saudi arabia tourist information

Must-see attractions in Saudi Arabia

Prophet’s Mosque

Saudi Arabia

One of only two mosques in the world that can accommodate a million people, the Prophet’s Mosque holds deep significance for Muslims all over the world…

Al Masjid Al Haram

The focal point for every Muslim and the biggest mosque in the world, Al Masjid Al Haram is able to host a million worshippers and covers an area of 356…

Jubbah Rock Carvings

This is arguably the Kingdom's premier pre-Islamic site and open-air art gallery. Covering an area measuring 39 sq km are some of the most impressive…

Masmak Fortress

Surrounded by sand, this squat fortification was built around 1865 and is like a scene out of the movies: a big fortress representing an empire. It was…

Pearl Merchants' Neighbourhood

Staring at the mesmerising geometric and floral designs of the carved patterns that adorn the houses and arched gateways of Farasan's former pearl…

National Museum

This state-of-the-art museum is one of the finest in the Middle East. Encased within modernist architecture, its two floors contain eight well-designed…

Empty Quarter

The 'Abode of Silence', or the Empty Quarter, covers almost 655,000 sq km and evokes all that was romantic and forbidden for European adventurers, such as…

Al Ula Viewpoint

The views as you wind your way up to this gem of a spot offer glimpses of what's to come. At the top, the road plateaus through a windswept, lunar…

The mysterious and unique 'hanging village' of Al Habala is one of the genuine wonders of Saudi Arabia. This series of sandstone houses hewn from local…

Wahba Crater

The result of an underground volcanic explosion, this spectacular crater in the middle of the desert measures 1.3km across and 200m deep. In the middle,…

Al Shafee Mosque

Beautifully restored and maintained, this historic mosque, one of the finest in Jeddah, is named after one of the four great imams of classical Sunni…

The ancient residents of Al Yanfa came up with a novel way to navigate their congested village built on an uneven hill: they created a network of warrens…

Exhibition of the Two Holy Mosques

This little museum is brimming with relics from the two holy mosques, Al Masjid Al Haram in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. These include…

Northern Saudi Arabia

The melancholy of Al Wajh's beautiful old Hejazi houses, as they stare wistfully out to sea, is apparent in every corner of the town's near-abandoned Al…

Matbouli House Museum

With so many traditional houses closed in Al Balad, this privately owned museum in a beautiful three-storey property with stunning Hejazi mashrabiyya …

Once a smelly, unpleasant stretch of coastline, the corniche in northern Jeddah has been transformed into a pleasant walkway and leisure space. There are…

The Taif souq is one of the largest in Saudi Arabia and well worth a wander. Set in the tastefully renovated historic centre, where wonderful little…

Eastern Province

Ithra is a world-class cultural venue like no other in Saudi Arabia. The building resembles a space station, and is home to a cinema, a museum, exhibition…

Hail Flea Market

Like any flea market worthy of the name, here you'll find old rugs, vintage cameras, wires for contraptions you didn't know existed, and of course that…

Souq Al Alawi

This souq runs off Al Dahab St and is the most extensive in the Kingdom. The market stalls cut into the heart of the old city and buzz with the activity…

Al Mudaifar Mosque

Surrounded by a forest of palms, this quaint little Najd mud mosque, with its tall round minaret and engraved wood door, truly evokes the Saudi Arabia of…

Najd Mosque

A pearling legacy, this mosque, built in 1928 by a wealthy pearl merchant, hints at the island's trade links with the subcontinent. The mosque's…

Hejaz Railway Station & Tabuk Museum

Tabuk's early-20th-century Hejaz Railway station is one of the best preserved in Saudi Arabia. There are 13 recently refurbished buildings spread over 80…

Tabuk Castle

Dating to 1559, Tabuk Castle is now a museum, with several rooms housing some interesting historical artefacts from the Ottoman period and lots of signage…

Al Ula Heritage Village

There are plans to make this a formal tourist venue in the near future, but for now you can enjoy freely wandering among the beautiful mud ruins where…

Start at the eastern edge of this area for a wonderful vista of the old mud and slate houses backing onto a fertile patchwork of greenery: this is what…

Al Muftaha Village

This cultural village really embodies the artistic spirit of Asir. A mosque with stunning calligraphy graffiti sits surrounded by a series of small art…

Not for the faint-hearted or sufferers of vertigo, here high-speed lifts fly you at 180km/h to the 99th-floor Sky Bridge, inside the Kingdom Centre. The…

Al Tayibat City Museum for International Civilisation

This privately owned four-floor collection has displays ranging from pre-Islamic artefacts, exquisite Islamic manuscripts, old coins and weaponry to…

Madain Saleh

Often dubbed the 'second Petra', Madain Saleh, for many, is on a par with – if not more impressive than – its famous cousin across the border in Jordan…

Masjid Miqat

The biggest miqat (pilgrim station) complex in Saudi Arabia, this fort-like mosque rises up like a North African kasbah on the southwestern edge of Medina…

Al Nafud Desert

While the Empty Quarter gets all the attention, it is actually far easier to come upon the picturesque desert of romantic Arabia by visiting the beautiful…

Rising some 3000m above Sarawat Valley, covered in juniper forests and famous for misty, cold weather, the Kingdom's tallest mountain is everything you…

Jebel Al Lawz

Jebel Al Lawz, rising 2580m above sea level, is one of the only accessible mountains in the Kingdom to experience snowfall in winter. This is what many…

Haddaj Well

The Haddaj Well is an outstanding example of ancient engineering. It reportedly dates back to the Babylonian presence during the 6th century BC, and at…

Built on the slopes of steep mountains that are enveloped by clouds in the winter, Rija Alma village, dating back to the 8th century, contains some of the…

Accessible only for children and those accompanying them, this is the largest zoo in Saudi Arabia and began life in 1957 as a small-scale menagerie…

Globe Experience

The Globe Experience is a spectacular viewing platform inside an enormous glass ball that's 24m in diameter, made of 655 glass panels and suspended just…

Kingdom Centre

Riyadh’s landmark tower, rising 302m high, is a stunning piece of modern architecture – it’s particularly conspicuous at night, when the upper sweep is…

Edge of the World

This is a spectacular spot where you can stand on the edge of a sheer precipice, stare out across a dry, barren valley floor and feel like you're at the…

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Saudi Arabia

• 3 Other destinations
• 4.1 Etymology
• 4.2 Government
• 4.3 History
• 4.4 Economy
• 4.5 Geography
• 4.6 Climate
• 4.8.1 Prayer times
• 4.9 Holidays
• 4.10 Visitor information
• 6.1.1.1 Pilgrimage
• 6.2 By plane
• 6.5 By train
• 6.6 By boat
• 7.1 By plane
• 7.3 By train
• 7.5 By taxi
• 8.1 Museums and landmarks
• 8.2 World heritage sites
• 8.3 Natural scenery and landmarks
• 8.4 Beaches and islands
• 8.5 Religious sites
• 9.1 Desert excursions
• 9.2 Scuba diving
• 9.3 Amusement parks
• 9.4 Theatres
• 9.6 Camel racing
• 10.3 What to buy
• 11.1 Saudi cuisine
• 11.2 Fast food
• 12.1 Coffee shops
• 12.2 Alcohol
• 12.3 Soft drinks
• 14.1 Schools
• 14.2 Universities
• 15.1 Teaching English
• 16.1 Driving
• 16.3 LGBT travellers
• 16.4 Blasphemy
• 16.5 National symbols
• 16.6 Women travellers
• 16.7 Armed conflicts
• 16.8 Compounds
• 17.1 Tap water
• 18.1 Law and morality
• 18.2 Sex segregation
• 18.5 Social etiquette
• 18.6 Behaving in public
• 18.7 Home etiquette
• 18.8 Miscellaneous
• 19.1 By phone
• 19.2 By net
• 19.3 By mail

Saudi Arabia ( Arabic : السعودية, as-Suʿūdīyah ) is a large kingdom covering a significant portion of the Arabian peninsula.

Saudi Arabia is home to Islam 's holiest cities — Mecca and Medina — both of which attract Muslims from all over the world. Religious pilgrimages used to be the country's primary source of income before oil was discovered in the 1930s. With over 16 million visitors annually, Saudi Arabia is one of the world's most popular travel destinations, if you count Muslims coming for the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage.

Saudi Arabia enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic (Sharia) law, requiring everyone, including visitors, to think, act, and behave in a way that's consistent with Islamic principles and guidelines. That being said, it appears that the government is trying to shed the country's conservative image and open up the country to the world.

You should not travel to Saudi Arabia if you are unprepared to accept strict limitations on your freedom of expression and behaviour.

Regions [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is administratively divided into 13 provinces ( mintaqah ), but here are the traditional divisions of the country.

