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Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi

Al Riyadah Street, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi

Description

Qaṣr Al-Waṭan ("Palace of the Nation" in Arabic) is the UAE's presidential palace, it is used for meetings of the country's supreme council and federal cabinet but has also been opened to public visits since 2019. The sprawling white facade is made of white granite and limestone and the spectacular "Great Hall" is adorned by a chandelier with 350,000 pieces of crystal and topped by a dome 37m in diameter. The Eastern Wing dubbed the "House of Knowledge" contains a library with over 50,000 books and a number of artefacts as well as gifts from visiting officials from foreign countries. The Western Wing is reserved for official functions.

Access & Transport

Address: Al Ras Al Akhdar - Abu Dhabi The Palace is at the very western end of the main island of Abu Dhabi, west of the Corniche. Buses 9, 34, 69 stop there.

Instructions & Recommendations

The light and sound Palace in Motion Show is at 19h30 in front of the palace (last entry at 19h00) and ticket cost AED25/12

Meta review

It has only opened to the public in 2019 but since then the Palace has garnered many travel awards as one of the top sights in the Middle East region. Online comments highlight systematically how stunning and luxuriously decorated the building is. There are also a few dissonant reviews from travellers who wonder why a government building would need to be so extravagant and ostentatious.

Environmental & Social

No environment data available but a building of this scale would have a very substantial footprint (construction and ongoing operations) and was built by foreign labour working under difficult conditions

Conclusion

Qasr Al Watan is now one of the emirate's and UAE's very top touristic sights and is sure to dazzle. It may not have the best environmental & social pedigree but opening to public visits actually "amortizes" that impact somewhat.

Key positive

Visually spectacular, the Great Hall in particular

Key negative

Expensive entrance fees for a government building

Suitability

Accessible for visitors with reduced mobility

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

May 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Operating hours change depending on the seasons

av. transport time:0h 25m

est. visit time:1h 30m

Regulated hours

Monday11:00 - 18:30

Tuesday11:00 - 18:30

Wednesday11:00 - 18:30

Thursday11:00 - 18:30

Friday11:00 - 18:30

Saturday11:00 - 18:30

Sunday11:00 - 18:30

Pricing
Age band
Age band
Regular price / pers.
Senior
65 - 99
AED 65
Adult
18 - 64
AED 65
Child
4 - 17
AED 30
Infant
0 - 3
AED 0

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