By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 6 min read
How do you visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque?
The mosque sits between the Maqta, Mussafah and Sheikh Zayed bridges, where the mainland meets Abu Dhabi island. A visit takes four steps:
- Book an online access pass. Visitors who are not there to pray pre-book on the visitors page of szgmc.gov.ae. The mosque says a visit is not confirmed without prior booking. Worshippers enter without a ticket.
- Dress for the mosque before you set off. The rules are below, and they apply at the entrance.
- Arrive by car, taxi or bus. Visitors park in the southern car parks, signposted at the entrances.
- Walk the courtyards on your own, or join a free cultural tour. Tours start on the east side of the mosque.
For help with a booking, the mosque’s enquiry line is +971 2 4191919. If you want the mosque as one stop in a longer day, our Abu Dhabi city tour pairs it with Qasr Al Watan and the Louvre.
What is the dress code for men, women and children?
| Who | What to wear | What is not allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Women | Loose clothes to the ankles, sleeves to the wrists, a scarf over all the hair | Tight, see-through or revealing clothes |
| Men | Any style, preferably trousers that cover the whole leg | Tight, see-through or sleeveless shirts |
| Children | No separate code; the adult with them is responsible | The adult rules are the safe choice at the entrance |
| Everyone | Plain clothes | Heavy make-up, excessive jewellery, bright colours, slogans or drawings |
The mosque’s pages do not mention lending abayas or scarves at the entrance. Pack your own headscarf and a long, loose layer, and put them on before you reach the gate. Our things to do in Abu Dhabi guide lists the other sites with dress rules, such as Qasr Al Watan.
Opening hours, Friday hours and prayer times
| Day | Open to visitors | Last entry |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday to Thursday | 9:00 to 20:30 | 20:00 |
| Friday morning | 9:00 to 11:30 | 11:00 |
| Friday afternoon | 14:30 to 20:30 | 20:00 |
The mosque posts the day’s prayer times on its own site, next to the visiting hours. The Friday gap covers Friday prayers, so a Friday trip from Dubai usually puts the mosque after 14:30.
Free public cultural tours run at fixed times:
- Saturday to Thursday: 11:00, 13:00 and 17:00.
- Friday: 11:00 and 17:00, with no 13:00 tour.
Arrive about 15 minutes before a tour starts.
Is it free? Entry fees, tours and booking
The mosque’s FAQ lists these admission fees for visitors, checked on 17 October 2026.
| Visitor | Fee |
|---|---|
| Visitors from outside the UAE | AED 10 |
| Emirates ID holders | AED 5 |
| Visitors through tour operators | AED 8 |
| Official delegations | Set by the delegation’s host entity |
| Worshippers | No ticket |
The cultural tours themselves are free. The mosque’s FAQ gives their length as 30 to 45 minutes in one answer and 45 to 60 minutes in another, and guides speak English and Arabic. Private cultural tours, the Sura Tour and the Light and Peace Museum are booked separately on the mosque’s site. Prices for those were not shown when we checked.
If you want the access pass handled with the rest of your day, ask us to add it through our attraction tickets page.
Ramadan hours and visiting during Eid
Ramadan changes the hours for the whole month. The mosque’s official times are in the table below.
| Period | Saturday to Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|
| First 20 days of Ramadan | 9:00 to 18:00, then 21:30 to 1:00 | 14:30 to 18:00, then 21:30 to 1:00 |
| Last 10 days of Ramadan | 9:00 to 18:00 | 14:30 to 18:00 |
During Ramadan, public cultural tours run at 11:00 and 13:00 from Saturday to Thursday, with none on Friday. The visiting hours page lists no separate Eid hours, so call +971 2 4191919 before an Eid visit.
How long do you need, and the best time for photos
Plan on about 1 h 30 min on site. That covers the walk from the car park, the entrance checks, a 30 to 60 minute tour and time in the courtyards. With the drive, a visit from Dubai Marina takes a morning or an afternoon.
Personal photos are allowed at the designated photo stops. Professional cameras, and any commercial or media filming, need a permit from the mosque. Phones go on silent inside.
For light, the 17:00 tour is the one to aim for. Entry stays open until 20:00, so you can stay on after sunset to see the domes lit over the pools. From May to September, the outdoor courtyards are hot at midday, which is another reason to come late.
Rules inside: food, items and behaviour
- Food and drink: not allowed. One mosque page allows water and another does not, so leave bottles in the car.
- Items left behind: e-cigarettes, lighters, sharp items, laser pointers, whistles, loudspeakers, masks and flags. Dolls and stuffed toys are on the list too.
- Behaviour: keep voices low, and no smoking anywhere on the grounds. Public displays of affection, sleeping and lying down are not allowed.
- Help on site: wheelchairs can be requested from security, and an electric shuttle runs on the grounds. A cloakroom stores bags.
- Souq Al Jami’: food outlets, souvenir shops and toilets, at the mosque.
Getting there from Dubai and where your driver drops you
Your driver reaches the mosque before the city centre. The last turn is onto Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street (E22), which runs past the mosque grounds. Expect one Darb toll on the way, at Ghantoot, at AED 4 per crossing from 4 May 2026.
| From | Road distance | Without traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Marina | about 108 km | 1 h 6 min |
| Downtown Dubai | about 127 km | 1 h 21 min |
| Zayed International (AUH), Terminal A | about 29 km | 28 min |
| Yas Island | about 24 km | 22 min |
| Qasr Al Watan | about 21 km | 20 min |
We measured the distances on 17 October 2026, as OSRM averages on OpenStreetMap data. The same drive is our Dubai to Abu Dhabi transfer. The bus and the train are compared in our Dubai to Abu Dhabi travel guide.
The mosque’s directions page names Al Salam Gate 6 as the entrance. Your chauffeur follows the visitor signs to the southern car parks and waits there, so you walk back to the same spot. Parking at the mosque is free, but no vehicle may stay between 23:00 and 4:00.
Without a car, TRANSAD taxis take bookings on 600535353, and a taxi area works at the mosque during opening hours. A public bus station sits nearby. A shuttle links the mosque with Wahat Al Karama every 30 minutes, from 10:00 to 19:15.
From Dubai, AUH or an Abu Dhabi hotel
- From Dubai: book a car with driver by the hour if you want the mosque plus your own choice of stops.
- From the airport: if you land at Zayed International, the mosque is 29 km away. Our AUH airport pickup page covers the arrivals hall, where your chauffeur waits with a board showing your name.
- From an Abu Dhabi hotel: this trip runs in an Abu Dhabi-licensed car, available through our partner network, subject to availability. Our chauffeur service in Abu Dhabi page has the details.
If the mosque is one stop in a longer week of sightseeing, our day trips from Dubai guide sets out the other full-day drives.
Photos in this guide
The white domes and minarets of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi under a clear skyTanya Hart (arripay) / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Visitors crossing the marble courtyard towards the main prayer hall entrance of the Sheikh Zayed Grand MosqueTanya Hart (arripay) / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gold-topped columns of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque colonnade reflected in a blue-tiled poolAndrew Moore (andryn2006) / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
The main prayer hall of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, with a gold and crystal chandelier above the carpetFrancesco Bini / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The palm-lined road at the entrance to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque parking areaGinaD / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
