September has barely got going and Abu Dhabi has already given us a rather lovely little excuse to leave the house. If you’ve been meaning to do something cultural, educational or simply different from the usual brunch-and-mall rotation, here’s one for your list: three major Abu Dhabi museums can be visited for free this month. And no, this isn’t one of those offers where “free” means you have to buy a three-course meal, download seven apps and sacrifice your first-born child somewhere along the way.
There’s a much simpler trick involved — and it starts with a book fair.
The Book Fair Is Your Unlikely Abu Dhabi Museums Pass
The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is taking place at ADNEC from September 13 to 18, and registering for the event is completely free.
The rather brilliant bit is that your book fair registration can also be used to access three participating museums: Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi.
So, essentially, you sign up for a book fair and get a little cultural bonus on the side.
Even better, you don’t need to squeeze all of this into one frantic day. While the book fair ends on September 18, the museum access remains valid until September 29, giving you a little more breathing room to organise your visits.
Which is useful because attempting three Abu Dhabi museums with children in one day is how you end up needing a museum dedicated entirely to parental exhaustion.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Let’s start with the obvious star.
Even before you walk through the doors, Louvre Abu Dhabi manages to make you feel like you’ve arrived somewhere special. The architecture alone is worth the trip, particularly that spectacular dome and the constantly shifting patterns of light beneath it.
Inside, the collection takes you across civilisations, cultures and centuries, making this one of those places where you can spend an hour, half a day or considerably longer depending on your attention span and the number of children asking when you’re leaving.
And with this offer, you can take your time without worrying about the usual admission cost.
Zayed National Museum
Next up is Zayed National Museum, where the focus shifts from global art and civilisation to the story of the UAE itself.
The museum explores the life and legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the country’s journey through archaeology, heritage and personal stories.
It’s also a lovely one to visit with children, particularly if you’re looking for a way to make UAE history feel a little more tangible than something they’ve only encountered in a school textbook.
Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi
And then we have the museum guaranteed to make at least one child in your group suddenly develop a very serious interest in dinosaurs.
Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi takes visitors through billions of years of natural history, covering everything from the origins of the universe and prehistoric life to the natural world of the Arabian region.
There’s a nearly complete T. rex skeleton, a blue whale specimen and plenty of other fascinating discoveries, so expect this one to be particularly popular with younger visitors.
How To Get Your Free Entry To Abu Dhabi Museums
The process is surprisingly straightforward:
Register for the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair online, keep your ticket handy and use it to access the participating museums.
You don’t need to visit the book fair first, and your museum access remains available until September 29.
So you could do the book fair, visit one museum, come back another weekend for the second and save the dinosaur-filled adventure for when the kids are particularly energetic.
Basically, you’ve got nearly two weeks to turn a free book fair registration into a rather impressive Abu Dhabi culture crawl.
And considering the entry fee is AED 0, I’d say this is one September plan worth putting on the calendar.
You may also like: Looking For A Back To School Deal In Dubai? Here Are A Few Restaurant Deals That Your Kids Will Love