Layover guide
Tipping in Abu Dhabi
Not expected but common; high-end restaurants add ~10% service charge plus a 6% tourism levy, otherwise 10-15% is usual.
All of Abu Dhabi
Tipping is not expected but commonly practised — gratuities to hotel and restaurant staff are at your discretion (official tourism board).
Fine-dining and high-end restaurants typically add a service charge of around 10% plus a 6% tourism levy; these are often built into menu prices, and the menu says when they are.
When no service charge is included, adding 10-15% to the bill is the stated convention; tipping on top of an included service charge is common but not expected.
- Experience Abu Dhabi (DCT) — taxes, service charges and tipping · checked 2026-08-18
The rest of Abu Dhabi
The whole guideGetting out of the airportThe taxi tariff is published by the authority and the airport flagfall is AED 20 against AED 5 in the city, but the bus is not round the clock: A1 stops at 23:00 and only N2 covers the night.Ride-hailingUber and Yango operate; silver metered taxis are the regulated default, airport taxis carry an AED 20 flagfall.Local laws that catch crew outDrink only inside licensed venues, keep the camera down and the language clean: the UAE prosecutes visitors for behaviour that is unremarkable at home.Staying connectedA visitor SIM is registered against your passport and capped at two per network, and an unregistered line gets cut off rather than merely warned.WeatherDesert climate: pleasant Oct-Mar, brutal 40°C humid heat May-Sep; the state bans midday outdoor work 15 Jun-15 Sep.Eating near the crew hotelsMina Zayed port district is the market-food area: fish souk plus fruit-and-veg souk, haggling is the norm.What to buyGold at Madinat Zayed Gold Centre, oud, dates and spices in the souks; 5% VAT is refundable via Planet at departure.