10 Best Museums & Galleries in Abu Dhabi

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is one of the most impressive art museums in Abu Dhabi. Established on Saadiyat Island in 2017, it occupies a futuristic venue designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. More than 600 artworks are displayed across 23 permanent galleries, spanning a total of 8,000 square metres.

Around 300 works are loans from partnering French museums, including the Louvre, Palace of Versailles, and Musée d’Orsay. You can see Egyptian antiquities, Neolithic statues from Ain Ghazal, and Chinese ceremonial vases. The Louvre Abu Dhabi also has a dedicated children’s museum and hands-on workshops for those who want to improve their skills.

The Abu Dhabi Heritage Village is an open-air museum offering an immersive look into the UAE’s traditional desert life. The recreated complex has all the elements you’d find in a traditional village, including a mosque, a souq (street market), falaj (irrigation channel), and several barasti (houses).

There are craftspeople working on ancient practices like pottery, metalwork, and glassblowing in the village. The Abu Dhabi Heritage Village is a world away from Abu Dhabi’s modern landscape, making it a great place for families and those who want to see a different side of the city.

The Zayed Heritage Center commemorates the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates. It’s a small yet informative museum on Baynounah Street, just south of the Marsa Al Bateen Marina.

The Zayed Heritage Center has several galleries showcasing a wide range of artefacts, including the founder’s photographs, hunting rifles, and vehicles. There’s also an exhibit dedicated to the Abu Dhabi police force, plus an onsite theatre showing a documentary about the late UAE founder.

Manarat Al Saadiyat has been a staple of Abui Dhabi’s art scene since 2009. Located on Saadiyat Island, the museum occupies a 15,400-square-metre space with multiple galleries, an auditorium, a theatre, and an open-air terrace. Visit in the evening to see the building’s honeycomb lattice façade illuminated in colourful lights.

Displays at Manarat Al Saadiyat mostly focus on photography and multimedia art, including film, music, animation, and games. A team of creatives often hosts workshops for those interested in learning a new skill during their visit.

The Emirates National Auto Museum attracts car enthusiasts with its extensive collection of vintage vehicles. It has around 200 cars that belong to Emirati royalty, Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan. You can find the museum on Hanim Road, about a 45-minute drive south of central Abu Dhabi.

Standouts include a globe-shaped caravan, a steam-powered Mercedes from 1885, and a 1950 Dodge Power wagon (one of the world’s largest trucks). You can also see a collection of vintage cars, military vehicles, and rainbow-coloured Mercedes cars at this quirky museum.

The Abu Dhabi History Museum appeals to families with its rather hands-on exhibitions about the city’s background. It’s part of the 500,000-square-metre Khalifa Park, one of Abu Dhabi’s largest recreational sites.

Instead of exploring the museum on foot, you ride a pod-like car that takes you past several dioramas detailing the development of Abu Dhabi. You can see scenes of traditional desert life, oil mining, and modern city landscapes. Throughout the 20-minute ride, you can listen to audio commentary in either English or Arabic.

The Etihad Modern Art Gallery celebrates the works of Emirati artists in an intimate setting. It's one of the smallest museums in Abu Dhabi and feels a lot like a casual gathering space for local creatives to share their talent with the public.

You can check out a wide range of modern art and sculptures in the main gallery, vintage objects in the side gallery, and old drawings in the upstairs section. The Etihad Modern Art Gallery occasionally hosts exhibits by international artists, as well as small concerts and poetry nights throughout the year.

The Abu Dhabi Art Hub provides the city’s artists with a space for exhibitions, workshops, and political discussions. The all-white gallery is part of the World Trade Center Mall, featuring several rooms across 2 floors.

Here, you can browse works by established artists from the UAE and various countries around the world. Exhibits range from paintings, photos, and sculptures to mixed-media, videos, and decorative arts. The Abu Dhabi Art Hub also offers fully furnished accommodation and working spaces for artists with its month-long Artist Residency programme.

The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery is one of the few buildings on the campus that’s open to the public. Located at the entrance of Building A4, it’s a great place to see ground-breaking art exhibitions for free in Abu Dhabi.

You can browse through a wide range of art forms, including photography, paintings, sculptures, and digital media. The art gallery also has an outdoor sculpture garden hosting interesting events throughout the year. If you want to learn more about the gallery’s current exhibitions, check out reference materials at the adjacent NYUAD Gallery Reading Room.