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The fountain atrium of Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi seen from the upper floor.
Layover guideAbu Dhabi · AUH

What to buy in Abu Dhabi

Gold at Madinat Zayed Gold Centre, oud, dates and spices in the souks; 5% VAT is refundable via Planet at departure.

2013UAEWikiUser / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
All of Abu Dhabi

Gold is the marquee buy: the Gold Centre at Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre is a venue the tourism board names, selling gold, diamond and pearl jewellery. The mall itself has 400+ shops with traditional souk traders mixed in.

The other category buys the tourism board lists: oud and Arabic perfumes, dates, spices in the souks, Arabic coffee sets, and electronics. You can bargain in some souks and smaller stores where items carry no price tags.

VAT refund (Federal Tax Authority scheme, operated by Planet): 5% VAT is reclaimable on tax-free purchases of AED 250+ per transaction from registered retailers. Validate at Planet kiosks/desks at the airport within 90 days of purchase; the refund is the VAT minus a 13% deduction and AED 3.60 per transaction, paid in cash (up to AED 35,000) or to card.

  1. Experience Abu Dhabi (DCT) — best things to buy · checked 2026-08-18
  2. Experience Abu Dhabi (DCT) — Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre · checked 2026-08-18
  3. UAE Federal Tax Authority — VAT refund for tourists · checked 2026-08-18

The rest of Abu Dhabi

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportThe taxi tariff is published by the authority and the airport flagfall is AED 20 against AED 5 in the city, but the bus is not round the clock: A1 stops at 23:00 and only N2 covers the night.Ride-hailingUber and Yango operate; silver metered taxis are the regulated default, airport taxis carry an AED 20 flagfall.Local laws that catch crew outDrink only inside licensed venues, keep the camera down and the language clean: the UAE prosecutes visitors for behaviour that is unremarkable at home.Staying connectedA visitor SIM is registered against your passport and capped at two per network, and an unregistered line gets cut off rather than merely warned.WeatherDesert climate: pleasant Oct-Mar, brutal 40°C humid heat May-Sep; the state bans midday outdoor work 15 Jun-15 Sep.Eating near the crew hotelsMina Zayed port district is the market-food area: fish souk plus fruit-and-veg souk, haggling is the norm.TippingNot expected but common; high-end restaurants add ~10% service charge plus a 6% tourism levy, otherwise 10-15% is usual.