Dubai: Abu Dhabi’s latest museum – Guggenheim Abu Dhabi – is set to open next month, with its inauguration scheduled for December 11, 2026. With a focus on modern and contemporary art from the 1960s and onwards, here’s all you need to know about what to expect and how you can book tickets in advance.

Museum for modern and contemporary art

Apart from the original Guggenheim in New York, the museum also has locations in Venice and Bilbao but Abu Dhabi is set to become the largest Guggenheim in the world.

At 80,000 square metres, the art museum will have 30 galleries and a central atrium, with the collection expected to include a range of artistic media including painting, sculpture, installation, photography, moving image and new media.

The museum will also exhibit works of artists from West Asia, North Africa and South Asia.

The distinct architecture

Designed by the late Frank Gehry, Pritzker Prize-winning Canadian-American architect renowned for his groundbreaking designs, the museum’s façade rises to 88 metres in height and is surrounded by the Arabian Gulf on three sides.

The galleries are connected by a central atrium, and the 10 central cones have been designed to respond directly to Abu Dhabi’s climate by creating shaded public spaces and facilitating airflow across courtyards and terraces. Inspired by the historical wind towers of the UAE, they draw warm air upwards while directing cooling breezes below.

Ticket prices

The museum has several discounts and offers for special categories of visitors. Here are the details of the ticket prices you can expect:

  • For adults: AED 70
  • Under 18 – free entry (children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times).
  • Senior Emiratis and residents (aged 60 and above) – free entry.
  • People of Determination – free entry, with a complimentary companion ticket.
  • Student - UAE Universities – free entry.
  • Educator - UAE Employed – AED35.
  • Fazaa/Esaad card holders – AED50.
  • Homat Al Watan card for UAE military personnel – AED35.

For the special ticket offers for UAE university students, educators employed in the UAE, Fazza and Esaad car holders, and UAE military personnel – a proof of relevant ID is required and the tickets can only be collected from the ticketing desk on the day of the visit.

Regular tickets can be booked in advance, through the museum’s website – https://guggenheimabudhabi.ae/en/tickets

How to get there

The museum is located on Saadiyat Island’s Cultural District, in the main cultural cluster alongside Louvre Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.

If you’re travelling from Dubai or the Northern Emirates, simply take the E11 Sheikh Zayed Road and after crossing the Shahama area, take the exit for E10 – Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street.

As soon as you cross Deerfields Mall, take the Yas Island exit, for E12 – Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, which will take you to Saadiyat Island, via a picturesque route that covers Yas Island, Fahid Island and Al Jubail Island.

When coming from Abu Dhabi city, you can take the E12 route from Abu Dhabi corniche, that will lead you straight to Saadiyat Island’s cultural district.

Free parking is available on site.