The Presidential Palace at Qasr Al Watan

Why it is on the list

Qasr Al Watan is the presidential palace of the United Arab Emirates. It was completed in 2017, opened to visitors on 11 March 2019, and still hosts state receptions and meetings of the Council of Ministers and the Federal Supreme Council.¹ The Great Hall stands under a dome 37 m across with a chandelier of 350,000 crystal pieces; the east wing holds the gifts brought by visiting heads of state and a library of more than 50,000 books on the country's history.¹ A ticket opens the Great Hall, the Presidential Gifts and the Qasr Al Watan Library, with no time limit inside, and includes the Palace in Motion light show on the facade after dark.²

It is a building to walk through rather than a guided day. For a morning with a guide inside a working place of worship, take the Golden Tour at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on the same drive from Dubai. The palace restaurant and the library café are closed for now; only a grab-and-go counter is open, so plan lunch elsewhere.³

How to get it

Buy tickets on the palace's booking page, or call the Contact Centre on +971 600 544 442; it answers Mondays 10am to 6pm, Tuesdays to Thursdays 9am to 7pm, and Fridays to Sundays 9am to 8pm, Gulf time.⁴ An audio guide in five languages can be added to the ticket and covers up to two hours at your own pace.⁴ Each ticket is for one entry: there is no re-entry once you leave.²

From Dubai, drive Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) to Abu Dhabi and follow the signs for Corniche Street to the palace in Al Ras Al Akhdar.³ Cars stop at the Visitor Centre: parking is free, valet is AED 35, and a free shuttle runs from there to the palace entrance.³ Knees and shoulders must be covered and flip-flops are refused at the door.³ Last entry to the palace is at closing time; for Palace in Motion, arrive at least 30 minutes before the show.³

Discretion

Every visitor goes through an airport-style security check, and bags larger than 500 by 350 mm are turned away; there are no lockers, so leave luggage in the car or at the hotel.³ Personal photography is allowed across the public areas, but not with wearable cameras, not of security staff or systems, and never during state visits; commercial filming needs permission through contact@qasralwatan.ae.³ The palace remains in official use, and state events take priority over visitors.¹