Yas Island

Yas Island is Abu Dhabi's purpose-built entertainment island, a man-made leisure destination between the city and the airport that has become one of the busiest tourist draws in the emirate. Developed from the mid-2000s at enormous cost, it packs theme parks, a racing circuit and a shopping mega-mall onto a single reclaimed island threaded with waterways.

Motorsport put it on the map. The Yas Marina Circuit hosts the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the traditional floodlit finale of the Formula One season, its track curving around a marina and beneath a landmark hotel whose curved shell glows through a shifting canopy of coloured light after dark. Outside race weekends, visitors can drive or cycle the circuit itself.

Its theme parks anchor the family appeal. Ferrari World, home to one of the world's fastest roller coasters, sits beside Warner Bros. World, the slides of Yas Waterworld and the SeaWorld marine-life park, while the enormous Yas Mall provides air-conditioned shopping and dining between the attractions. The island is deliberately designed to keep visitors busy for several days without leaving.

For travellers, Yas is a self-contained resort zone. Hotels, a beach and a golf club supplement the parks, and free shuttle buses and wide, accessible walkways link the sights. Buy multi-park passes to save on individual tickets, tackle the outdoor rides and the waterpark in the cooler months, and plan carefully around the Grand Prix weekend if you want either to attend it or to avoid the crowds and higher prices. Overall costs are moderate to high depending on which attractions you choose. A free stroll around the marina to watch the boats and supercars costs nothing and suits those choosing to skip the parks.