about 14 stops and the green route which incorporates access to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Royal Palace). Tickets are valid for a period of 24 or 48 hours, depending on which route you choose.

Along the Abu Dhabi Big Bus tour, you will have the opportunity to see the city from a different perspective. You will see the towering skyscrapers, building facades, parks, monuments and much more. Stroll around the outskirts of the Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi Mall, Al Bahar Beach, Etihad Modern Art Gallery, the waterfront, and more.

Abu Dhabi Sightseeing Buses offer two different routes (the Red Route and the Green Route) that will get you around the city without any hassle. You can take a sightseeing tour, hop on and off the bus at the designated stops (approx. 14) to visit the attractions, access the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the Presidential Palace. All depending on the selected ticket.

Red Route

The Abu Dhabi Red Bus Tour Route consists of a complete circuit around the city with a total of 14 stops, where you can hop off indefinitely to explore the surrounding area and then hop back on another bus to continue your tour.

The designated stops include the following:

• Stop 1 (Abu Dhabi Mall), in the city centre. This is the starting point for both routes.
• Stop 2 (Louvre Museum) opened in 2017, it has an important collection of modern and ancient art.
• Stop 3 (Abu Dhabi Corniche), an area about 8 kilometres long with footpaths, beaches, restaurants and more.
• Stop 4 (Public Beach), noted for its natural scene and lively atmosphere.
• Stop 5(Al Bahar Beach), with fine sand and turquoise waters.
• Stop 6(Heritage Village), where you'll feel like you've stepped back in time thanks to the detailed work done to reconstruct a traditional village in the city.
• Stop 7(Marina Mall) is a large shopping mall that has been in town since 2001.

There are also other places to stop off at:

• Stop 8 (Bay view), a restaurant with a privileged view of Rotana Beach and the city.
• Stop 9(Founder Memorial), this is a place of great importance, as there is a monument that pays tribute to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
• Stop 10 (Emirates Palace Hotel), this imposing building surrounded by stunning natural scenery is located approximately 4 kilometres from the Qasr al-Hosn Fort.
• Stop 11 (Presidential Palace), a majestic building where the President of the UAE resides.
• Stop 12(Al Hosn Fort), built in 1761 and considered the oldest building in the city.
• Stop 13(World Trade Centre), a 381-metre-high skyscraper.
• Stop 14 (Etihad Gallery of Modern Art), with collections of modern art by local and international artists.

Green Route

With the Green Route of the Abu Dhabi Sightseeing Buses, you will enjoy the 14-stop circuit of the city available on the Red Route, and also have the opportunity to discover two destinations of historical and cultural significance. These are the Royal Palace in Abu Dhabi and the Grand Mosque. The latter was built on the orders of Sheikh Zayed, who during his lifetime was the founder of the United Arab Emirates.

This circuit will allow you to stroll around Yas Island, which is convenient if you plan to buy Ferrari World Abu Dhabi tickets, visit the Yas Waterworld, the Wahat Al Karama war memorial, among other attractions.

The Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus is a great way to explore the city at your own pace. You'll have the opportunity to make a complete circuit and see the essential destinations from a different perspective. You can also use the free stops to move from one attraction to another, avoiding long walks.

Whichever you choose, you will enjoy several of the advantages of the tour bus during the tour, including the following:

• You will save considerable time and money by being able to move around the city on the same bus ticket for 24 or 48 hours. You'll move quickly and safely to the busiest destinations, whether you've bought tickets to the Qasr Al Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi or you're thinking of going to one of the best theme parks in Abu Dhabi such as Yas Waterworld.
• You will get interesting facts about the city in terms of its history, architecture and culture. This is thanks to the audio guide available on the bus, which is usually available in several languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian, French, Russian and Arabic).
• You will learn to recognise the streets and locations of the different tourist destinations, making it easy to find your way around the city.
• You will enjoy unique perspectives of the city from the first floor of the bus. In fact, you'll be able to take some amazing photographs.

The full Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus tour may vary according to the route you select. If you take the red line circuit it could take approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, while if you take the green route, the duration time is at least 2 hours.

You should take into consideration that the above mentioned times for the Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus tours could be slightly extended. This is mainly due to the traffic conditions on the city streets, which vary according to the season (high or low) and the time of day.