Cities [ edit ]

• 24.65 46.71 1 Riyadh ( الرياض ) — the capital of and the largest city in the Kingdom
• 18.216667 42.5 2 Abha ( أَبْهَا ) — a summer tourist mountain resort city in the southwest near the Yemeni border
• 26.266667 50.15 3 Dhahran ( الظهران ) — the home of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest petroleum company
• 21.542778 39.172778 4 Jeddah ( جِدَّة ) — a large metropolitan city on the Red Sea, known for its distinctive coral houses in the old town
• 27 49.666667 5 Jubail ( الجبيل ) — the largest industrial city in the kingdom
• 21.4225 39.826111 6 Mecca ( مكة ) — the holiest city in Islam and commonly visited as part of the Hajj pilgrimage; off-limits to non-Muslims
• 24.47 39.61 7 Medina ( المدينة ) — the resting place of the Prophet Muhammad, and the second holiest city in Islam
• 17.4917 44.1322 8 Najran ( نجران ) — a Yemeni-influenced city with a remarkable fortress
• 21.266667 40.416667 9 Ta'if ( اَلطَّائِفُ‎ ) — the unofficial summer capital of the Kingdom

Expect significant variations in the English spellings of place names in schedules and even road signs: Al Wajh and Wedjh are the same place. In particular, Q/G, E/I, and E/A are interchanged freely ( Qassim/Gassim , Mecca/Makkah , Jeddah/Jiddah ), H/A sometimes swap places ( Al-Ahsa / Al-Hasa ) and the definite article al- can be left on or off ( Medina/Almadinah , Riyadh/Arriyadh ).

Other destinations [ edit ]

• 20 50 1 Empty Quarter ( Rub' al Khali ) — one of the largest sand deserts on earth
• 21.4225 39.826167 2 Hajj — the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca

Understand [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ].

Saudi Arabia is officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ( المملكة العربية السعودية , al-Mamlakah al-ʿArabīyah as-Suʿūdīyah ).

The country takes its name from the House of Saud, the ruling royal family that has dominated the country's political landscape for more than three centuries.

When most of the Arabian peninsula was unified by the House of Saud, Abdulaziz bin Saud named the newly unified country "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".

Government [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy governed by the House of Saud.

The King of Saudi Arabia, officially known as the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" since 1986, is the country's head of state and wields enormous political power. The Saudi king is the head of the House of Saud, the head of the government, the supreme commander-in-chief of the Saudi military, has the authority to appoint a Crown Prince, and can bestow state awards and honours to civilians and foreigners. All of the subsequent kings of Saudi Arabia are sons of Abdulaziz bin Saud, the kingdom's founder and first king.

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the country's second-most important political position, is the designated successor to the King of Saudi Arabia and assists him with his duties.

The government of Saudi Arabia is made up of 22 government ministries.

History [ edit ]

The first Saudi state was founded by Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin in 1727, in the town of Diriyah , today on the northwest outskirts of the capital Riyadh . In 1744, Muhammad bin Saud formed a political alliance with Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of the Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam, in which Wahhabi Islam was made the state religion, in exchange for the religious endorsement of the Saud family's right to rule by al-Wahhab and his descendants.

The Saud family were sheikhs of Nejd, the area around Riyadh, but were driven out by a neighbouring dynasty, hiding with their relatives, the emirs of Kuwait. Then in 1902, young Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud and a few dozen lads rode out to raid their home territory. As it turned out, the invaders had been ruling badly, so many locals joined them. They not only re-captured Riyadh, but much of the surrounding territory.

After that, Abdul Aziz spent the next 30 years trying to unify the Arabian Peninsula. The area united under him became known as Saudi Arabia.

In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country, and Saudi Arabia became a key U.S. ally in the Middle East in 1933. Saudi Arabia's oil wealth was instrumental to the Allied victory in World War II , as the Saudis were able to keep the American military well-stocked with fuel. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning population, unemployment, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns.

Relations with neighboring Iran have been tense ever since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, due in part to historical tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims, with Saudi Arabia often seen as the unofficial leader of the Sunni world, and Iran often seen as the unofficial leader of the Shia world. Both countries have often supported opposing sides in various proxy wars in the Middle East, most notably in Yemen , Iraq and Syria , and relations had been especially tense since the Saudi government executed a prominent Shia cleric in 2016, and Iranian protesters responded by storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

After decades of stagnation under ossified octogenarian kings, the Saudi political scene underwent an earthquake in 2017 when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , universally known as MBS and only 32 years old at the time, became the country's de facto ruler and started shaking things up. On one hand, societal mores loosened up with the religious police put on a tight leash, women allowed to drive, cinemas allowed to open and tourist visas now granted. On the other hand, repression of political opponents has tightened with billions extracted from various oligarchs, critics sentenced to years in jail and, most notoriously, journalist Jamal Khashoggi assassinated and dismembered with a bone saw. Oil wealth has been plowed into megaprojects like Neom . MBS has also pivoted Saudi Arabia's foreign relations away from the United States, its traditional ally, towards China, and invited Chinese investment in numerous infrastructure projects as part of their Belt and Road Initiative. It remains to be seen how far he can continue to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy away from oil before the oil money inevitably runs out.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Iran in a landmark deal brokered by China. This rapprochement has raised hopes that the numerous proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Middle East may soon be coming to an end.

Economy [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is an enormously wealthy country, thanks to its massive, plentiful oil and gas reserves: wealthiest in the Middle East , with one of the largest economies in the world. It is a founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), where it has a leading role, and it is a member of the G20 forum.

Saudi Arabia's oil reserves and production are managed by Saudi Aramco, a state-owned corporation that is the second-largest corporation in the world. Saudi Arabia is believed to have the second-largest oil reserves in the world, and the Saudi oil and gas sector accounts for 87% of Saudi budget revenues, 90% of export earnings, and 42% of Saudi Arabia's GDP. For these reasons, Saudi Arabia is considered an "energy superpower".

Many people have moved to Saudi Arabia in search of work opportunities. There are more than 13.4 million foreigners (40% of the total population) living and working in Saudi Arabia. The bulk of foreign workers come from countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Yemen and Ethiopia.

In 1999 the government announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is expected to continue calling for private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Shortages of water and rapid population growth will constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products.

Unemployment among Saudis has long been a problem successive governments have dealt with. While the situation is showing signs of improvement, Saudi Arabia's youth − 60% of Saudi people are under the age of 30 − is generally reluctant to take on menial jobs and is often forced to compete with imported labour.

Like its oil-rich neighbours, the Saudi government has been trying to reduce its dependence on oil and gas reserves. This has been accompanied by slightly easing the country's notoriously strict interpretation of Islam and opening up the country's economy to foreign investors.

Due to its enormous oil wealth, Saudi Arabia provides its citizens with one of the world's most comprehensive welfare states despite not levying an income tax on them. This does not, however, extend to the immigrant workers.

Geography [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia covers an area of 2,150,000 square kilometres (830,120 sq mi), making it the world's twelfth-largest country and the second-largest Muslim-majority country in the world. It is about the same size as Mexico and almost four times the size of France .

Saudi Arabia covers approximately four fifths of the area of the Arabian Peninsula, which can be described as a rectangular plateau gradually sloping eastwards till reaching sea level at the Persian Gulf.

The main topographical features are as follows:

The Sarawat or Sarat mountain range runs parallel to the Red Sea coast beginning near the Jordanian border until the southern coast of Yemen, gradually increasing in height southwards. It is largely made up of barren volcanic rock, especially in the south, and sandstone in the north, but it is also interspersed with ancient lava fields and fertile valleys. As one moves further south towards Yemen, the barren landscape gradually gives way to green mountains and even woodlands, the result of being in the range of the monsoons. In Saudi Arabia, the range is commonly known as the Hejaz, though the southernmost part of the range is known as 'Aseer. In the foothills of the Hejaz lies the holy city of Makkah, and approximately 400 km north of Mecca in an oasis between two large lava fields lies the other holy city of Madinah.

West of the Sarawat or Hejaz mountain range is a narrow coastal plain known as Tihama, in which the country's second largest city, Jidda, is located.

East of the Hejaz lies the elevated plateau known as Najd, a sparsely populated area of desert steppe dotted with small volcanic mountains. To the east of Najd-proper lies the Tuwaig escarpment, a narrow plateau running 800 km from north to south. Its top layer is made of limestone and bottom layer of sandstone. Historically rich in fresh groundwater and crisscrossed with numerous dry riverbeds (wadis), the Tuwaig range and its immediate vicinity are dotted with a constellation of towns and villages. In the middle, nestled between a group of wadis, is the capital city, Ar-Riyadh.

