Are you looking for parks in Abu Dhabi to create memorable days with your family and friends? You are in the right place!
Here is a local guide to the best parks in Abu Dhabi. Discover parks such as Umm Al Emarat / Mushrif Park, Sheikha Fatima Park, Dolphin Park, Al Reem Central Park, Masdar Park, Khalifa Park, and Khubeirah Park. To enjoy different facilities such as play areas, Bbq areas, football grounds, running tracks, cycle tracks, and more. Continue reading to discover the best parks in Abu Dhabi.
Best Park in Abu Dhabi: Umm Al Emarat Park / Mushrif Park
Umm Al Emarat Park or previously known as Mushrif Park is one of the most popular and oldest parks located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. In our opinion, Umm Al Emarat Park is the best park in Abu Dhabi, as it offers a wide range of activities and facilities, suitable for children and adults. So, what are the best things to do in Umm Al Emarat Park?
Activities for Children
Umm Al Emarat Park offers a variety of activities for children. These activities range from play areas to animal barns. The kids enjoyed a couple of play areas in the park. The park has an animal barn with different types of animals such as rabbits, goats, donkeys, llamas, and horses, which the kids enjoyed petting and feeding. They also offer horse and camel rides with a 10 Dhs fee. The horse ride was very safe as there were horse handlers to take them around. Finally, they took a tour around the park by train. In addition, they told us the largest maze in the entire world, “The Wonder Maze”, will be opening in October. Especially since the heat is fading away this will be a perfect activity for the kids to do.
Explore the Park’s Beautiful Gardens
Unlike any park in Abu Dhabi, Umm Al Emarat Park has a magical garden that you can explore. The “Botanic Garden ” is a hidden gem located in the Shade house and we were truly amazed by its beauty. We learned that it includes more than 200 different plant species that were interesting to read about. Additionally, the Botanic Garden features exotic plants from different countries worldwide. The temperature in the Garden is controlled by a cool mist, which helps support the growth of plants in an open setting. The mist made the area cooler, especially in this hot weather. It was pleasant to walk through the garden and enjoy the beautiful greenery. In our opinion, the Botanic Garden is a must-visit if you enjoy nature!
Umm Al Emarat Park Restaurants and Cafes
The park includes a variety of the most popular restaurants, cafes, and food trucks to satisfy your cravings. We tried almost all of them and liked the food.
List of restaurants and cafes Available at Umm Al Emarat Park:
Umm Al Emarat Park FAQ
Opening Hours: 8 AM – 12 AM
Entry Fee: 5 Dhs per person
Location: 15th Street, Located between Airport Road and Karamah Street
Bbq Allowed: No
Pets Allowed: No
Family Park in Abu Dhabi: Sheikha Fatima Park
Are you ready to take your children to a place where you can relax after a hectic day and watch them enjoy and release themselves? Are you looking for a place where your pet can run freely and enjoy nature? We found the perfect place for you! Come visit Sheikha Fatima Park with your kids and pets.
We took the children to Sheikha Fatima park where they had a blast and spent the day with a wide range of fun activities, Jumping in the trampolines, and skating with the roller coasters in the skate park as the kids are great fans of skating! And I caught their words: “the skating facilities are top-notch!” After skating we all seemed upped in twos for a quick basketball free throw in one of the many available basketball courts in the play area. The energy was still a bit high, but we needed to lower our pace. A mini golf course caught our eyes so we played a game or two just for the fun of it.
If you’re looking to unwind and connect to nature, the park itself is so Zen! Thousands of plants, shrubs, and grasses that we felt are specially planted to enrich the ecosystem and encourage local biodiversity because it gave us that natural sense of serenity! Another Admirable feature was being able to park the kids’ bicycles at the locking rails entrances. We felt that the park was truly designed for everyone of all ages including people of determination!
Sheikha Fatima Park Restaurants and Cafes
With all the energy being exerted by the park facilities we headed to Mamafri to eat dinner which we enjoyed. The park serves some of the best restaurants in the city.
