8 of 10 places fit
A 2 km boardwalk floats just over the mangroves, where herons and turtles show up at high tide.
A mangrove island with traditional Emirati buildings that hosts light-art shows like Manar Abu Dhabi in winter.
Fifteen minutes from downtown, with cycling and running tracks, a surf pool and the food-stall waterfront at Marsana.
A small garden island in Khalid Lagoon with a climate-controlled Butterfly House and outdoor art pieces like OVO and Torus.
Half the island is a wildlife park where oryx, gazelle and cheetah roam, and the ruins of a 7th-century monastery sit in the scrub.
A pearling island inhabited for 7,000 years, with a museum in a pearl merchant's house and three old mosques.
A rock islet ringed by coral just off Al Aqah beach, close enough that confident swimmers snorkel out from the sand.
Four reclaimed islands on a causeway with a 2 km waterfront promenade on Breeze Island and long beaches lined with resorts.