The presidential palace opened it’s doors to the public this year (March 2019), so if you happen to be in Abu Dhabi you will be one of the first to see it! It’s views inside and out are stunning and you can roam around by yourself. No one actually lives in the palace, instead it is used for people to work there. Here are some tips:

Buy tickets beforehand

You can either buy tickets for the palace and gardens, this costs about 15€ per person (60 AED), or just for the garden for around 6€ (25 AED). I would reccommend getting a ticket to see everything, if you are already there you may as well have the whole experience! Buying tickets beforehand always means you jump a queue, and if you go there early it means it will be quieter whilst everyone else is queuing.

There is no dress code

Unlike the mosque in Abu Dhabi, where woman have to wear Abayas (you can find my post here), there isn’t a dress code here. I generally wore longer trousers or skirts in Abu Dhabi out of respect for their culture, but we did see some people wear short skirts or shorts as well.

You can visit the library before going in the Palace

You get in a little bus to drive to the palace and just before you get out, the driver will ask if you want to see the library. We didn’t get out, however when you go into the palace and walk straight down you can see the library through the door anyway. We personally didn’t find it that aesthetically interesting and were happy to see it also from the palace anyway. If you are interested in historic books then it may be interesting for you to get out and have a look!

Have your camera ready for the grand entrance

Make sure you have your camera ready for a video!! Wait until no one is going in and then step towards the doors. I was soooo annoyed as I had my camera ready and it was only till we were inside did I realise that I hadn’t pressed film! It is honestly so stunning to see them open these big doors to reveal the glamour that lies inside. It makes you feel like a proper princess.

Have a look at the bathrooms too

This may sound odd but I found it really interesting seeing the bathrooms here, and also in Emirates Palace. They are soooo fancy and very clean! Be sure to have a look.

As I said before, you get driven in a bus through the palace grounds. It is also like a short tour where they talk about the history of the building. There are also rooms containng a lot of history so you can learn something too!

Any other questions? Leave me a comment below!