Further east from the Tuwaig plateau and parallel to it is a narrow (20–100 km) corridor of red sand dunes known as the Dahana desert, which separates the "Central Region" or "Najd" from the Eastern Province. The heavy presence of iron oxides gives the sand its distinctive red appearance. The Dahana desert connects two large "seas" of sand dunes. The northern one is known as the Nufuud, approximately the size of Lake Superior, and the southern is known as "the Empty Quarter," so-called because it covers a quarter of the area of the Peninsula. Though essentially uninhabitable, the edges of these three "seas of sand" make for excellent pastures in the spring season, but even the Bedouin almost never attempted to cross the Empty Quarter.

North of the Nufud desert lies a vast desert steppe, traditionally populated mainly by nomadic Bedouins with the exception of a few oasis such as Al-Jof. This region is an extension of the Iraqi and Syrian deserts (or vice versa). After a rainy season, these barren, rocky steppes can yield lush meadows and rich pastures.

The eastern province is largely barren except that it contains two oases resulting from springs of ancient fossil water. These are the oases of Al-Qateef on the Gulf coast and Al-Hasa (or Al-Ahsa) further inland. Next to Qatif lies the modern metropolitan area of Dammam, Dhahran and Al-Khobar.

Climate [ edit ]

People tend to think of Saudi Arabia as an expanse of scorchingly hot desert punctuated with oil wells, and for most of the time in most of the country, they are right. From May to September, the country (basically everything except the southwestern mountains) bakes in temperatures that average 42 °C/107 °F and regularly exceed 50 °C/122 °F in the shade. In July and August, in particular, all who can flee the country do so and work slows down to a crawl. The coasts are only slightly moderated by the sea, which usually keeps temperatures below 38 °C/100 °F, but at the price of extreme humidity (85-100%), which many find even more uncomfortable than the dry heat of the interior, especially at night. Only the elevated mountainous regions stay cool(er), with the summer resort city of Ta'if rarely topping 35 °C/95 °F and the mountainous Asir region cooler yet.

In winter, though, it's surprisingly different. Daytime highs in Riyadh in December average only 21 °C/70 °F, and temperatures can easily fall below zero at night, occasionally even resulting in a sprinkling of snow in the southern mountains. The winter can also bring rains to all or most of the country, although in many years this is limited to one or two torrential outbursts. The end of spring (April and May) is also a rainy season for much of the country. In the south, though, this pattern is reversed, with most rain falling during the Indian Ocean's monsoon season between May and October.

People [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is a relatively homogenous country, if only citizens are counted. However, about 38% of Saudi Arabia's population is comprised of foreigners, mostly poorly-paid migrant workers from Africa and other parts of Asia. Of Saudi citizens roughly 90% are ethnically Arab and the remaining 10% mostly Afro-Arabs, the descendants of sub-Saharan Africans who settled in the Arabian Peninsula and assimilated into Arab culture over the generations.

Religion [ edit ]

Sunni Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia. Although no law specifically requires Saudi citizens to be Muslim, public observance and proselytism of religions other than Islam are forbidden, and it is illegal to display non-Quranic forms of scripture in public. While most Saudi citizens are Sunni Muslims, there is a Shi'a Muslim minority comprising about 10–15% of the Saudi population, with the highest concentration of them in the Eastern Province .

There are no official churches in Saudi Arabia of any kind. However, some Filipino workers report the presence of churches inside some gated communities. The small number of Saudi Arabian Christians meet in Internet chat rooms, and foreign Christians may meet at church meetings held at one of several embassies after registering and showing their passport, to prove foreign nationality, or by private assemblies in school gyms in gated communities on Aramco grounds. They can also hold services in each other's houses.

Prayer times [ edit ]

Everything in Saudi Arabia is regulated by the five daily prayers. All shops and offices used to close during each prayer for a period of at least 20–30 minutes, but this has changed in the 2000s, and most shops will remain open. Shopping malls, hospitals and airports do stay open and taxis and other public transport continue to run normally.

The first prayer is fajr , early in the morning before the first glint of light at dawn, and the call to prayer for fajr will be your wake-up call in the Kingdom. After fajr , some people eat breakfast and head to work, with shops opening up.

The second prayer is dhuhr , held after true noon in the middle of the day. The Friday noon prayer ( jummah ) is the most important one of the week, when even less observant Muslims usually make the effort to go to the mosque. After dhuhr , people head for lunch, while many shops choose to stay closed and snooze away the heat of the day.

Asr prayers are in the late afternoon (one and a half to two hours before sunset), with many shops opening again afterwards. Maghrib prayers are held at sunset and mark the end of the work day in much of the private sector. The last prayer is isha'a , held around ¾–1 hr after sunset, after which locals head for dinner. Expats refer to the time between maghrib and isha'a as the "prayer window", during which you can hit the supermarket and buy your groceries if you time it right.

Prayer times change daily according to the seasons and your exact location in the Kingdom. You can find the day's times in any newspaper, or consult an on-line prayer time service .

Holidays [ edit ]

Like most of the Middle East, the weekend in Saudi Arabia is Friday and Saturday, with Sunday a normal working day. (Until 2013, it was Thursday & Friday.)

The Saudi interpretation of Islam tends to view non-Muslim holidays as sacrilegious, and the public observance of Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, Halloween etc. is prohibited. Public holidays are granted only for Eid ul-Fitr , the feast at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha , commemorating Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, some 70 days after Ramadan.

There is also one secular holiday: Unification of the Kingdom Day , on 23 September. Whilst not an official public holiday or a festival, it's treated like one. In fact, many local youths celebrate it more zealously than either Islamic Eid.

During Ramadan, visitors are required to abide by the restrictions of the fasting month, at least in public: no eating, drinking or smoking during the daylight hours. Some better hotels will be able to quietly supply room service during the day, but otherwise you'll have to do your preparations. All restaurants in the Kingdom are closed during the day, and while some offices stay open with limited hours, the pace of business slows down to a torpor. After evening prayer, though, all the restaurants in the bazaar open up and do a roaring trade until the small hours of the morning. Hotel restaurants often serve lavish iftar meals that are a popular way for locals to socialise, and non-Muslims are welcome to partake too, but make sure you reserve in advance due to their popularity. Most of the shops are open as well, and the cool of the evening makes it a pleasant time to shop. A visitor can have a fine time joining in on these evenings, though having a stash in your hotel room for a quiet breakfast around 10:00 will suit most visitors better than rising at four for a big pre-dawn Saudi breakfast.

Visitor information [ edit ]

• Visit Saudi Arabia website

Talk [ edit ]

The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic .

Najdi Arabic is the most widely known vernacular and it is spoken in the central and northern parts of the country.

Hejazi Arabic is spoken in the western part of the country.

Gulf Arabic is spoken in the eastern part of the country.

All Saudi people learn Modern Standard Arabic at school, so you should have no problems communicating in any of the major cities.

Many Saudis understand and speak English . Nearly all road signs are in English and Arabic.

Saudi Arabia has one of the largest migrant populations in the world; you can find a speaker of almost any language in the world in Saudi Arabia. The most commonly spoken languages by migrants, in no particular order, are Urdu , Bengali , Hindi , Tagalog , Malayalam , and Indonesian .

Get in [ edit ]

Entry requirements [ edit ].

Saudi Arabia used to be nearly impossible to visit except for work or pilgrimage, but tourist visas were introduced in 2019. If you are flying in and out with either Saudia or Flynas, you may also be eligible for a free 96-hour transit visa; this must be applied for directly from the flight booking site.

Citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries ― Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar , and the United Arab Emirates ― enjoy freedom of movement in Saudi Arabia. They can enter the country with their national ID cards.

e-Visas are available online for citizens of member states of the European Union , and of Albania , Andorra , Australia , Azerbaijan , Brunei , Canada , China (mainland), Georgia , Hong Kong , Iceland , Japan , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Liechtenstein , Macau , Malaysia , Maldives , Mauritius , Monaco , Montenegro , New Zealand , Norway , Panama , Russia , Saint Kitts and Nevis , San Marino , Seychelles , Singapore , South Africa , South Korea , Switzerland , Taiwan , Tajikistan , Thailand , Turkey , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States and Uzbekistan . These are valid for one year and are multi-entry, with a maximum 90-day stay on any single visit. They are valid for tourism, business, receiving medical treatment and performing Umrah but not for Hajj . In 2024 these cost SR494 .

Other citizens may obtain e-visas if they are long-term residents of a GCC country, the United States, the United Kingdom or any EU member state, or if they already hold a tourist or business visa for the U.S., UK or the Schengen Area that has been used at least once. The rationale is that they've already been vetted by those countries, so the Saudis are confident they're safe to let in.

Visa waivers are available (via the same e-portal) to the same citizens for the same purposes. These are single-entry with a maximum stay of 180 days, and cost SR150 .

