For most of the year, a walk in an Abu Dhabi park comes with a small negotiation: go at 7am, go after sunset or go home sweaty. King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Park in Al Mushrif rewrites that deal. Billed as the capital’s first air-conditioned park, it wraps roughly 700 metres of cooled, enclosed walkway around a forest of more than 1,100 mature ghaf trees, so you can clock your steps in a steady breeze while the thermometer outside does its worst.
It opened on 16 December 2025, built by the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) under the directives of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and named to mark Bahrain’s 54th National Day. Entry is free, parking is free and the whole thing sits a few minutes’ walk from Mushrif Mall. Here’s everything you need to know before you go, from timings and what’s inside to where to grab a coffee afterwards.
Quick facts
- What: A neighbourhood park with an air-conditioned walkway of about 700 metres, opened 16 December 2025
- Where: Al Mushrif, central Abu Dhabi, next to Mushrif Mall
- Hours: 8am to 10pm Sunday to Thursday, 8am to 11pm Friday and Saturday
- Price: Free entry and free parking
- Best for: Year-round walking and jogging, families with young kids, seniors and People of Determination
- Not allowed: Barbecues (bring a picnic instead)
What makes it an air-conditioned park?
Let’s be clear on what “air-conditioned” means here, because nobody is chilling 1,100 trees. The cooling is concentrated in an enclosed walkway of around 700 metres that threads through the park. Step inside and you are in a covered, climate-controlled corridor with daylight filtering through, which means you can walk, jog or push a buggy at any hour the park is open, in any month.
DMT hasn’t published a target temperature for this particular walkway, but the capital’s other cooled corridors give a good idea: the 70-metre pilot walkway in Al Mamoura holds a steady 24 degrees year-round, and the 660-metre loop at Khalidiyah Park sits at around 25 degrees. Think pleasant mall-corridor comfort rather than fridge.
A quick note on the “first” claim. The Al Mamoura corridor, launched as a pilot at the end of 2024, was Abu Dhabi’s first fully air-conditioned outdoor walkway, but it is a short stretch beside offices and cafés rather than a park. King Hamad Park was the first full park built around the idea, and Khalidiyah Park followed when it reopened in March 2026. Between them, Abu Dhabi now has three cooled walking tracks, with more expected as part of the city’s wider push on liveable public space.
WOW Abu Dhabi Expert Tip: Bring proper walking shoes and a water bottle rather than treating it as a stroll. With 700 metres of cooled track, three laps gets you past two kilometres without breaking a sweat, and the refill fountains dotted around the park save you buying bottled water.
What’s inside the park
The walkway gets the headlines, but the ghaf forest is the real star. Ghaf is the UAE’s national tree, and a grove of this size in the middle of a residential district is rare. The trees throw serious shade, the birdsong is constant in the mornings and the overall feel is closer to a nature reserve than a manicured city lawn.
- Air-conditioned walkway: Around 700 metres, enclosed and cooled
- Ghaf forest: More than 1,100 mature ghaf trees with shaded trails
- Elevated tracks and a viewing point: Raised paths that look out over the tree canopy
- Cycling: A dedicated cycle path plus a pump track for bikes and scooters
- Wellness: Yoga and meditation decks and open lawns
- Fitness: Workout zones designed for seniors and People of Determination
- For kids: Children’s play areas
- Food and drink: A central café with a cooled outdoor terrace, food trucks and water fountains
One honest caveat on that café. It features prominently in the official announcement, but early visitors reported the restaurant space wasn’t open yet and a September 2026 review still describes the park as not fully finished. Plan on the food trucks or nearby Mushrif Mall for anything more than a snack, and treat the café as a bonus if it’s trading when you visit.
The vibe
King Hamad Park holds a 4.6 rating on Google from around 120 reviews. The praise lands in the same places again and again: the cooled walking and running track, how clean and well kept everything is, plenty of shaded seating and tables, the accessible gym equipment and a calm, uncrowded feel. The grumbles are about logistics, not the park itself, mainly strict closing times and the unfinished café.
Vibe check: The cooled walkway and ghaf shade genuinely make this the rare Abu Dhabi park you can enjoy in any month, just pack your own snacks until the café is up and running, and don’t turn up at 9.30pm hoping the security guard will let you squeeze in one last lap.
King Hamad Park for kids
If you have little ones, this is one of the few outdoor spaces in the city where you don’t need to plan around the thermometer. The walkway makes a safe, shaded loop for toddlers on balance bikes, and older kids will head straight for the pump track and cycle path. Reviewers also flag dedicated areas for scooters and skating, open sandy patches for digging and play areas spread across the park.
There are no rides, animals or ticketed attractions, so it is a run-around park rather than a day out. Pair it with a Mushrif Mall lunch or combine it with Umm Al Emarat Park down the road if you need a bigger programme. For more ideas on keeping kids busy when it’s hot, see our round-up of family-friendly summer activities in Abu Dhabi.
WOW Abu Dhabi Expert Tip: Barbecues are not allowed, but picnics are fine. Pack a cool bag, claim one of the shaded tables near the play areas and you have a free family afternoon sorted.
How to get there and parking
The park sits in Al Mushrif in central Abu Dhabi, a few minutes’ walk from Mushrif Mall, which is the easiest landmark to give a taxi driver. Search “King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Park” in Google Maps and it will take you to the right gate. Some map apps still show the site as Al Ghaf Park, which is the same place.
