Experiencing Abu Dhabi Theme Parks

Here’s a tip: If traveling to the United Arab Emirates with an entourage of children (or adults) who love theme parks, you can experience four of the best theme parks in the UAE in just one week.

Stay in Yas Island Abu Dhabi. It’s one of the many islands in Abu Dhabi, located approximately 30 minutes east of Downtown Abu Dhabi. More importantly, it has four world-class theme parks, so if you stay in Yas Island, you can visit all of them effortlessly and conveniently.

What are the four theme parks in Yas Island Abu Dhabi? They are Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World™, and SeaWorld™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. All four are spread around Yas Mall (still the biggest mall in Abu Dhabi) and easily accessible from E12 or Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street.

1. Ferrari World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Ferrari World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, which is home to Formula Rossa (the officially recorded fastest rollercoaster in the world), is the first Ferrari-branded theme park in the world. When you visit, remember these things:

• It’s mostly indoors. The large rollercoasters are found outside, but everything else is found inside the air-conditioned structure under the red roof.
• The distinct red-colored roof looks that way to evoke the characteristic double-curve side profile of a Ferrari GT.
• The bright yellow prancing horse logo of Scuderia Ferrari on the theme park’s roof is the biggest of its kind in the world.
• It houses the world’s largest Ferrari retail outlet.
• In 2024, the World Travel Awards recognized it as the best theme park globally for excellence and innovation.

What are the must-try experiences at Ferrari World?

• Formula Rossa, for obvious reasons—i.e., it’s the world’s fastest roller coaster
• Flying Aces, a biplane-themed rollercoaster and the world’s highest non-inverted loop
• Turbo Track, a vertical rollercoaster that shoots out of the iconic red roof and then plunges back down in a zero-gravity fall
• Mission Ferrari, an immersive, virtual rollercoaster with a physically improbable sideways coaster drop
• Ferrari Esports Arena, where you can experience the thrill of racing on Gran Turismo and F1 simulators.

2. Yas Waterworld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Yas Waterworld Yas Island is a 37-acre mega water park with more than 40 experiences. On your visit, notice the sandstone-colored structures reminiscent of traditional Emirati stone houses and fortresses.

Looming in the background and dominating the entire park is a man-made mountain designed to look like the rocky bluffs found in the UAE skyline. It also serves as a platform for launching Yas Waterworld’s multi-story slides.

Crowning the mountain peak is a gigantic pearl that pays homage to the UAE’s pearl-diving tradition. From the pearl gushes a constant stream of water that splashes down into the Amwaj Wave Pool.

What are the experiences you must try at Yas Waterworld?

• Pearl Diving, and you can take home the pearls you harvest and even have them set into jewelry
• Bubble’s Barrel, a barrel surfing attraction with a constant sheet wave (the world’s largest)
• Dawwama, the largest six-person tornado water coaster in the world
• Liwa Loop, which launches you on a free fall into an enclosed chute through a hatched capsule
• Hamlool’s Humps, which will hurl you down 10 stories on a two-hump, open-chute speed slide

3. Warner Bros. World™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Warner Bros. World™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi is a fully indoor theme park about comics, the silver screen, and television. Remember:

• It has six lands (so far): Warner Bros. Plaza, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch, Cartoon Junction, Gotham City, and Metropolis.
• There will be a seventh land soon (Harry Potter land).
• Each land is designed according to its theme and contains themed rides, food stops, stores, and pop culture characters.
• It has family-friendly rides and attractions.
• You may catch pop-up shows, meet-and-greets, and other events and activities.

Which of its attractions should you not miss when you visit?

• The VIP Experience for a guided tour, flash passes (no queues and express entry everywhere), exclusive dining, customized souvenirs, and valet parking
• Fast and Furry-ous, a thrilling inverted rollercoaster ride that gives you Wile E. Coyote’s point of view as he chases Roadrunner through tight twists and sharp turns across steep hills and the desert’s sandy dunes
• Tom and Jerry: Swiss Cheese Spin to feel like a plate of cheese under the control and mercy of the bickering Tom and Jerry
• Batman: Knight Flight, an immersive high-speed ride on the Batmobile to patrol Gotham City
• Scarecrow Raid, a ride that spins, rolls, and swings unpredictably

4. SeaWorld™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

SeaWorld™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, is an indoor marine theme park offering more than 100 animal experiences and encounters.

• It has eight themed realms.
• The realms have been engineered to simulate the conditions in the resident animals’ habitats, including the lighting, temperature, and seasonal cycles.
• It has rides, too.

What are the must-try attractions at SeaWorld™?

• Manta Coaster, with its 17 airtime moments, including a zero-gravity flip
• Hypersphere, an immersive virtual exploration of the ocean
• Animal encounters to meet some marine animals (dugongs, penguins, sea otters, seals, sea lions, etc.) in their SeaWorld™ habitats
• Seasub to explore the SeaWorld™ aquarium while in a submersible
• Seaventure Underwater Walking Tour to wear special gear that will let you breathe and walk underwater

1 Island, 4 Theme Parks

Staying on Yas Island allows you to conveniently experience four theme parks during your short visit to the UAE. It also has some of the best hotels in Abu Dhabi.