( Sharek was formerly a visa system to attend events such as Formula One motor-racing. But as visa waivers are practically the same thing, this system has lapsed.)

Transit visas are available to citizens of all countries except Israel, and are valid for 96 hours for the same purposes. Apply through the same e-portal, and they're granted within a couple of minutes. Expect to pay SAR 100: this visa is nominally free but includes overnight accommodation and medical insurance. It cannot be extended.

If you're not eligible for any of the above, you must apply for a visa at a Saudi diplomatic mission.

Saudi visas do not state their exact expiry date . While the validity is noted in months, these are not Roman solar months but Arab lunar months , and you must use the Islamic calendar to figure out the length: a three-month visa issued on "29/02/22" (22 Safar 1429, 1 March 2008) is valid until 29/05/22 (22 Jumada al-Awwal 1429, 28 May 2008), not until 1 June 2008. Depending on visa type, the validity can start from the date of issue or the date of first entry, and multiple-entry visas may also have restrictions regarding how many days at a time are allowed (usually 28 days per visit) and how many days total are allowed during the validity period.

Visa application requirements [ edit ]

If you're required to apply for a Saudi visa before travelling to the country, you usually have to submit the following documents to a Saudi diplomatic mission to apply for a Saudi visa:

• A completed visa application form
• A copy of your passport (must have a validity of more than six months)
• Proof of employment
• Proof of accommodation for your entire period of stay
• Bank statement(s)
• Confirmed roundtrip ticket
• A copy of your travel itinerary

Note: You must purchase health insurance from an insurance provider in Saudi Arabia. Embassies and consulates can assist with the process.

Pilgrimage [ edit ]

Hajj visas are only issued to Hajj pilgrims and are only valid within Mecca and Medina and for that season. No other type of visa allows you to perform Hajj. Many pilgrims travel in a group with a specialized travel company, but individuals can use the Nusak portal, which handles the extra documentation and bookings. This service is available to citizens of over 100 countries: check their list . Those not included have substantial long-established Muslim populations (for instance India and Pakistan) and their citizens must apply through the local governing body of Islam.

Hajj pilgrims must be immunized against meningitis, using Quad (ACYW) vaccine, not less than ten days before arrival to give it time to act, and not more than five years ago if the standard conjugate vaccine is used. You also need immunization against COVID-19, and against polio or yellow fever if coming from an affected region. Seasonal flu immunization is recommended but not compulsory.

Umrah visas allow you to visit the holy sites for pilgrimage outside the Hajj season. They are single-entry visas that permit you to stay in Saudi Arabia until 3 months after the date of issue, and like the Hajj equivalent, are only valid within Mecca and Medina. However, they are not necessary, as you can perform Umrah on a visa waiver, e-visa or regular tourist visa, which have fewer restrictions. You do need extra documentation to enter the Holy Places, at a set time. Nusak is the KSA state portal for organizing this.

By plane [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia has 4 international airports at Riyadh , Jeddah , Madinah , and Dammam . The airport at Dhahran is now closed to civil traffic, so passengers to the Eastern Region now fly into Dammam, or into nearby Bahrain (which is much better connected) and then cross into Saudi Arabia by car.

Saudi Arabia is served by the national airline Saudia . Saudia has a reasonable safety record, but many of their planes are on the old side, and the quality of service, inflight entertainment, etc., tends to be low. Virtually all Gulf airlines and most major European airlines fly into Saudi Arabia.

During the Hajj, numerous charter flights supplement the scheduled airlines. Foreigners living in Saudi Arabia can often get sensational discounts on outbound flights during the Hajj. Airlines from Muslim countries are flying in many loads of pilgrims, and do not want to go back empty.

By bus [ edit ]

SAPTCO operates cross-border bus services to most of Saudi Arabia's neighbors and beyond, e.g. Cairo . Probably the most popular service is between Dammam/Khobar and Manama , Bahrain . There are several services daily at a cost of SR60 or 6 Bahraini dinars, and the trip across the King Fahd Causeway takes around 3 hours on a good day; see Bahrain for details.

By car [ edit ]

Automobile crossings exist on nearly all the borders. The eastern crossings to Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE are heavily used, all others rather less so.

By train [ edit ]

There are no railways connecting Saudi Arabia with other countries, although in the North , you can still find bits and pieces of the Hejaz Railway that once led to Damascus . The country is however once again investing massively in railways and a network connecting Saudi Arabia with other Gulf states are expected to become operational sometime in the 2030s.

For those travelling to and from Jordan , Saudi Arabia Railway operates passenger services between Riyadh and Qurayyat , right at the border.

By boat [ edit ]

Passenger ferries run once a week or less from Egypt and Sudan to ports in western Saudi Arabia. (The service to Eritrea has stopped running.) Slow, uncomfortable and not particularly cheap, these are of interest primarily if you need to take your car across. An unofficial ban of Westerners may still apply.

Get around [ edit ]

Internal travel permits are a thing of the past, so once you've gotten into Saudi Arabia, most of the country is your oyster. There are, however, some exceptions:

• The area around Mecca is off limits to non-Muslims; the exclusion zone is well signposted. The city center of Medina used to be off-limits to non-Muslims, but the rules were relaxed in 2021; outside of Hajj season, non-Muslims may now enter the city center of Medina up to the perimeter fence around the Prophet's Mosque and take photos from the outside, though entry into the mosque compound is still forbidden.
• Those on Hajj visas are prohibited from leaving the area around Mecca and Medina (and transit points like Jeddah).
• Some remote areas, notably around the Iraqi and Yemeni borders, are restricted military zones. You're exceedingly unlikely to stumble into them by accident.

Saudi Arabia is a large country, which makes flying the only comfortable means of long-distance travel. Flag carrier Saudia has the best schedules, with near-hourly flights on the busy Riyadh-Jeddah sector (90 min) and walk-up one-way fares costing a reasonable SR280 . Low-cost competitor Nas can be even cheaper if you book in advance, but their schedules are sparser, changes will cost you money and there's no meal on board.

The Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) operates long-distance buses linking together all corners of the country. Buses are modern, air-conditioned and comfortable, but often slow, and the bus stations are more often than not several kilometers away from the city centre. The Riyadh-Dammam service, for example, costs SR60 and takes around 6 hours.

Special "VIP" services operate on the Riyadh-Dammam and Riyadh-Bahrain sectors. For a surcharge of about 50%, you get a direct, non-stop city centre-to-city centre services, plush seating and a meal on-board. They are quite good value, if the sparse schedules match your plans.

The railway network in Saudi Arabia used to be underdeveloped, but there has been a major push to expand rail coverage. The older line running between Riyadh , Al-Hofuf and Dammam has been complemented by a new north-south line between Riyadh , Buraydah and Al Qurayyat near the Jordanian border, with both lines operated by Saudi Arabian Railways .

In 2018, a new high speed link , the Haramain Highspeed Railway connecting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City , opened.

Online tickets are available for all services. It is advisable to buy tickets in advance as the trains are often sold out.

The standard is very high with all passenger services offering both second and business classes, with plush leather seats and 2+1 seating. On trains between Riyadh and Damman, business class is slightly less extravagant as it has an extra class, delightfully named Rehab, which compares to business on other services. For North-South services, private sleeper cabins are also available at a premium. Almost all trains have a cafeteria car serving up drinks and snacks, as well as push-trolley service and there are slick waiting lounges at stations. Also, beware that most carriages reserve the forward-facing seats at the front of each carriage for families.

Saudi Arabia's only operational metro system is in Mecca , Islam's holiest city, with a single line for transporting pilgrims between the various holy sites. As of 2023, a metro system is under construction in the capital Riyadh , while systems have been proposed for Jeddah , Dammam and Medina .

Highway quality is highly variable, except highways that connect major cities, which are generally excellent. The speed limits are usually either 120 km/h or 140 km/h, with a 10 and 4 km/h buffer respectively. Note that at night, some major highways are not streetlit, and hence driving may be challenging to those not used to night driving, as the only light you'll have would be from the cars and trucks themselves. Use a navigation system; it is not uncommon for road signs to be only in Arabic. Driving during the day is recommended. There are gas stations every 30 km or so.

It is uncommon for people to use the indicator (blinker) when changing lanes. In cities, note that (at least in Riyadh) you can go right at a traffic signal showing red ahead, but must stop and check for traffic before doing so.

Car rental is available and gasoline is some of the cheapest in the world. However, there are important reasons to think twice about car rental. The country has some of the highest accident rates in the world. Accidents are common, and if a visitor is involved in one, they would be exposed to the extremely punitive Saudi legal system; see elsewhere on this page for the warnings about that. Access to car rentals is limited to persons 21 and older.

