The Cultural District's museums on one stretch of Jacques Chirac Street: pick one or two for a long visit and see the rest from outside.
Best time: Morning, when the museums open (see each museum's hours). Walk from November to March. From May to September midday heat is dangerous, so walk only in the early morning.
Walk under the dome; allow 2 h+ for the galleries.
Jean Nouvel's museum (opened November 2017) under a 7,000-tonne perforated dome made of 7,850 aluminium stars that lets filtered sunlight fall on the galleries and the sea…
The national museum; climb the external hill for views; 2 h+ if visiting inside.
The UAE's national museum (opened 3 December 2025) in Foster + Partners' falcon-wing towers: about 1,500 artefacts on display, including an 18 m Bronze Age boat replica and…
Mosque, church and synagogue on one plinth; ~45 min.
David Adjaye's interfaith campus (opened 2023) with a mosque, a church and the UAE's first public synagogue, each a 30 m cube on a shared plinth that holds the visitor centre.
Dinosaurs and a blue whale; 2 h+ if visiting inside.
Opened 22 November 2025, it tells Earth's story from the Big Bang with a focus on Arabia; highlights include 'Stan' the T. rex, a 25 m blue whale skeleton, a Murchison meteorite…
The Cultural District's exhibition centre: it hosts temporary shows including the annual Abu Dhabi Art fair and the 'Saadiyat Experience' exhibition on the island's development…
