If you’re looking for the best things to do in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Louvre Abu Dhabi absolutely deserves a spot on your list.
Yep—Abu Dhabi has its own Louvre Museum,
and if you didn’t know already… now you do!!!
It opened back in 2017, so it’s been around for a while now,
but it’s still considered one of the essential stops
on any Abu Dhabi itinerary—so let’s start this Louvre Abu Dhabi tour.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Important: it’s closed on Mondays!
Opening hours are 10:00 AM to 6:30 PMand
last entry is at 5:30 PM, so don’t show up too late.
You can book tickets on the official website,
or use travel booking platforms instead—
just compare prices that day and go with the cheaper option.
Museum-only admission starts in the $15 range,
so it’s actually a very easy, low-pressure place to add to your trip.
On the way to the Louvre Abu Dhabi~~~~
From a distance, you start to see that giant dome come into view..!
The perforated dome ceiling is basically the signature symbol of Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The parking lot is spacious! You’ll need to park and walk a bit.
Just follow the signs, follow the crowd, and keep going.
There was also a colorful, cute Louvre mascot figure
and honestly, I can’t tell if the background was that good
or if the model was just great—but the photos came out amazing.
This is the main photo spot at the Louvre.
We each took our turns snapping photos before heading inside!
Near the entrance, there’s a miniature model of the museum,
though unlike the real thing, this one is just white.
It felt like a waiting area before entering the galleries,
and wow, there were so many Chinese tourists.
Anyway—time to head into the exhibition halls!!
The collection ranges from ancient works from BCE
all the way to modern art, arranged across different eras.
I heard many of the pieces were loaned or donated from France.
My husband isn’t especially into art,
and really only likes history or antiques,
so museums aren’t exactly his thing.
He kept looking at pieces like this and going, “Is it real?? Really??”
Honestly, who knows…
original or not, I still had fun, so that was enough for me.
Since some people hate super long posts,
I’ll just keep things moving quickly here.
One thing I loved: photo and video shooting was allowed.
Just don’t use flash, please,,
Throughout the museum, there are signs
showing your current location, so it’s easy to tell how far you’ve gone.
If you just wander naturally,
the layout kind of guides you along the exhibition route on its own.
Even the corridors between exhibits are beautiful.
The Arabic lettering on the glass felt artistic,
and the exterior views through the windows,
especially at sunset, were incredibly romantic.
We saw huge sculptures and large-scale textile works too~
Those were much more my husband’s style.
And throughout the galleries, they even placed
specially designed mirrors for people to take selfies,
so you can sneak in a few fun photos here and there.
If you get tired, there are sofas and chairs
scattered throughout, so you can enjoy the museum at a relaxed pace.
The tiny sculptures were totally my thing.
They’re ancient pieces, but look at the facial details—
so cute and weirdly charming…
Toward the later part of the exhibition, the famous masterpieces finally appear..!
My husband had zero interest at that point,
so he fully switched into rest mode ^_^
These are such precious paintings—at least come look with me!
Monet, Manet, Gauguin, Renoir, Cézanne, Magritte,
Millet, Picasso, Mondrian, Kandinsky, and more—
there are so many works by artists whose names alone are legendary.
There was even Japanese ukiyo-e, and for a $15 ticket,
the lineup honestly felt like a steal.
I usually don’t take many photos in museums,
but here I had to ask for at least one picture because it felt too special not to.
After finishing up with the Keith Haring works at the end,
we headed out!
How long you spend at Louvre Abu Dhabi really depends on your pace,
but for us, it was getting close to closing time,
and we were tired from standing the whole time, so we spent about an hour and a half.
If you want to go more slowly and really look at everything,
with a break or two in between, you could easily spendthree hours here.
Once you exit the galleries, the area under the dome
is another amazing place for photos.
Photos don’t fully capture it—the space itself has a presence, so this is one of those places that’s much better in person.
Such an incredible view,,
I honestly don’t even have the words to describe the feeling properly.
The scenery felt so unusual,
and not at all like the Abu Dhabi I expected, which made it even better.
If I lived nearby, I feel like I’d come here often,
sit by the water, and just think for a while.
On the way to the museum café and rooftop,
there’s a food and drink spot called Marta Bar.
We didn’t go in because we had to leave for Dubai,
but it stays open until midnight,
has a beautiful sea view, and with the whole “Louvre” atmosphere,
it feels like it would make such a romantic evening date spot.
There’s outdoor seating too~
Even without elaborate decor, the sunset makes it feel special.
And of course, you can’t leave without checking the gift shop.
I was so curious what kind of Louvre merchandise they’d have~~~
I didn’t find anything I absolutely had to buy,
but there were lots of fun and interesting items,
so I still spent quite a while browsing.
They weren’t especially “Arab-style” souvenirs,
but I still think it’s a solid place to pick up Abu Dhabi gifts.
There are also activities beyond the exhibitions.
You can even go kayaking in the Arabian Sea right in front of the museum,
and there are drawing classes too.
I feel like if I lived in Abu Dhabi,
I’d probably keep coming out for activities like that.
And that was it for our visit.
I still have so many Abu Dhabi and Dubai posts
left to write ^_^
But now that it’s already been two or three months, I miss it,
and I already want to go back to the UAE.
Who knows when I’ll get to visit again…
-The End-