Subtle and seductive charms of Abu Dhabi

We all know Dubai and many are keen to visit (and frequently do), but Abu Dhabi, just an hour and a half away and the capital of the Emirates, remains largely unknown and unvisited.

- Karan Thapar

We all know Dubai and many are keen to visit (and frequently do), but Abu Dhabi, just an hour and a half away and the capital of the Emirates, remains largely unknown and unvisited. Let me see if this Sunday morning I can fill in some of the glaring blanks for you. I was there last weekend and came back enchanted with the place. I'd say its charm is deeper and more satisfying than the seemingly transitory glamour and glitz of Dubai, its better-known frère (brother).

The atmosphere of Abu Dhabi is more relaxed and a lot less frenetic than Dubai. If the latter is New York, the former approximates Paris. The traffic flows more smoothly, the boulevards and highways as glorious and the hotels and restaurants as numerous and luxurious. You tend to see more Emiratees enjoying their city, whether it's shopping or eating out, than in Dubai. Expatriates may still dominate the city's residents, but they don't seem to frighten the locals away.

The wonders of Abu Dhabi include its cultural gems. The Louvre and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are two obvious examples. The Sorbonne and New York University are two others.