With Etihad Rail's passenger services set to pull into Fujairah for the first time, the UAE's east coast emirate is about to become considerably easier to reach. For some travellers arriving by train, it could well be a first visit – and Fujairah is worth exploring.
Backed by the Hajar Mountains and fronting the Gulf of Oman, it moves at a different pace to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, with a compact centre, genuinely good food and a coastline where there’s plenty to discover. Here is where to go once you step off the platform.
Umbrella Beach and the waterfront
Distance from Fujairah Etihad Rail Station: Seven-minute drive, 5km
The stretch of Corniche Road running through Al Faseel area has become Fujairah's most energetic social scene, and Umbrella Beach is the focal point.
Restaurants and food trucks face the sea with the Hajar Mountains stacking up behind them, and the best reason to come early is Saddle Cafe, which runs 24 hours and serves strong coffee with 360-degree views of both the water and the peaks.
If you're staying for lunch, Mara Lounge offers a surprisingly wide-ranging menu of sharing plates: Korean chicken pops alongside samosa chaat and sticky maple shrimp. For something more substantial, Steki is the standout – a Greek restaurant with fresh fish, a modern Hellenic menu and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the mountain-meets-ocean view.
Rumailah Cafe, meanwhile, keeps things simple, with produce from owners Rumailah Farms, serving coffee and desserts. It’s an idyllic spot to sit and people watch or simply gaze out at the glittering Gulf.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Distance from Fujairah Etihad Rail Station: 10-minute drive, 6.5km
On the northern edge of the city, in the Sakamkam district, Fujairah's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is among the most architecturally impressive in the UAE.
Inaugurated in 2015, it is the country's second-largest mosque after Abu Dhabi's – six minarets rising nearly 100 metres, multiple domes and a capacity of up to 32,000 worshippers.
Non-Muslims are welcome outside prayer times, entry is free and the scale of the place, set against the mountain ridge behind it, is genuinely striking.
Fujairah Fort and Fujairah Museum
Distance from Fujairah Etihad Rail Station: Nine-minute drive, 4.9km
The old heart of the city sits on a low hill near the museum district. Fujairah Fort is one of the oldest in the UAE, a compact mud-brick structure that has watched centuries of trade and conflict pass through mountains and sea. It is worth the short walk up for the perspective over the city as much as the fort itself. Entry to the fort is free.
The Fujairah Museum, just below, covers the archaeological history of the eastern region – settlements here date back thousands of years, well before the modern emirate existed. The collection is modest in size but thoughtfully presented. Entry to the museum is Dh5.
The Corniche
Distance from Fujairah Etihad Rail Station: Nine-minute drive, 6.4km
The Corniche is Fujairah's spine, a waterfront road lined with restaurants that face the Gulf of Oman.
Otto Pizzeria is the pick of the stretch: Neapolitan-style sourdough bases, San Marzano tomatoes, good burrata and the occasional inspired fusion option. Panoramic windows let you keep the water in view throughout.
City Centre Fujairah
Distance from Fujairah Etihad Rail Station: 12-minute drive, 8km
City Centre Fujairah mall sits at the junction of the Fujairah-Dubai Highway and Masafi Road and is larger and more useful than its modest reputation suggests.
There are more than 130 shops across two floors, anchored by a Carrefour hypermarket and a Centrepoint. Vox Cinemas has several screens, which makes it a practical refuge on a hot afternoon.
The food court covers fast-food staples, but the restaurant level has sit-down options too, including a Paul and a handful of regional chains.
Day trip: Khor Fakkan
Distance from Fujairah Etihad Rail Station: 25-minute drive, 32.4km
Less than 30 minutes north up the coast road is Khor Fakkan, Sharjah's east coast enclave and sits in what is arguably the most beautiful bay on the Gulf of Oman side. The Hajar Mountains drop almost directly to the beach, where the water is clear and calm.
The most interesting excursion in town is the Khor Fakkan Old Souq – also known as Souq Sharq – a renovated traditional market that gives a sense of what trading life on the east coast looked like long before the motorway arrived. It's compact, good for browsing spices, textiles and local produce, and far more atmospheric than anything you'd find in a modern mall.
Khor Fakkan itself has a growing cafe scene alongside it, and the combination of the souq, the bay and the mountain backdrop makes the short drive from Fujairah worth it.
It’s also worth seeking out Al Suhub Rest House, where Cloud Lounge offers a mountainside rest stop 600 metres above sea level, offering excellent 360-degree views of charming Khor Fakkan.
