Things to Do in Abu Dhabi · Landmarks & Attractions

Emirates Palace

The hotel that defined Gulf luxury — come for the gold cappuccino

Landmarks & Attractions ✓ Self-guided · No booking needed

📍 Location Corniche Road West End

🕒 Timings Hotel — open always; visitors enter via dining reservations or afternoon tea

🎟️ Entry Fee Free to enter with a dining booking; gold-flake cappuccino ~AED 75

⏱️ Duration 1–2 hours

🌅 Best Time Afternoon tea slot, then the gardens and facade at dusk

🚇 Getting There Taxi along the Corniche; grand driveway entrance

📖 About

Before the Burj Khalifa era, Emirates Palace (now managed by Mandarin Oriental) was the Gulf's defining statement: a kilometre-long palace hotel of 114 domes, 1,002 chandeliers and gardens the size of a district, built at a cost usually quoted in billions.

You don't need a room to experience it. Book afternoon tea or a café table and you're free to wander the great dome lobby, the marble corridors, and the terraces overlooking a private beach — the famous Palace Cappuccino arrives dusted with real 24-karat gold flakes, the city's most photographed coffee.

By night the facade glows through a slow spectrum of colours, best seen from the Corniche breakwater — pair the visit with Qasr Al Watan next door for a full "palaces of Abu Dhabi" afternoon.

⭐ Highlights

114 domes and a lobby that resets your definition of lobby
The 24-karat gold-flake Palace Cappuccino
Afternoon tea under the great dome
Gardens, fountains and a mile of private beachfront
Colour-washed facade after dark

💡 Insider Tips

Reserve the café or afternoon tea online — that reservation is your entry ticket.
Smart-casual dress; beachwear won't clear the door.
The full facade photo is from the Corniche breakwater across the water.
Check the in-house Erth restaurant if you want the Emirati fine-dining hidden gem.