List of some of the best restaurants in Sheikha Fatima Park:
Sheikha Fatima Park FAQ
Opening Hours: 10 AM- 10 PM
Entry Fee: Free
Location: F88+V5J Al Bateen – W12 – Abu Dhabi
Bbq Allowed: No
Pets Allowed: Yes
If you are interested to read more about the park check out our in-depth review “A Guide to Sheikha Fatima Park”.
Public Park in Abu Dhabi: Dolphin Park
We visited the Dolphin Park in Abu Dhabi and wanted to share our exciting experience with you! We had great childhood memories in Dolphin park, and now this Nostalgic family-friendly park has had a new makeover! Driving to the park was not an issue since It is located next to Mangrove National Park, which in our opinion makes it one of the capital’s best public parks for a family gathering day.
We remember visiting the park when we were kids, and noticed that the park’s old fountain was removed; instead with a multi-purpose play area with several activities. The kids went on the slides and the not-so-challenging climbing frames that were built in their place. In addition, parking spots on weekends are always an issue, however, we didn’t face any issues since the park is equipped with adequate parking spaces, and charging stations for electric cars. What we found admirable is that the parking spot is close to the green space and accessible to people of determination. Moreover, what we loved about the park is the new running track and cycle track, on which we are planning to cycle this winter with the kids. We took a walk on the new walking path and saw some amateur fishermen having a go there! We had a great evening walking around.
Dolphin Park Food Trucks
After the walk, The kids got a bit hungry so we went to Burger on Wheels, which is a local food truck stationed at the park; they’re famous for their juicy burgers. Also, Professor Pizza for some fresh-out-of-the-oven slices to grab while having a walk!
Dolphin Park FAQ
Opening Hours: 24 hours
Entry Fee: Free
Location: Qasr Al Bahr – Eastern Mangrove
Bbq Allowed: Yes
Pets Allowed: Yes
Kids Park: Al Reem Central Park
Are you looking for a park for your kids to enjoy? Al Reem Central Park is the ideal option if you are looking for a place where you and your children can enjoy. The park includes play areas, a skate park, access to Al Reem Beach, Mosque, restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and kayaks.
Al Reem Central Park Facilities
Al Reem Central Park is a gateway park in Reem Island. It is one of the newest parks in Abu Dhabi. When we visited Reem park, we were amazed by the wide range of activities for children and adults. The kids enjoyed the Al Reem Skate Park, and the faces we saw on the playing kids were one of the best things we saw that day. A kid’s playground is available at the park, which is filled with a lot of different types of games for the kids to enjoy.
Al Reem Park is also a suitable place to hang out with friends. There are plenty of cafes, restaurants, and food trucks which makes finding food in the park easy. Most of the cafes we visited that day were filled with young students studying in groups. We noticed students seemed to enjoy Santorini Cafe, as the beautiful scenery of Al Reem beach and the good interior designs of the cafe is very pleasing for studying all day long.
Not limited to children’s play areas, Reem Park also has a football ground and two basketball grounds, which are open to the public as long as you bring your own sports equipment. One of the unique features of Reem Park is the beach area at the very end of the park. If you are visiting Al Reem beach don’t forget to get your swimwear to enjoy their beautiful beach. Moreover, the Reem Central Park Mosque is what makes this park the perfect choice, as it enables visitors to visit the park even during prayer times.
List of cafes available in Reem Park:
Reem Park FAQ
opening hours: 6 AM-11 PM
Entry Fee: Free
location: Jazeerat Al Reem – Abu Dhabi
Bbq Allowed: No
Pets Allowed: Yes
Eco-Friendly Children’s Park: Masdar Park
If you’re looking for one of the best public parks in Abu Dhabi, then look no more because Masdar Park Khalifa City got you covered. When the kids and I decided to visit this park, never in a million years did we think it would inspire us this much. Well-known for its renewable energy, and the positive vibes it has through its amazing facilities, like running and cycling tracks.
