Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi opened on 22 November 2025 in the Saadiyat Cultural District. Across 35,000 square metres it tells the story of nature over 13.8 billion years, from the Big Bang to Earth's future.
Tickets and prices
What to see
The star of the museum is Stan, a near-complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Nearby are the 25-metre skeleton of a female blue whale and the Murchison meteorite, which fell in Australia in 1969 and contains grains older than the Solar System. The permanent galleries are The Story of Earth, The Evolving World, The Lost World of Abu Dhabi, Human Story, Our World and Resilient Planet.
The most surprising gallery is The Lost World of Abu Dhabi. It takes you back seven million years, when a green savannah stood where the desert is now, and shows local fossils such as Stegotetrabelodon emiratus, an extinct elephant with tusks in both jaws. The Immersive Theatre, with films about the birth of the Universe and Earth's living wonders, needs a separate ticket. The atrium is free to enter and has augmented-reality dinosaurs.
Getting there
The museum is in the Cultural District of Saadiyat Island, next to Louvre Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum. It has free parking with 297 spaces and EV chargers; if it is full, park at a neighbouring museum and take the district shuttle. Taxis use a dedicated drop-off point. The nearest city bus is route 94 at the Abrahamic Family House.
Planning your visit
Adult tickets cost AED 70; entry is free for visitors under 18, Emiratis and residents over 60, and People of Determination with companions. The Immersive Theatre costs AED 30 for adults and AED 20 for children. Booking online is best, but tickets are also sold at the door. Allow two to three hours, especially with children.
Before you go
Phones and ordinary cameras are fine, but selfie sticks, tripods and lights are not. No eating or drinking in the galleries, and no outside food. Bags larger than 58 × 43 cm go in lockers, and double strollers go to the cloakroom. A free multimedia guide is available in the NHMAD Guide app, and there is a nursing room on Level −1.
Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi · 24.528619, 54.403345
