Abu Dhabi Day Trip From Dubai by Car: Route, Timing and Parking

The E11 route, an hour-by-hour plan for the Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan and the Louvre, Darb and Salik tolls, parking at every stop and a rental car's mileage limit.

An Abu Dhabi day trip from Dubai is the easiest way to see a second emirate without changing hotels. The capital is about an hour and a half away by road, and its three best-known sights — Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan and Louvre Abu Dhabi — fit into one day if you start early and book ahead.

A guided tour runs on someone else's timetable. A car gives you your own pace and room for children and bags — but also tolls, parking and speed cameras that work differently from Dubai. This guide covers all three.

Prices and opening hours checked on 14 October 2026

Prices checked on 14 October 2026.

If you travel alone and don't enjoy motorway driving, a tour is simpler. From two people up — especially with children — the car is more comfortable and usually cheaper, because one rental is shared while tours are priced per person.

The main Dubai to Abu Dhabi road is the E11 (Sheikh Zayed Road on the Dubai side). The commonly quoted distance from Dubai to Abu Dhabi is 140 km; our own Google Maps measurements:

• Out: Dubai Mall → Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at 7:30 — 127 km, about 1 h 40 min.

• Back: Louvre Abu Dhabi → Dubai Mall at 18:00 — 135 km, 1 h 15 min–1 h 50 min.

Rush hours are 07:00–09:00 and 17:00–19:00, hence the wide evening range. Thirty minutes from Dubai, the Last Exit food-truck park is a convenient coffee stop. The E311 is an alternative that avoids toll gates, but we didn't measure it — check the time in your navigation app.

The limit on the Abu Dhabi stretch of the E11 is 140 km/h, and Abu Dhabi has no unpenalised 20 km/h buffer: cameras can fine you from the first km/h over. If a fine does arrive, here's how to check traffic fines online.

The Dubai part of the route passes Salik gates. Since 1 June 2026 (with VAT) a gate costs AED 6.30 at peak (06:00–10:00 and 16:00–20:00) and AED 4.20 off-peak; Sundays are a flat AED 4.20. Both a 7:30 departure and an 18:00 return fall into peak time.

Abu Dhabi's toll system, Darb, reads number plates automatically — no tag needed. It has six gates:

• Four bridge gates (Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Khalifa, Al Maqtaa, Mussafah): AED 4 only Monday–Saturday 07:00–09:00 and 15:00–19:00; free on Sundays and public holidays.

• Two road gates — Ghantoot on the E11 near the Dubai border and Al Qurm on Wahat Al Karama Street: AED 4 per crossing 24/7 since 4 May 2026.

There is no longer a daily cap, so every crossing is paid. On this route you cross the Ghantoot Darb toll gate twice; bridge gates or Al Qurm depend on the route and time.

Private cars from other emirates need a Darb account. In a Rentico car you register nothing: Darb is charged like Salik — the actual toll plus a AED 1.50 fee per crossing, after the rental. Two Ghantoot crossings come to AED 11.

Three sights plus three hours of driving make a full day; with young children, pick two.

• 07:30 — leave Dubai Mall.

• ~09:10–11:00 — Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

• 11:30–13:00 — Qasr Al Watan.

• 13:00–14:30 — lunch on the Corniche or near Emirates Palace.

• 15:00–17:30 — Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island.

• ~18:00 — drive back.

On a public holiday, hours and toll rules change — check the UAE public holidays calendar.

Open 09:00–20:30 Saturday–Thursday; on Friday 09:00–11:30 and 14:30–20:30. Pre-book the online access pass. Since September 2026 tourists pay AED 10, Emirates ID holders AED 5, visitors 60+ enter free.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque dress code: long, loose, ankle-length clothing for men and women, plus a headscarf for women. No food or drinks inside, including water.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque parking is in the southern car parks by the visitor entrances; it's free, and electric carts take you to the start of the visit.

Open 10:00–17:00. Tickets from AED 65 for adults and AED 30 for children aged 4–17; the ticket includes free parking and a shuttle. Cover knees and shoulders.

Galleries open Monday–Thursday 10:00–18:30 and Friday–Sunday 10:00–20:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing. Adults pay AED 70; under-18s enter free. Louvre Abu Dhabi parking: the visitor car park (self-parking) is free for museum visitors and open 07:00–midnight, with no overnight parking; paid valet is available at Gate 1.

With kids instead of the Louvre? Yas Island (Ferrari World, Yas Marina Circuit) deserves its own day — it's not a quick add-on.

Outside the mosque and palace car parks — for lunch on the Corniche, say — you use Mawaqif public parking:

Pay in the Darb app or by SMS to 3009 (`AUH[category] [plate] [S/P] [hours]`). Match the zone code to the kerb colour: paying Standard in a Premium bay counts as underpayment. Rules differ from Dubai — compare with our guide to parking in Dubai.

• Mileage. Rentico includes 250 km a day, counted over the whole rental. The whole route is about 296 km: 127 km out, 19.8 km Mosque → Qasr Al Watan, 3.8 km to the Corniche, 10.8 km to the Louvre and 135 km back. A one-day rental goes about 46 km over the allowance — at AED 1–3 per extra km (rate shown in the agreement), roughly AED 46–139. A two-day rental (500 km) covers the trip with margin.

• Tolls. Salik and Darb: actual toll + AED 1.50 per crossing.

• Fuel. A 2024 Kia Sportage with a 2.0-litre petrol engine uses about 7–8 l/100 km on UAE motorways, so the 296 km day takes roughly 21–24 litres. Return the car at the pickup level, or pay AED 5 per litre plus a AED 20 fee.

• Delivery. Free within Dubai when rental charges exceed AED 1,000, otherwise AED 99. Flying out of Abu Dhabi? Return at AUH airport for AED 349.

• Documents. Licence and passport, plus an International Driving Permit if your licence requires one.

An Abu Dhabi day trip from Dubai works if you leave early, book ahead and don't try to see everything. A car makes the day more flexible, especially with children — just plan for the Ghantoot gate, parking and mileage. Next, try a day trip to Al Ain by car.