If you are involved in a car accident all parties are required to stay where they are and wait for the Traffic Police (call 993) to turn up, which can take up to four hours. English is unlikely to be spoken by the police, even in big cities, so try to use the waiting time to arrange a translator. The police will issue an accident report, which you have to take to the traffic police station and get it stamped a few times in different queues (this takes most of a morning). Only then can any damage to the car be repaired, as insurance companies will not pay for any body work without this report.

It is not uncommon for the traffic police to resolve the incident there and then by determining the guilty party and deciding compensation. So, should it be your fault the Police will ask you to pay an amount to the other party, but you are not obligated to do so.

Women have only been allowed to drive on public roads in Saudi Arabia since 2018.

By taxi [ edit ]

Within cities, taxis are the only practical means of transportation. Standardized throughout the country, metered fares start at SR5 and tick up at SR1.60/km, but outside Riyadh you'll often have to haggle the price in advance. Solo passengers are expected to sit up front next to the driver: this has the advantages of being next to the full blast of the air-con and making it easier to wave your hands to show the way.

Ride-hailing is available in Saudi Arabia and the following are the most anticipated providers:

• Bolt . Works in Dammam, Jazan, Jeddah, Medina and Riyadh. ( updated Jul 2020 )
• Uber . Uber covers the whole of Saudi Arabia. ( updated Oct 2023 )

See [ edit ]

There is an abundance of things to see and explore in Saudi Arabia, from ancient ruins to stunning natural landscapes.

Museums and landmarks [ edit ]

From cultural museums to historical museums, there are plenty of opportunities for you to learn more about Saudi history, culture, and customs. As in any other country, some museums allow you to enter for free, while others do not.

One of the best known museums and sites in Saudi Arabia is Masmak Fort , which is located in Riyadh , the capital city. Built during the 14th century and the site of the Battle of Riyadh, one of the most important events in Saudi history, the fort was turned into a museum in the mid-1990s.

World heritage sites [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia has numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites.

• 26.814167 37.9475 3 Madain Saleh — a large, Nabataean archaeological site in Northern Saudi Arabia . It's very similar to Petra in neighbouring Jordan , and it might perhaps be the country's best known world heritage site.
• Historic Jeddah — Historic Jeddah was as a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes. To this day, Jeddah still is one of Saudi Arabia's most important trading cities.

Natural scenery and landmarks [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is more than just a barren, flat, hot desert country, as many people assume. From vast, hot, baking deserts to mesmerising jacaranda trees in settlements near the Yemeni border and to lush, green forests along the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has a beautiful and diverse array of natural scenery.

The Empty Quarter covers an area of over 655,000 square kilometres (252,897 sq mi), covering most of the southern Arabian Peninsula. It is the largest continuous body of sand. One may be tempted to call it "no man's land", but that's not entirely accurate ― the Empty Quarter has plenty of flora and fauna, and various tribes live in the Empty Quarter. It's a great place to experience the Arabian peninsula's deserts; however, you are strongly recommended not to visit it alone.

The Asir region, which is close to Yemen, possesses numerous mountains. One of the highest mountains in the region and the country is Jabal Sawda , which is 3,015 metres (9,892 ft) above sea level. The Midian mountain range , situated in the North , is part of the larger Hijaz mountains , which extend along the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

Some mountains can be easily accessed by cable cars; check beforehand if you plan to see one of Saudi Arabia's many mountains.

Beaches and islands [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is home to a number of islands, beaches, and coastal areas that offer a variety of natural and cultural attractions. The Red Sea has a lot to offer.

Approximately 40–50 km away from Jizan you'll find the Farasan Islands , a small group of serene, idyllic coral islands. The Farasan Islands are about 5,408 square kilometres (2,088 sq mi) large, and the Saudi Wildlife Authority has declared it as a protected area.

Another notable nature reserve is the Umm Al-Qamari Islands , located southwest of the city of Al-Qanfat . It consists of two islands: Umm Al-Qamari Al-Barani and Umm Al-Qamari Al-Fawqaniyah. Both islands have white coastal sand, impressive coral reefs, and are home to a variety of birdlife. Like the Farasan Islands, the Umm Al-Qamari Islands are considered a protected area by the Saudi Wildlife Authority.

Religious sites [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam − the Prophet Muhammad was born and raised in Mecca , and the holiest sites in Islam are domiciled in Saudi Arabia. Religious pilgrimages are the main reason why millions of people visit Saudi Arabia each year. After all, it's an obligation for every Muslim around the world to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime, if they can.

In accordance with Saudi law, non-Muslims are not permitted entry to Mecca . Don't let that discourage you, because you have plenty of opportunities to deepen your curiosity about Islam. In particular, you may now visit Medina , which was opened to to non-Muslim tourists in 2021.

The country's best-known attraction is the Masjid al-Haram , also known as the Grand Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca. It is the holiest site in Islam and the main setting for the Hajj pilgrimage. Muslims all over the world pray facing the Kaaba ― a cube-shaped structure at the centre of the mosque, which is believed by Muslims to be the house of Allah (God).

According to Islamic tradition, the Al-Shaibi family, one of the most influential Saudi families, has been chosen by Allah (God) to protect the Kaaba. The family has held the keys to the Kaaba for nearly 16 centuries. In theory, any Muslim can enter the Kaaba, but access to it is highly restricted; unless you are a foreign dignitary, have connections in the Saudi government, or personally know someone from the Al-Shaibi family, it's highly unlikely that you'll be allowed to enter the Kaaba. It's important to consider that the Kaaba holds immense importance in Islam and it is not easy to properly maintain it.

The Prophet's Mosque in Medina is the second holiest site in Islam and the resting place of the Prophet Muhammad, often visited as an add-on the Hajj. The mosque was erected nearly 14 centuries ago, and the Prophet Muhammad was personally involved in the construction of the mosque. The mosque's most notable feature is a green-coloured dome in the southeast corner of the mosque, which stands right above the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad. Non-Muslims are not allowed entry into the mosque, but they are more than welcome to take pictures of the mosque's exterior.

In Medina , you can find mosques in every corner of the city, some of which have been around for centuries. The Quba Mosque , located on the outskirts of Medina, is believed to be the first mosque in the world.

Do [ edit ]

Entertainment in Saudi Arabia is very family-oriented. There are few activities for just couples or singles. Single men are not allowed in family areas: family beaches are partitioned from the bachelor beaches, for example. Women are expected to be accompanied by a male relative in public, although single women may be admitted into family areas.

Desert excursions [ edit ]

These are very popular with Saudis. There are few desert dune bashing tour operators, if any, but ATV rentals are often found along the roadside on the outskirts of major cities and expats often arrange convoy trips into the desert. The Empty Quarter has the most stunning scenery, and requires the most preparation.

Scuba diving [ edit ]

Scuba diving is popular on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast. Jeddah has a number of dive operators.

Amusement parks [ edit ]

Amusement parks (many of them indoor) are often found near malls or beaches. Many large cities have public parks and small zoos. Horseback riding, camel riding, etc. are also available at horse-racing tracks and some popular beaches. Many upscale hotels provide light activities (especially hotels along the beaches).

Theatres [ edit ]

After more than 30 years of near-total prohibition, movie theaters have begun opening again in the kingdom, most popular being VOX Cinemas and AMC Cinemas . In addition, DVD shops abound, although the selections are often tame and/or censored. DVDs in Saudi Arabia are invariably Region 2, though bootleg DVDs (which are widely available in smaller video shops) are usually region-free, and often uncensored as well. Satellite TV and downloading entertainment from the Internet is thus very popular.

Gaming [ edit ]

Saudis are fanatically obsessed with video games . The current crown prince is said to be a fan of the Call of Duty series, and the Saudi government is keen on making the country an eSports hub.

Video game shops are ubiquitous in all of the major cities. Authentic games are offered by most of the larger stores, as US or European imports for an average of ~ SR270 , while the smaller ones usually only offer bootlegs (which are illegal, but still lucrative enough that almost all sell them) at very low prices of SR10-15 . Wii and Xbox 360 bootlegs reign supreme, but certain stores offer Nintendo DS and PSP games as well, downloaded to a customer's removable media on request.

Camel racing [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is the origin of camel racing, a sporting event, which remains a fundamental part of Bedouin lifestyle and is one of the most popular traditional pastimes in the world.

Buy [ edit ]

Money [ edit ].

The Saudi currency is the Saudi riyal , denoted by the symbol " ريال " or " SR " (ISO code: SAR ). It is fixed at 3.75 riyals to the US dollar. The riyal is divided into 100 halalas , which are used to mark some prices, but, in practice, all payments are rounded to the nearest riyal and odds are you probably will never see any halala coins. Bills come in values of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 riyals, with two different series in circulation. Coins come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 halalas, 1 and 2 riyals.

