Visit Abu Dhabi is an awesome travel app for the Emirates capital

While we are moving away from bulky maps and heavy guidebooks to mobile apps for our travels, there aren’t many of those that match a Lonely Planet or Fodor’s exhaustive experience.

Published by the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, the new Visit Abu Dhabi app for Windows Phone offers an easy and user-friendly way to discover the largest emirate.

The app includes comprehensive local information – from attractions and experiences to culture and heritage. You can add individual attractions as favorites to check them out at a later time. The app includes full listings of hotels, restaurants, and spas with filters to find what’s best for you. There’s a collection of inspiring video and photo galleries and very useful travel tips and answers to the most frequently asked questions.

The easy-to-navigate app also helps you with information on getting to and around the emirate with comprehensive local maps. The ‘Near Me’ feature helps you look for options available in your vicinity.

A currency convertor is also a handy addition to the app. The app also includes prayer times for Abu Dhabi which might be useful if you are visiting a mosque (Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is not to be missed!) or meeting up with local folks. There’s also a list of upcoming events and the latest news.

Available in nine languages - English, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese - the app is a pretty good trip planning tool, and quite handy to use while you are in Abu Dhabi. It’s got a visually appealing and intuitive design, and if you are travelling to Abu Dhabi, this app should be pinned to your Start screen!

Download the Visit Abu Dhabi app for Windows Phone 8 devices for free from the Windows Phone Store. The app offers everything you need to know about the emirate – searchable and portable – both online and offline.

Abhishek Baxi