Seven days is where a Dubai trip stops being a checklist and becomes a holiday, and it is the length that lets Abu Dhabi be a night rather than a dash. This is the plan our 7 Days Dubai Abu Dhabi Luxury Escape and the 7 Days Dubai Abu Dhabi Luxury Honeymoon follow: four nights in Dubai, two in Abu Dhabi, with the drive between them and the choice of flying home from either airport.
The shape of the week
| Day | Base | The day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai | Arrive, Dubai Mall and the fountain |
| 2 | Dubai | Burj Khalifa, Museum of the Future, the Marina |
| 3 | Dubai | Old Dubai on the creek, the desert safari |
| 4 | Dubai | The Palm, Jumeirah, Ain Dubai |
| 5 | Abu Dhabi | Drive down, Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Corniche |
| 6 | Abu Dhabi | Yas Island: Ferrari World, or Warner Bros. World and Yas Waterworld |
| 7 | Qasr Al Watan or the Heritage Village, fly home from Abu Dhabi or drive back to Dubai |
Days 1 to 4: Dubai
The Dubai days are the 5 day Dubai itinerary with the departure day removed: the fountain on the first evening, the Burj Khalifa and Museum of the Future on the second day, the creek and the desert on the third, the Palm and the coast on the fourth. Stay Downtown or in Business Bay for these four nights; the drive to Abu Dhabi starts from there.
Day 5: the drive and the Grand Mosque
- 8 am: leave Dubai on the E11. The drive is 90 minutes to the mosque, on a private car in every plan here.
- 10 am: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Entry is free but timed; register online the day before. Dress code is covered arms and legs for everyone and a headscarf for women; abayas are lent at the entrance. The white marble is at its best before noon, and again at sunset when the lighting turns the domes blue. Two hours.
- 1 pm: lunch on Saadiyat island, then the Louvre Abu Dhabi (about AED 63, ₹1,650), the dome's rain of light over the galleries; 90 minutes is enough for the highlights.
- Evening: check into the Abu Dhabi hotel, the Corniche walk at sunset, dinner on the waterfront. Abu Dhabi is quieter than Dubai after 9 pm; the Corniche and the Marina Mall are where the evening is.
Day 6: Yas Island
Yas Island has three theme parks on one road, so the day is a choice, not a route:
- Ferrari World (about AED 350, ₹9,000): Formula Rossa, the fastest roller coaster in the world, and enough rides for a full day. The choice for adults and teenagers.
- Warner Bros. World (about AED 350): fully indoor, air-conditioned, the choice for children under 12 and for summer.
- Yas Waterworld (about AED 300): the waterpark, best in the warmer months.
Two-park tickets exist and are worth it only for a family splitting up. Finish at Yas Mall or the Yas Bay waterfront for dinner.
Day 7: the palace and home
Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace (about AED 65), opens at 10 am and takes two hours; the Heritage Village on the breakwater is the free alternative with the old fort and the boat builders. Then either the flight home from Abu Dhabi airport, 30 minutes from Yas, or the drive back to Dubai for a late flight. IndiGo, Etihad and Air India fly Abu Dhabi to Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai non-stop, so an open-jaw ticket (into Dubai, out of Abu Dhabi) costs about the same as a return and saves the 90-minute drive.
The family version
The 8 Days Dubai Abu Dhabi Family Escape adds a day so that Aquaventure in Dubai and Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi both fit, with a free afternoon between the two big days. Children under 12 pay a lower rate on the package and at every park.
The honeymoon version
The 7 Days Dubai Abu Dhabi Luxury Honeymoon keeps the same week but changes the rooms: a Palm or Jumeirah beach resort for the Dubai nights, a Saadiyat beach resort in Abu Dhabi, a Marina dhow dinner and a private desert dinner in place of the shared safari camp. The Dubai honeymoon guide covers the hotel choice in detail.
What seven days costs
The 7 Days Dubai Creek Ski Slope Escape, which stays in Dubai throughout and swaps Abu Dhabi for the creek and Ski Dubai, starts at ₹69,817 per person on the land package; the Abu Dhabi luxury week is ₹1,16,599. With the flight, visa and about ₹35,000 of meals, tickets and spending over seven days, the Dubai-only week is about ₹1.3 lakh per person and the Abu Dhabi luxury week about ₹1.8 lakh. The full cost breakdown has each line.
Should you base in Dubai or Abu Dhabi?
For a week, split it as above: four nights in Dubai for the city, two in Abu Dhabi for the mosque and Yas. For five days, stay in Dubai and do Abu Dhabi as a long day trip. The full comparison is in Dubai vs Abu Dhabi. Every plan is on the Dubai tour packages page, and a planner adjusts the days to your flight times before the quote is sent.
