The best beaches in Abu Dhabi
Saadiyat Travel Guide editorial team · Published 2 October 2026
Abu Dhabi has both free and paid beaches. Al Bateen Beach and the Corniche night beaches are free. The daytime Corniche Beach charges a small entry fee. On Saadiyat and Yas islands, the beaches open to day visitors all charge entry, and part of the ticket usually comes back as credit for food and drinks. Below is each beach in Abu Dhabi with its entry fee, opening hours and what you get, as of October 2026.
Contents
Abu Dhabi beaches at a glance
Free beaches in Abu Dhabi
Al Bateen Beach is free to enter and open 08:00 to sunset. On its east side there is a women-only beach, open 10:00–22:00. There's a café and beach volleyball, and you can rent kayaks, paddleboards and jet skis. The beach looks across the water to Hudayriyat Island.
The Corniche night beaches, Family Night Beach and Coastal Night Beach, are lit swimming areas on the Corniche that open after sunset. Entry is free, lifeguards are on duty, and there are a family section and food trucks. Both hold Blue Flag certification. Hours vary through the year, so check the current hours, and that both are open, before you go.
Corniche Beach: entry, hours and facilities
Corniche Beach is the city's main public beach, about 2 km of sand along the downtown waterfront, with Blue Flag status. It is open 07:00–24:00. You can swim from 07:00 until sunset, while lifeguards are on duty.
Entry, as of October 2026:
- Adult: AED 10 (≈ $3)
- Child: AED 5 (≈ $1); under-5s free
- Lounger: AED 25 (≈ $7)
The beach is split by gates. Gates 1 to 3 lead to the family section, and gates 4 to 6 to the section for single visitors and groups. There are showers and changing rooms, volleyball and football pitches, and cafés. From Saadiyat Island, the Corniche is about 15 min by taxi.
Saadiyat Island beaches
Saadiyat has about 9 km of white sand, and day visitors can use it in three places. All three charge entry. The old Saadiyat Public Beach is now the paid Kai Beach, and we know of no free beach on the island today. The rest of the shore belongs to resorts and is for their guests.
- Kai Beach is the former public beach: 500 m of sand with dunes and boardwalks. Part of the ticket is food and drink credit, and the beach opens at 07:00 and closes at sunset. Hawksbill turtles nest here from March to July. Friday is usually Miss Kai Day, for women only.
- Saadiyat Beach Club is a private club with a day pass, a 650 m² infinity pool, a spa and restaurants. The price of the day pass depends on the date; check it when you book.
- Mamsha Beach, formerly Soul Beach, is a 1.2 km beach on the Mamsha Al Saadiyat promenade near the Louvre Abu Dhabi, with loungers and a café.
All three are compared side by side on our Saadiyat beaches page. If you'd rather stay on the sand, each of the island's five beach resorts has its own stretch of beach for guests:
Yas Beach
Yas Beach on Yas Island is a Blue Flag beach, open 10:00–19:00. Entry is AED 130 (≈ $35) on weekdays, with AED 50 (≈ $14) as food and drink credit, and AED 200 (≈ $54) at weekends, with AED 100 (≈ $27) credit. It has chalets, restaurants and an infinity pool, with mangroves nearby. From Saadiyat it is about 15 min by taxi; for the parks and hotels, see our Yas Island guide.
Hudayriyat Island and other city beaches
Hudayriyat Island lies across the water from Al Bateen Beach. Visit Abu Dhabi says there is no entry fee to the island, and that many of its features are free to use, including the beach, the bike paths and the playground. It opened to the public on 10 November 2020. The island also has cafés and sports facilities. We did not find official opening hours or prices for water sports there, so check on arrival.
Hotel beaches in the city. Some city hotels sell day access to their own sand; they are listed under beach clubs below. We found no published visitor rules for Al Raha Beach, so we don't cover it.
Beach clubs and day passes
A beach club in Abu Dhabi usually means a day pass: a lounger, towels and often a pool, with part of the price as credit for food and drinks. Apart from Saadiyat Beach Club and Mamsha Beach above, these are the options we found:
- Zaya Nurai Island, a private island resort. Day passes start at AED 550 (≈ $150) for adults on weekdays, with part of the price as credit, and include the beach, a pool, a water park and the boat. Check current prices and the departure jetty with the resort.
- Hiltonia Beach Club at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Corniche, with about 11,000 m² of private sand, pools and a water sports center. Visit Abu Dhabi lists it as a beach, health club and spa; ask the hotel about day passes and prices.
- InterContinental Bayshore at InterContinental Abu Dhabi, a 300-metre natural beachfront with an infinity pool and a children's pool.
- Nation Riviera Beach Club, on the Corniche Beach, with cocktails and dinner by the sea.
- Café Del Mar at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, on Yas Bay Waterfront: an evening beach club with DJs and weekly events.
- Hotel day passes on Saadiyat. Millennium Residences Saadiyat Island and Saadiyat Rotana advertise beach day passes; ask the hotel for prices and terms. Other resort beaches on the island are for hotel guests.
Check the current price and what is included before you go: terms, hours and prices change by season, and we don't quote club prices that the operators don't publish.
Sea conditions and safety
Abu Dhabi Municipality says lifeguards and first responders work on its beaches. The daytime city beaches have lifeguards on duty until sunset, so swim only when they are there; after dark, use the lit Corniche night beaches instead. Al Bateen Beach and Corniche Beach have Blue Flag status, the international award for water quality, safety and environmental management. The sea temperature runs from 21°C (70°F) in February to 34°C (93°F) in August, so summer swimming is warm, and the heat on the sand is the bigger risk: bring water, shade and sunscreen.
Water sports
Water sports are mostly at the beaches and clubs rather than a single rental point. Al Bateen Beach has kayaks, paddleboards and jet skis for hire, and the Hiltonia water sports center lists windsurfing, stand-up paddling, sailing and water skiing. For a quieter paddle, mangrove kayak tours leave from the Eastern Mangroves; operators, prices and times are in Abu Dhabi tours. Prices change by operator and season, so compare them for your dates.
What to wear and beach rules
Swimwear is fine on the beach and by the pool. When you leave the sand for a café, a mall or the street, cover up. Some beaches have women-only areas or days: the ladies' beach at Al Bateen, and Miss Kai Day at Kai Beach, usually on Fridays. More on dress and behavior is in our Abu Dhabi travel tips.
Best time for the beach
The beaches are open all year. The sea is coolest in January and February, about 21°C (70°F), and warmest in August, about 34°C (93°F). The beach is most comfortable from October to April. From May to September the air can reach 44°C (111°F), so go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, or try the Corniche night beaches. Month-by-month weather is on best time to visit Abu Dhabi.