We even rented Careem bikes with the kids to enjoy the park from end to end. The food was no issue as well, as soon as the kids said: “We’re hungry!” And the place was packed with different food trucks serving yummy and delicious food from all cuisines. We landed our food choice at Home Bakery Masdar park, the staff is so friendly there and the cookies are the BEST! Quick tip to keep in mind, don’t forget to bring swimming suits for your kids, as the park’s mini splash park is something to experience.
Facilities to explore at Masdar park:
- Masdar Tech Park
- Football Ground
- Tesla Charger
- Free Festivals
- Free wifi
Masdar Park FAQ
Opening Hours: 8 AM-12 AM
Entry Fee: Free
Location: Al Madkhal street, Khalifa City
Bbq Allowed: No
Pets Allowed: No
Bbq Park: Khalifa Park
Are you looking for a family-friendly spot? We have the guide for you! Khalifa Park is one of the best family-friendly destinations, and it offers facilities suitable for all ages. The park provides a garden, bbq area, several play areas, the Maritime Museum, a kids’ train, an aquarium, the Khalifa Park Library, and Murjan Splash Park.
Khalifa Park Facilities
Khalifa Park provides many facilities which we enjoyed. The kids loved the play areas at the park and the football ground where they played football with the other kids. Additionally, we took a tour around the park with the Khalifa Park Train; it cost 3 Dhs per person and was a convenient way to explore the park. In addition, the train played music which entertained the kids.
After that, we went to the Maritime Museum, which is close to the entrance. The Maritime Museum offered a 20-minute trip that transported us through a time tunnel in a moving capsule. It was fascinating since it provided us with a visual history of the United Arab Emirates, making the museum less boring for the kids. Once the ride was finished, we visited the Khalifa Park Aquarium, which featured different types of marine life. The kids loved the aquarium and found it very interesting to learn about marine animals.
Lastly, we took the kids to Murjan Splash Park, which was filled with slides, a lazy river, and an indoor pool. We then had a rest in the park’s wide-open area where we saw some families having a barbecue outing, and what we found great is that the park now has areas designated just for barbecuing, which is surely safer for everyone. The park offers a large green space which is perfect for picnics, here is a complete guide to “How to Hold a Picnic in Abu Dhabi”. The kids had a great time spending the day at the park, given that it has so many facilities for children.
Khalifa Park FAQ
Opening Hours: Sun-Wed: 10:00 am- 10:00; Thur- Sat: 10:00 am- 11:00 pm
Entry Fee: 2 Dhs per person
Maritime Museum Ticket Price: 5 AED
Location: 15th Street, Located between Airport Road and Karamah Street
Bbq Allowed: Yes
Pets Allowed: No
New Dog Park: Al Khubeirah Park
Is your dog hardly socializing or moving? Unleash your dog to explore one of the biggest dog parks in Abu Dhabi, where it can run freely in an open space.
Al Khubeirah Park is one of the newest dog parks in Abu Dhabi which we had to take our dog to explore. We liked that the park features many dog-friendly amenities for your pup to enjoy which many dog parks lack. Additionally, the park is a gated open place where we felt secure enough to let the dog run freely without worrying that he would escape. Most importantly, it was relieving that they offered separate zones for small and big dogs to ensure their safety when playing with other dogs since our dog is small-sized.
The park is equipped with a ton of facilities, such as dog play areas, drinking fountains, sandboxes, and much more. We noticed that our dog enjoyed the play area and the drinking fountain! In our opinion, Al Khubeirah Park is the ideal dog park for your dog to interact with other dogs, run around and play safely.
Al Khubeirah Park FAQ
Opening Hours: 6 AM-10 PM
Entry Fee: Free
Location: 24 Al Yazwah St – Al Bateen – Abu Dhabi
Bbq Allowed: No
Pets Allowed: Yes
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Also, If you are interested to read about more parks, check out “Jubail Mangrove Park – A Local Insight on Abu Dhabi’s Best Natural Attraction”, the review covers all about the most beautiful park in Abu Dhabi.