The riyal is effectively also pegged to the Bahraini dinar at a 10:1 ratio. If you are considering travelling to Bahrain, virtually all businesses in Bahrain will accept riyals, but the dinar is not as easily convertible in Saudi Arabia.

Visitors bringing in more than SR60,000 or equivalent must fill out a declaration form.

Saudi Arabia is still largely a cash society. Larger businesses will accept all cards, however most smaller businesses accept debit and credit cards but some will refuse if the amount is small. ATMs are ubiquitous, although those of many smaller banks do not accept foreign cards; Samba, SABB and ANB are probably your best bets. Money changers can be found in souks, but are rare elsewhere. Foreign currencies are generally not accepted by merchants.

Costs [ edit ]

Prices are generally fairly high: figure on US$50/100/200 for budget, midrange and splurge-level daily travel costs.

Tipping is generally not expected, although service staff are always happy to receive them and taxi fares are often rounded up (or, not uncommonly, down). Expensive restaurants often slap on a 10% service charge, although due to lax regulation many employers simply usurp it (ask your waiters if they receive any of it or not if you would like to tip them). There is a 15% sales tax in Saudi, but there aren't any income taxes.

What to buy [ edit ]

Few local products are of interest to tourists. Locally grown dates are of high quality, and religious paraphernalia is widely available, but almost exclusively imported. Copies of the Qur'an are produced in a wide range of editions and sold at very low prices. Zam zam water is available throughout the Western Region and at all airports.

Carpets are a favorite purchase, most of these coming from nearby Iran. Jeddah in particular has lots of carpets, many brought by pilgrims who sell them there to help finance their trip to Makkah .

Large gold and jewelry markets are prominent in all major cities. Bargaining is a norm in most small to medium-sized stores. Makkah and Madinah offer a lot of variety in terms of luggage, clothing, jewelry, knick-knacks, souvenirs, toys, food, perfume, incense, and religious literature, audio and paraphernalia.

Large, well maintained air-conditioned malls and grocery stores (e.g. Safeway, Geant, Carrefour ) are scattered throughout the kingdom.

Eat [ edit ]

Saudis have an absolutely intricate relationship with food − statistics have consistently shown that Saudis love to eat as much as they can.

Unlike other businesses that kick out their customers at prayer time, most restaurants let diners hang around and eat behind closed doors through the prayer period. New customers are generally not allowed to enter until after prayer is over.

Like in other Middle Eastern countries, food is traditionally eaten by hand in Saudi Arabia. The most important thing to remember is to use only your right hand , as the left hand is reserved for handling dirty things.

Saudi cuisine [ edit ]

The Middle Eastern staple of shwarma (doner kebab) is widely available in dedicated little joints, with SR8-10 being the standard price for a sandwich. The Egyptian mashed fava bean stew foul is another cheap staple, and these shops usually also offer felafel (chickpea balls) and a range of salads and dips like hummus (chickpea paste) and tabbouleh (parsley salad).

Finding restaurants that serve actual Saudi cuisine is surprisingly difficult, although many larger hotels have Arabic restaurants. Your local Saudi or expatriate host may be able to show you some places or, if you're really lucky, an invitation to dinner at home.

• Mandi — Chicken or mutton cooked with rice in a pot suspended above a fire. Most popular in the south near the Yemeni border.
• Kabsa — the national dish of Saudi Arabia, made with basmati rice, meat, vegetables and spices.

Like other Middle Easterners, Saudis love their desserts , with the baklava being an essential part of iftar meals during Ramadan. Like in the other countries of the Arabian peninsula, dates are traditionally grown in Saudi Arabia, and often served to guests at a majlis (traditional Arab gathering).

Fast food [ edit ]

Fast food is a huge business in Saudi Arabia, with all the usual suspects (McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway) and not a few chains that rarely venture outside America elsewhere (e.g. Hardee's, Little Caesars). Meals invariably served with fries and Coke cost SR10-20. Some local imitators worth checking out include:

• Al-Baik — fried chicken, in Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Ta'if and Riyadh.
• Baak — Pizza (thin crust and quite good), fried chicken, lasagna, sandwiches
• Kudu . Saudi sandwich chain, founded in 1988.  
• Herfy Burger . Biggest fast food chain in the country, 100% Saudi-owned.  
• Hamburgini . Popular Saudi-owned Burger chain.
• House of Donuts — "The Finest American Pastries", a chain started by Saudi students who studied in America
• Abo Zaed — Saudi traditional food

Cheaper yet are the countless curry shops run by and for Saudi Arabia's large Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi community, which serve up large thali platters of subcontinental fare for under SR10. Just don't expect frills like air-conditioning.

Drink [ edit ]

With alcohol, nightclubs, playing music in public and mingling with unrelated people of the opposite sex all banned, it's fair to say that nobody comes to Saudi Arabia for the nightlife.

Coffee shops [ edit ]

Pretty much the only form of entertainment for bachelors is the ubiquitous coffee shop , which serve not only coffee and tea, but water pipes ( shisha ) with flavoured tobacco. These are strictly a male domain. In a government effort to minimize smoking in major cities like Jeddah and Riyadh, establishments that offer shisha are either banished to the outskirts of towns, or offer exclusive outdoor seating arrangements.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for a hazelnut frappucino, Starbucks and its legion competitors have established a firm foothold in the Kingdom's malls. These usually welcome women, although 2008 saw several arrests of unmarried couples "mingling".

As for the coffee ( kahwa ) itself, try mirra , made in the Bedouin style. Usually spiced with cardamom, it's strong and tastes great, particularly drunk with fresh dates. Tea ( chai ) usually comes with dollops of sugar and perhaps a few mint leaves ( na'ana ).

Alcohol [ edit ]

Alcoholic beverages are strictly forbidden throughout the country, although the police generally turn a blind eye to goings-on inside expat compounds, where homebrew wine is common. However, if they catch people involved in smuggling or distilling booze in quantity, then expat or not, Saudi law applies. A foreigner may not get the sentence a local would, but can expect a few days or weeks jail, public flogging, and deportation.

There is a local white lightning known among foreigners as "siddiqui" (Arabic for friend) or just as "sid". This is generally horrible-tasting and very potent. In addition to the obvious legal risk, there is a risk of inexpert distilling making it downright poisonous. The stuff is emphatically to be avoided.

Do not drink and drive is good advice anywhere, but especially in Saudi Arabia. If you have an accident, or otherwise attract police attention, the consequences might be serious indeed.

In 2024, the Saudi government announced plans to make alcohol available to non-Muslim foreign diplomats, with the restriction that they can only be consumed within diplomatic compounds.

Soft drinks [ edit ]

As elsewhere in the Gulf, Saudis are big fans of various fruit juices , ranging from the ordinary (apple, orange) to the downright bizarre (banana-lemon-milk-walnut, anyone?).

Non-alcoholic versions of alcoholic drinks are popular. Two of the most common are Saudi champagne , basically apple juice and Sprite or soda water, and malt beverages , i.e. non-alcoholic beer, always sweet and often strongly flavored with mango, strawberry, apple, lemon etc. essences.

Sleep [ edit ]

Hotels of all types are available throughout the Kingdom. Most tourist cities (i.e. Makkah, Madinah, Ta'if, Al Abha) will also have very affordable and spacious shigka-maafroosha (short-term furnished rental apartments). Shigka-maafroosha owners generally loiter in hotel lobbies. Often, they will approach civilized-looking people (generally families) and make an offer. Prices for shigka-mafrooshas and small hotels are always negotiable to a great degree. Smaller hotels will only accept cash, normally in advance.

Larger, more expensive hotels are abundant in all major cities. After the lull caused by the insurgency in 2003, prices have been rising again, and you can expect to pay north of US$200 for a weekday night at a good hotel in any of the big Saudi cities. In exchange, you usually get excellent service and the ability to work around some restrictions (e.g. restaurants that stay open through prayer hours and daytime room service during Ramadan).

Learn [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia has many universities and institutions of higher learning and some conduct classes in English. Knowing Arabic can open many doors for you.

Schools [ edit ]

There's an abundance of international schools in Saudi Arabia.

Universities [ edit ]

• King Abdullah University of Science and Technology . Saudi Arabia's first ever co-educational institution of higher learning. Conducts classes in English.

Work [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia depends a lot on foreign labour. Simply put, Saudi Arabia has a large youth population and Saudis generally prefer to take up jobs in the public sector, i.e., the Saudi government. Most menial jobs (construction workers, taxi drivers, and so on) are taken up by migrants from low-income countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Saudi Arabia has a high standard of living; salaries are not taxed, the cost of living is low, and it is common for well-paid expatriates to hire drivers, maids, nannies, helpers, and gardeners.

