Saadiyat Island, just north of the main island and reached by a short bridge, has been designated the cultural district of Abu Dhabi. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is here, the Guggenheim is under construction, the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum are due to open. New York University has a campus and Manarat Al Saadiyat hosts the Abu Dhabi Art fair every November.
The eastern side of the island is a long, calm white-sand beach — turtles still come ashore here in the breeding season — and most of the city's quieter beach hotels are along its length. The combined effect is a slow, considered, art-oriented half-island, very different from the noise and density of the city proper.