- Where: Al Mushrif, near Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi
- Parking: Free car park at the park, plus free street parking nearby
- Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible parking and entrance
- By taxi: Ask for Mushrif Mall and walk over, or drop the pin on the park
- Contact: Abu Dhabi Government contact centre on 800 555
Free parking is a genuine perk in this part of town. If you are combining your visit with Khalidiyah Park or anywhere downtown, check our guide to how Mawaqif parking works before you leave the car.
Opening hours and entry fees
- Sunday to Thursday: 8am to 10pm
- Friday and Saturday: 8am to 11pm
- Entry: Free, no booking needed
- Parking: Free
Timings are taken from the park’s listing and on-site signage reported by visitors. Security is strict about closing time and has turned people away at the gate half an hour before, so aim to arrive at least an hour before the park shuts. It belongs on any list of places to visit in Abu Dhabi for free.
Best time to visit
From October to April, go early. Visitors rave about the park first thing in the morning, when the light comes through the ghaf trees, the birds are loud and the paths are close to empty. It is the best time to explore the open trails and elevated tracks before they warm up.
From May to September, the walkway is the whole point. Evenings after sunset are the sweet spot for families, with the cooled loop for walking and the play areas usable once the sun drops. Weekday evenings are quieter than Friday and Saturday nights, when the later 11pm closing brings out the crowds.
WOW Abu Dhabi Expert Tip: Do your cardio in the cooled walkway and your stretching on the yoga decks in the shade afterwards. It is the closest thing Abu Dhabi has to a free, outdoor, all-year gym, and nobody will judge you for wearing gym kit.
Nearby things to do
Umm Al Emarat Park
Al Mushrif’s big-name park is a short drive away and makes a good second stop when you want more structure: an animal barn, a botanic garden, a climate-controlled Shade House, a huge Great Lawn and a busy calendar of events, including the Garden of Tolerance. Unlike King Hamad Park, it charges an entry fee.
- Where: 15th Street, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi
- Contact: 02 666 9559 or ummalemaratpark.ae
- Hours: 8am to midnight daily
- Budget: Around AED 10 per person, under-3s free (check the park website for current ticket options)
Vibe check: It’s the most polished family park in the capital, with lush gardens, a proper animal barn and clean facilities, just remember the ticket applies even if you rock up an hour before midnight for a quick lap, and brace for the Great Lawn to feel like a festival car park on cool weekend evenings.
Khalidiyah Park
Abu Dhabi’s other big air-conditioned walk. One of the city’s oldest neighbourhood parks reopened in March 2026 after a two-year makeover with a 660-metre enclosed cooled walkway looping the edge of the 62,000 square metre site, plus five play zones, sports courts, an amphitheatre and a sunken garden. The refresh was part of the capital’s wider infrastructure investment programme.
- Where: Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi
- Contact: Abu Dhabi Government contact centre on 800 555
- Hours: 8am to 11pm daily
- Budget: Free entry, paid Mawaqif parking
Vibe check: The cooled loop and the play zones make it a brilliant after-work reset, just give yourself extra time to hunt for parking at peak hours, and accept that the skate park will provide the evening soundtrack whether you asked for it or not.
Mushrif Mall
Right next door and the obvious place for lunch, a restroom break or a big grocery run on the way home. There is a large food court, a Lulu Hypermarket, a fresh-food market and entertainment areas for kids.
- Where: Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi
- Contact: 02 690 4444 or mushrifmall.com
- Hours: 10am to 11pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to 1am Friday to Sunday
- Budget: Food court and casual dining at everyday prices
Vibe check: It’s the practical, everything-under-one-roof community mall that makes a park day easy, just go in expecting convenience rather than glamour, and know that your quick coffee stop has a strong chance of ending at the Lulu checkout with a trolley full of mangoes.
The Barn Brew
A small, well-loved specialty coffee spot about ten minutes’ drive from the park, handy for an early flat white before a morning walk or an iced V60 afterwards. Regulars rate the pour-overs, matcha and friendly staff, though seating is limited.
- Where: Al Samak Street, Hadbat Al Za’faranah, Abu Dhabi
- Contact: 056 100 0713
- Hours: 6am to midnight daily
- Budget: Pocket-friendly specialty coffee
Vibe check: The coffee is good enough that fans make the drive from Sharjah for it, just grab it to go on busy mornings, because the handful of seats disappears faster than your willpower in front of the dessert counter.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Park in Al Mushrif opened on 16 December 2025 with an air-conditioned walkway of about 700 metres, and Khalidiyah Park reopened in March 2026 with a 660-metre cooled walkway.
Yes. Entry is free and there is a free car park beside the park. There is no ticket or booking system.
The park is listed as open from 8am to 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 8am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Gates close on time, so arrive at least an hour before closing.
It is in Al Mushrif in central Abu Dhabi, a short walk from Mushrif Mall. Some map apps still label the site Al Ghaf Park, after the ghaf trees it was built around.
No. Barbecues are not allowed, but visitors say you can bring your own food and eat at the shaded tables.
The park has not published an exact figure. For comparison, the Al Mamoura pilot walkway is held at around 24 degrees and the Khalidiyah Park walkway at around 25 degrees, so expect comfortable rather than chilly.
Yes. There are children’s play areas, a pump track, cycle paths and open lawns, and the cooled walkway makes it one of the few parks where young kids can stay active outdoors in the hotter months.
Details were checked in September 2026. The park is still bedding in and facilities, the café and timings may change, so check the latest on the Abu Dhabi Government contact centre (800 555) or Google Maps before you go.