While these facts sound impressive, working in Saudi Arabia is not simple; the strict, conservative Islamic society and the lack of labour rights make the country a very difficult place to adapt to. Non-Saudis are not allowed to own land, own property in Mecca and Medina , and work in certain sectors.

Nepotism is common in the business world and it's not unusual for Saudis to hire their close friends and family members. Saudis do not consider this an unfair practice; rather, they consider it respectful to help kinsmen in need.

You usually cannot apply for a work visa directly; a Saudi sponsor must do it for you (unless you can afford the Premium Residency scheme). To exit the country, you need to get an exit visa and this can only be obtained once you have permission from your sponsor. Although most sponsors are reasonable, there are some who may abuse their position, and people have been stuck in the country after protesting about bad treatment.

Do not surrender your passport to your sponsor; it is illegal for sponsors to ask for that. You should immediately notify the Ministry of Labor and Social Development.

Teaching English [ edit ]

If you have a bachelor's degree and a TESOL/TEFL certification, you can expect to earn SR8000-13000 a month teaching English.

Contractual problems are not uncommon; expatriate teachers have often complained about arbitrary dismissals, unwanted reassignments, not being allowed to leave the country, and salary arrears.

Stay safe [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia is a safe country crime-wise; the country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and you are unlikely to encounter problems.

At first, being in a fundamentalist Muslim country with very strict laws may feel scary and intimidating. As a tourist, you're not expected to know every law and rule in Saudi Arabia. So long as you respect local customs, you should be able to cope.

Although first-time visitors may be regaled with tales of various forms of capital punishment, the full harshness of Saudi law is usually reserved for those actually seeking trouble.

For rules on clothing and mingling between sexes, see Respect below. Indecent clothing and mingling between unrelated men and women are criminal offences.

Driving [ edit ]

The biggest danger a visitor to Saudi Arabia faces is dangerous driving. Traffic laws and guidelines are lax and are rarely followed by the majority of Saudis.

Drugs [ edit ]

The death penalty is statuatory for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, possessing, importing or exporting drugs. This will be mentioned on your entry card. Once you've been accused of drug trafficking, there's no fighting your way out of it .

Be vigilant of your surroundings ― you can be charged with drug trafficking if someone plants drugs in your bags.

LGBT travellers [ edit ]

Like many countries in the Middle East , Saudi society views homosexuality with absolute abhorrence. Keep in mind that it is a crime to be transgender in Saudi Arabia. If that applies to you, stay away from Saudi Arabia.

Homosexuality carries a punishment of death by stoning . It is common for Saudi men to walk hand in hand with brothers or close friends, as a sign of their friendship, but it would be unwise for foreign men to attempt the same. Sharing a hotel room as a way of cutting costs is normal, but don't even think about asking for one bed for two. Homosexuality still happens, only discreetly, and it's not uncommon for a foreign man to be approached by an amorous, young unmarried Saudi.

Blasphemy [ edit ]

Saudi Arabia has some very harsh blasphemy laws.

Apostasy and atheism are offences that carry the death penalty.

Religious items for religions other than Islam, including Bibles, crucifixes and any religious literature, are forbidden, although these days items for personal use are generally ignored.

Publicly practising a religion other than Islam is illegal, and anything hinting at proselytism (unless it's for Islam) is taken very seriously. Also promoting an interpretation of Islam other than Wahhabism is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

In other words, confine your religious views to yourself and do not discuss religion openly.

National symbols [ edit ]

The Saudi royal family is protected by strict lèse–majesté laws; insulting, criticising, or questioning them will result in legal penalties.

The flag of Saudi Arabia bears the Islamic declaration of faith . Because of this, the flag is rarely printed on shirts or other items. Inappropriately using the flag (even flying it at half-mast) is considered blasphemous and will result in legal penalties.

Women travellers [ edit ]

Saudi society endeavours to keep men and women separate, but sexual harassment – leers, jeers and even being followed – is depressingly common. Raising a ruckus or simply loudly asking the harasser anta Muslim? ("are you Muslim?") will usually suffice to scare them off.

Women should keep in mind that under Saudi law, four independent male witnesses are required to testify in order for someone to be convicted of rape. Failure to produce the four male witnesses will result in the woman being found guilty of pre-marital sex or adultery (which are crimes under Saudi law) instead.

If you are married to a Saudi national, you are subject to Saudi marital laws and the mahram system.

• You and your children (if you have any) cannot leave the country or do just about anything (i.e. perform the Hajj , open a bank account, etc.) unless your husband or guardian approves. This system of guardianship can make it impossible for you, as a grown adult, to exercise control over your own life.
• In the unfortunate event that your Saudi spouse dies, someone else ends up becoming your mahram . This could be e.g. your son or brother.
• If you divorce a Saudi national, it is next-to impossible to leave the country with any children that were born during the marriage, even if you've been granted custody of them. Saudi courts rarely grant this privilege unless there's a compelling reason to do so. Divorces that have taken place in other countries are not recognised by Saudi Arabia.
• If your children visit your (former) husband from abroad, they will not be allowed to leave unless he approves. If you had the misfortune of being married to an abusive spouse and are not prepared to deal with the prospect of never seeing your children again, encourage them to not go in the first place.

Clothing is not only about respect towards the Saudi society: indecent clothing carries a fine.

Armed conflicts [ edit ]

A low-level insurgency, which targets foreigners in general and Westerners in particular, continues to simmer. The wave of violence in 2003–2004 was squashed by a brutal crackdown by Saudi security forces and there have been no major attacks in the cities for several years, security remains tight and it is prudent not to draw too much attention to yourself. Foreigners should register their presence with their embassy or consulate. Emergency alert systems using e-mail and cell phone messages are maintained by many governments for their guest workers.

Four French tourists, part of a larger group that had been camping in the desert, were shot and killed by terrorists near Madain Saleh in early 2007. Due to this, mandatory police escorts – which can be an interesting experience, but also be annoying, restrictive hassles – are sometimes provided for travel outside major cities, in areas like Abha, Najran and Madain Saleh.

Due to Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war against Houthi rebels in Yemen, there are occasional ballistic missile attacks against major Saudi cities and infrastructure. Follow the instructions of civil defense and emergency personnel if such attacks occur.

Compounds [ edit ]

Compounds (officially called residential camps) are gated communities within a city or town designed and designated for expats (specifically Westerners). Most are owned by either the Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco or the US security giant Vinnell. Only foreigners are allowed to live in them. Any expat wishing to visit or live in a compound will immediately notice the difference in social norms and freedoms. While inside compounds, women are allowed to mingle with unrelated men. Inside compounds, all public places (including movie theaters, restaurants, pools, and international schools) are non-segregated. Alcohol is still banned , as is homosexuality and certain other offenses against morality; however, many expats home brew their own, and police usually turn a blind eye to this.

Security in all compounds is different than outside them. The regular and religious police are non-existent, and the Saudi National Guard patrols inside and around the outside of the compounds. Anyone, foreigner or not, who wishes to enter or exit a compound must have their ID with them, as well as be prepared to have their car and possessions inspected. Anyone who lives in the particular compound doesn't go through the checks, unlike those who don't live in the compound. Sneaking into a compound isn't the best idea to do: all compounds are walled in and surrounded by barbed wire and security cameras on the outside. The Saudi military acts as the official police of the compounds; they are heavily armed with automatic rifles and machine guns, and are ordered to shoot anyone attempting to illegally enter a compound.

Living within compounds is expensive compared to living off them, with prices ranging from SR100,000 to over 200,000 for a three bedroom villa.

Stay healthy [ edit ]

There are no major health risks for traveling in Saudi Arabia: water is generally drinkable and food is usually, but not always, hygienic. No vaccinations are required for general travel to the Kingdom, but for pilgrims joining the Hajj and its extraordinary concentrations of pilgrims from all corners of the globe, a comprehensive series of vaccinations is required as a condition for entry. See the Hajj article for details.

Smoking is the one sin that clerics haven't got around to banning yet, and consequently everybody smokes everywhere: hotel lobbies, airport lounges, shopping mall food courts, drivers in their taxis, etc. If this is a problem, be sure to request non-smoking rooms in hotels.

The Kingdom has a wide-reaching national health-care system, but the services provided by this program are quite basic. Private hospitals are often run with the participation of foreign partners. These facilities range from fairly rudimentary to very advanced and very expensive. Pharmacies are widely available and prescriptions are not required for most medications. Psychoactive medications are tightly controlled and available only through government pharmacies.

Tap water [ edit ]

Tap water in the major cities is generally considered safe, although it's not always particularly tasty, and in the summer can be very hot. In the winter floodwater can seep into tanks, with an estimated 70% of storage in Jeddah affected by major flooding in January 2011 and some cases of dysentery reported.

