Which is better: Al Ain or Abu Dhabi?
I received this email today from a subscriber to this site…
I will be arriving in Abu Dhabi next week as a newly hired teacher and we have been told we can plead our case for the city we want to live in. I am unsure if I would prefer Abu Dhabi or Al Ain. I am 50, female, single, very active in that I rock climb, hike, bike. swim, kayak, camp and such. I tend to get heat stroke though. I very much enjoy concerts, lectures and cultural events but am not into the ‘bar scene’ or clubbing. I am outgoing, happy and very excited about this journey. If you have any advice for me that would be swell. I have enjoyed looking at your web site.
I replied as follows…
I have no easy answer for you.
Here’s a few tips…
Abu Dhabi downsides…
- very congested
- your car WILL get dented overnight wherever it’s parked
- it’s very humid in the summer months: maybe March to September
Upsides…
- a LOT more going on: music concerts, etc
- Time Out Abu Dhabi magazine features lots of stuff: see their website and mag: which lists almost no event in Al Ain as so little goes on
Al Ain downsides
- much quieter
- far less cultural events: one WOMAD world music festival a year, maybe a few classical music concerts a year, no talks/lectures by book authors etc, very small English libraries, occasional natural history talks and walks
Al Ain upsides…
- not as congested
- no humidity: very dry, so you don’t suffer in summer
- your car won’t get dented
- I think you can climb at Jebel Hafeet, the nearby mountain maybe not, but Al Ain borders Oman where you can do a lot of climbing
Does that help?
Our sons are 11 and 8. We wouldn’t live in Abu Dhabi if you paid us a ton of money to do so: more expensive schooling, plus the other downsides. We love it here in Al Ain. YOU may much prefer Abu Dhabi.
Do let me know what you decide!
And please publicise my site if you can, via Facebook, Twitter, emails, if you’re in a position to do so.
Warmest,
Chris
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My daughter will be moving to Al Ain for 10 months to teach at a private school…Since you live there, could you be honest–how safe is it for a young, American, Christian girl?? My daughter said that the country is very tolerant…I just hope that’s true…Thoughts??
Hi,
I think she’ll be safe here. I have been here 3 years and not heard any ‘bad/sad’ stories.
If you want to correspond more about this, get in touch with me via the contacts page with more detailed questions.
Chris
Hi Chris,
I am hoping to move shortly to Al Ain and wondered if you could highlight genuine websites for looking at apartments/villas etc where we can see pictures as we have no idea on where to start our search.
Thanks
Colette
Hi Collette,
Do a google search: there are a number of sites which show photos of apartments and villas in Al Ain, and the kind of prices you will pay.
Chris