JOURNEYS

Marvel at the Dazzling Grandeur of Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Visiting the United Arab Emirates has never been easier than with this itinerary filled with rich experiences to enjoy.

Kayaking at Jubail Mangrove Park

Kayaking at Jubail Mangrove Park

Courtesy of Experience Abu Dhabi

This eight-day adventure to the UAE with Pacific Holidays showcases the iconic skyscrapers, five-star shopping, and proud cultural heritage that has cemented the United Arab Emirates’ status as a world-class destination. Inclusive of travel from the United States to the UAE and back, travelers will be treated to a packed schedule of activities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There’s also plenty of additional time to explore these cities further, whether independently or through an array of optional guided tours. Either way, Pacific Travels’ dedication, dependability, and commitment comes standard, ensuring that this trip proves to be an unforgettable experience for all involved.

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TRIP HIGHLIGHT

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

The largest mosque in the country and third largest in the world, this place of worship is where the UAE founder Sheikh Zayed is buried. The spectacular architecture includes white marble floors inlaid with mosaic flora, plus many other long-lasting building materials such as gold, semi-precious stones, ceramics, and crystals.
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TRIP DESIGNER

Pacific Holidays

Now celebrating its 30th year of dependably matching countless customers with the trip of their dreams, Pacific Holidays continues to provide among the industry’s best in expertise, dependability, and affordability in all their tour packages worldwide, from Argentina to Zambia.
Lounging at the hotel’s rooftop pool

Lounging at the hotel’s rooftop pool

Days 1 and 2From the U.S.A. to the UAE

Flying nonstop from the hubs of New York, Washington, D.C., or Chicago on Etihad Airways, you’ll land at Abu Dhabi International airport. Your trip includes a complimentary transfer into the city, where you’ll check into the Courtyard World Trade Center and can spend the evening decompressing with a cocktail at Up & Below, the hotel’s rooftop pool and lounge.

Following a comfortable night’s sleep in your four-star room, you can look forward to some sun and sand the next day. Your hotel is just two blocks from the beach, ideal for a swim and soak in the sun, before picking among the seemingly endless options for your first dinner in the capital.
There’s no hotel quite like Emirates Palace. // Courtesy of Experience Abu Dhabi

There’s no hotel quite like Emirates Palace.

Courtesy of Experience Abu Dhabi

Day 3Touring Abu Dhabi

After perking up with breakfast at the hotel’s Fifth Street Café, you’ll spend a half day touring the capital of the UAE, starting with the colorful, sprawling, marble-clad Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest and arguably most spectacular mosque in the country. From there, your Pacific Holidays group will drive along the long and lively stretch of white sand known as the Abu Dhabi Corniche, so-named after the grand routes of France’s Côte d’Azur, and get a glimpse of Emirates Palace, whose grandiose grounds make it a candidate for the most photogenic hotel in the world. Your group will then pay a visit to the Etihad Towers, a centerpiece of the Abu Dhabi skyline found a short walk from Qasr Al Watan, the Founder’s Memorial, and many other attractions you’ll be free to explore on your own.
There’s always something new on the horizon in Abu Dhabi.

There’s always something new on the horizon in Abu Dhabi.

Day 4Free Time in Abu Dhabi

On your last day in Abu Dhabi, you might take on another optional tour with your group, or otherwise check off any last parts of the city you’ve wanted to visit on your own, whether it’s a visit to Louvre Abu Dhabi, the sprawling Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi theme park, Yas Mall, the largest shopping center in the city, or something else entirely, based on an insider’s tip from your Pacific Holidays tour guide.
Take a family-friendly tour of Abu Dhabi’s desert.

Take a family-friendly tour of Abu Dhabi’s desert.

Courtesy of Experience Abu Dhabi

Days 5 and 6From the City to the Desert

If you feel like catching some fresh air outside of the city, you can add an additional stop in the desert en route to Dubai with Pacific Holidays. This optional tour features temporary and traditional henna tattoos, camel rides among the sand dunes, a belly dancing performance, and a Bedouin feast of grilled meats and Arabian sweets, with your accommodation in an authentic Bedouin tent under the stars.
The majestic Diwan Mosque

The majestic Diwan Mosque

Days 7 and 8Welcome and Farewell

Following your complimentary transfer to Dubai, you’ll check into Hilton Garden Inn Al Muraqabat, where you’ll have time to splash around in the rooftop pool, or orient yourself in Deira, one of Dubai’s oldest neighborhoods. The area is renowned for its excellent shopping, bustling waterfront, and an abundance of lively local restaurants.

Dubai Creek has been the city’s main artery for eons, and you’ll start off the day using it as a dreamy viewpoint to admire the city skyline and snap postcard-worthy pics. Continuing on your tour, you’ll drive into the old district of Bastakiya, where you’ll get a look behind the city’s hypermodern sheen with a glimpse of how things used to be. From the 18th-century Al Fahidi Fort and the Dubai Museum contained therein to Ruler’s Court, the attached old Diwan Mosque, and shopping among Heritage Village and the ancient spice and gold souks (markets) nearby, you’ll feel as if you’ve come unstuck from time.

Your Pacific Holidays tour continues along the Drydocks, one of the most active ports on earth, then to the Union House, where in 1971 Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum signed the document which officially unified the Emirates into one proud nation. Finishing off the day, you’ll stop to snap pictures of other iconic buildings, including the pink sandstone Jumeirah Mosque, the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel, its rivals in luxury accommodation, Atlantis and The Palm, and the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa.

By morning, it might be hard to say goodbye to the city. Thankfully, with a free airport transfer waiting to usher you directly from your hotel to the airport, the only thing you’ll have to worry about is how soon you’ll be able to book your next trip back.
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