Also, if you stop along the circuit to discover some attractions, for example, the Bay view to enjoy the view and gastronomy, or visit the oldest fort in the city because you bought tickets for Qasr Al Hosn in Abu Dhabi, you will end up extending the tour time considerably. In this sense, the length of the tour is entirely up to you.

The Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus tour is an adventure not to be missed, allowing you to see the city from a different perspective. Once you're on the first floor of the bus, just sit back, relax and enjoy your surroundings. You will be amazed by the urban and natural contrasts of the streets of the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Throughout the tour of this exotic city you will discover a magical atmosphere that combines the ancient with the modern. You will have the opportunity to contemplate the architectural richness of the place as you pass in front of the Etihad Towers complex and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. You will also see the imposing Abu Dhabi Mall, the Presidential Palace, the Emirates Palace Hotel, etc.

Other sights you will see from the Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus include the Louvre Museum, the Founders Monument and the Heritage Village. You'll pass along the Corniche promenade lined with restaurants, cafes and shops. You will also walk along the coastline, with beautiful natural scenery and calm blue waters that will take your breath away.

The complete circuit will allow you to see the city' s essential destinations. And, if you wish, you can make a few stops to explore each attraction in more depth. For example, buy tickets for the observation deck at the Etihad Tower Abu Dhabi and get a bird's eye view of the city, or perhaps visit the Ferrari theme park.

The price of access to the Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus depends on the type of pass you choose to purchase to embark on your tour of the city. You'll find the 24-hour ticket available , which usually starts at around €64 per person. Alternatively, the 48-hour pass is available from around €72 per person.

Each type of ticket offers reduced prices and even free entry, depending on your age. Then there are the combined options, which allow you to visit a couple of specific destinations.

24-hour classic ticket

This ticket is ideal if you're short on time, but want to take in the sights. You can do a full Red Route sightseeing tour with up to 14 free stops (from the Abu Dhabi Mall to the Etihad Gallery of Modern Art). The cost of the pass is around €64 (adults), about €41 (children aged 5-15) and free for children under 5.

48-hour Premium Ticket

With this ticket you can take the red route for two days, either to do the panoramic tour or to create your own itinerary thanks to the free stops. You'll also enjoy the green route which starts directly from the Abu Dhabi Mall to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosqueon Yas Island.

The 48-hour tickets are priced at around €72 for adults and approximately €46 for children aged 5 to 15. And, if you are travelling with children under 5, they are free.

Deluxe 48-hour ticket

The Abu Dhabi Sightseeing Bus Deluxe Ticket allows you to take a guided tour of the Grand Mosque and the Royal Palace in Abu Dhabi. These are two exclusive sites located about 40 minutes drive from Abu Dhabi Airport.

In addition to visiting these destinations, you will enjoy the classic and premium pass, i.e. the red route tour with free stops for two days and the green route. The value of the pass is approximately €84 per adult and about €61 per child (5-15 years). Meanwhile, children under the age of 5 are free of charge.

The red route of the Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus is available daily from 09:00 hours until 17:00 hours. The green route to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Yas Island is generally open from 12:00 noon until 4:30 pm.

You can head to Abu Dhabi Mall (Stop 1) to start either route. Buses on the red route run approximately every 30 minutes, while the green route takes around 40 minutes. Of course, these times vary according to traffic conditions in the city.

Ideally, you should start this tour as early as possible to make the most of your time. After this experience you can continue exploring the city. Perhaps join a desert safari from Abu Dhabi at night or connect with the Abu Dhabi airport transfer service in case your time in the city has come to an end.

How the Abu Dhabi sightseeing bus works is very simple. Once you purchase a 24 or 48 hour pass, you will receive a QR code in physical or digital format, which you will have to scan directly into the optical reader on the bus when you board it, thus activating the respective ticket. This will activate the respective ticket.

With the 24 and 48-hour pass you will have the possibility of taking the complete panoramic tour (red route) with indefinite stops. For example, you can pre-purchase tickets for the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi and stop at stop 2 to visit the Louvre, or perhaps stop at the Etihad Tower in Abu Dhabi and get a bird's eye view of the city.

Also, with the 48-hour pass, you will have access to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Presidential Palace (depending on the ticket purchased). However, you will only be able to visit these two destinations once.