Tourist Club

The city’s social heart
Word to the wise: Finding parking is the most difficult part of visiting the Tourist Club. Save yourself the headache and either walk or take a taxi.

The Tourist Club, also known as Al Markaziyah, is easily Abu Dhabi’s most polarising ’hood. City slickers often fall for the area’s skyscrapers, bustling thoroughfares and decidedly multicultural demographic, while others bemoan the maddening traffic, constant noise and excess of construction projects. A dearth of parking and continuously congested streets mean the area is a nightmare for drivers, but then again, who needs a car when the city’s best shops and eateries are all within walking distance?
The area is an eclectic mix of chains and independent businesses. The Abu Dhabi Mall—the city’s largest—stocks every major high street brand, while luxury hotel chains like Le Meridien and the Beach Rotana are crammed with five-star restaurants and bars. Those looking for something a little more home-grown should hit the side streets for excellent canteens and knickknack shops.