Bottled water is readily available and cheap at SR2 or less for a 1.5 litre bottle, so many visitors and residents choose to play it safe. Many residents prefer to buy drinking water from purification stations.

Respect [ edit ]

Saudis, North Africans , and Arabs in the Gulf share a common culture; therefore, what is considered good manners in the Arab world is applicable to Saudi Arabia.

The best way to stay out of trouble is to respect local conventions . Should you accidentally cause offense, don't panic, because you are not expected to know every cultural nuance. With a modicum of common sense and respect, you will be fine. If you don't know about something, just ask. People will be more than happy to explain.

As aforementioned, if you're not prepared to accept strict limitations on your behaviour and movement, you should not travel to Saudi Arabia. Travelling to Saudi Arabia is not for everyone.

Law and morality [ edit ]

The really important rules to beware of are enshrined in written Saudi law, with offenders subject to the full strength of the infamous Saudi penal system. In addition to obvious crimes like murder (punishable by beheading) and theft (amputation of the hand for repeat offenders), acts considered serious crimes include apostasy , adultery , homosexual activity and possession of alcohol or drugs .

In practice, though, most visitors will be primarily concerned with the code of morality , involving things like not observing fasting times in public places during Ramadan, etc. These rules are enforced by the police now, instead of the infamous muttawa (pl. mutawain ), the volunteers from the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. In practice, non-Muslims rarely encounter any muttawa, as they are present mainly in old and traditional local districts. The muttawa no longer have the power to detain the suspects of un-Islamic conduct and cannot implement judicial punishments; they must hand the arrested over to the police.

Sex segregation [ edit ]

Previously strictly enforced, as of 2021 legal segregation is being rapidly phased out as part of the reforms being implemented by the government. However, Saudi society remains very conservative and older, traditional districts continue to separate the sexes.

The basic idea is to ensure that unrelated men and women have no possibility of khulwa ("mingling"). Khulwa is a punishable crime , although the prohibition is usually not enforced in major cities. Under the rules of segregation, all people are divided into three groups:

• Families — The basic unit of Saudi life, families consist of women accompanied by their mahrams (legal male guardians) – father, brother, husband, uncle, nephew – and children.
• Single men (bachelors) — Men not accompanied by their families. Despite common use of the word "bachelor", it is irrelevant whether the man is married or not; a husband will dine in the bachelor section at lunch when he is alone and in the family section at dinner when he is with his wife. It is against the law for a man to be accompanied anywhere by a woman who is not his wife or a family member.
• Single women — Women not accompanied by their families. Most of the facilities for families will admit single women, but they are not supposed to be allowed in the men's section. It is against the law for a woman to be accompanied anywhere by a man who is not her husband or a family member (except a hired driver or a taxi driver), but it is rarely enforced (particularly on foreigners) nowadays.

Typical examples of segregation include:

Men [ edit ]

Saudi men almost universally wear a thobe (white robe with sleeves) with a ghutra (headdress), but the standard dress code for foreign men in Saudi Arabia is long trousers and a long-sleeved shirt. Shorts are rarely seen outside the gym or beach.

Men with long hair might want to consider a cut before entering the kingdom; although shoulder-length locks can be considered reasonable, anything longer can be considered as grounds for ejection from shopping malls and public places by the muttawa.

Women [ edit ]

It is common for women to wear a niqab or an abaya , a long and loose black robe, although this is no longer legally required. Women are not required to and increasingly commonly do not cover their face in public places, though you are still strongly advised to cover your hair with a hijab while in public.

A woman can travel alone without any written permission from anyone. They may also stay alone in hotels, although hotels may require written permission on check-in unless the woman holds an official form of ID.

A single woman accosted by the police or the muttawa and requested to come with them does not have to – and, for their own safety, should not – go with them alone: you have the right to call your mahram and have them arrive, and you should use it. However, you may be required to surrender your ID, and you may not leave until the police allow you to.

Social etiquette [ edit ]

• Saudis are indirect communicators . They are tempered by the need to save face, and they will avoid saying anything that could be construed as judgemental or negative. One's point is expressed in a roundabout way.
• Honor (saving face) is an important part of Saudi culture. You can be prosecuted for disparaging someone's honor, i.e., insulting, humiliating, making fun of, embarrassing, or making defamatory statements about someone in public or on social media. If you have an issue with a Saudi person, talk to them privately.
• Saudis respect their elders . Try not to do anything that would make an older person or an authority figure feel challenged, insulted, or embarrassed. Always address an older person respectfully.
• Saudis tend to ask people personal questions . If you feel a question is too personal, give an indirect answer or state that you don't discuss certain matters.
• Do not presume that Saudis are "closed off" or "fundamentalists"; levels of conservatism vary across the country. Generally, younger Saudis are more progressive and open-minded than their seniors.
• Saudis are often stereotyped as "wealthy"; perpetuating this stereotype may cause offence.
• Photography is probably the easiest way for a visitor to inadvertently get into trouble. Taking pictures of Saudi people without their permission will upset them and is punishable by a SR1000 fine, and you will be asked to delete the photographs you've taken.
• Be mindful of your personal appearance . You can be fined or prosecuted for dressing up inappropriately.
• Saudis often use the terms "brother" and "sister" to address people, even if they do not know them personally.
• Do not joke about women, sexuality, religion, or the country; such humour is offensive and not appreciated in Saudi Arabia.
• Do not use swear words when conversing with people; swearing is associated with uncultured behaviour.

Behaving in public [ edit ]

• Do not skip waiting lines in public; you will be fined SR50 . Repeat offenders will be fined SR100 .
• Do not play your music during prayer times ; you will be fined SR500 . Repeat offenders will be fined SR1000 .
• Do not dress indecently; you will be fined for doing so.
• Do not litter in public; you will be fined SR500 . Repeat offenders will be fined SR1000 .
• Do not spit in public; you will be fined SR500 . Repeat offenders will be fined SR1000 .

Home etiquette [ edit ]

Hospitality is highly valued in Saudi culture and the Saudis will go to great lengths to ensure that you feel welcome. The following tips will come in handy.

• If you've been invited to an Saudi home, do not show up empty-handed . Saudis almost always bring gifts for friends and family when they travel. Bring your hosts a small gift as a form of respect. Simple gifts will suffice. Very expensive or extravagant gifts might embarrass your host. Gifts with romantic connotations (e.g. flowers) won't be well received.
• It's considered unacceptable for a man to give an individual woman a gift, and vice versa.
• Don't gift gold items or silk ; those materials are against local interpretations of Islamic customs. Silver would be a better choice.
• You'll often be encouraged by your hosts to take second helpings ad infinitum. If so, take it as a form of respect as it may leave a good impression on your hosts.
• Sample everything on the table; not doing so will offend your host(s) and could get them to believe that you do not appreciate their hospitality or that the food was bad.
• Do not speak badly of or criticize Saudi cuisine ; Saudis are proud of their food and they strive to leave a lasting impression on guests and visitors. Criticisms or suggestions for improvement are not appreciated.
• Don't eat unless you've been told to eat; the oldest person usually starts eating first.
• Utensils are not used when eating. People tend to eat with their right hands. The left hand is considered unclean.
• Saudis generally prefer to socialize and mingle before a meal . Once a meal has been finished, people leave.

Miscellaneous [ edit ]

• Women are considered inviolable in Saudi Arabia, and their privacy is respected and guarded. Some Saudi men do not tell the names of their female relatives to strangers. It is unacceptable to ask a Saudi man to show pictures of his wife or female relatives (even out of innocent curiosity) and for men to enter women-only establishments. If you're a man, do not physically contact a Saudi woman, even by accident. Physical contact between a man and a woman is frowned upon unless they're related or married. For similar reasons, do not sit next to a Saudi woman.
• While it is discussed broadly in other parts of the world, sexuality is a taboo in Saudi society. Talking about it openly might be seen as an attempt to challenge Islamic and Saudi norms and values.
• You can very easily elicit strong responses by speaking negatively about religion , especially from an agnostic point of view. It would be wise to not discuss religion at all; apostasy and atheism are offences which carry the death penalty.
• During Ramadan, you should refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and chewing in public during daylight hours. Not doing so would be seen as extremely disrespectful.

Connect [ edit ]

By phone [ edit ].

The four mobile operators in Saudi Arabia, incumbent Al Jawal , Emirati rival Mobily , Kuwaiti Zain (Vodafone Network) and STC newcomer Jawwy [dead link] are fiercely competitive, with good coverage (in populated areas) and good prices. A starter pack with prepaid SIM and talktime starts from about SR75, and you can sign up in most any larger mobile shop (bring your passport). Local calls are under SR0.5/minute, while calls overseas are around or less than SR2/min.

By net [ edit ]

The internet is widely used by Saudis. Google, Skype, Wikipedia, and all major webmail providers and social media platforms are accessible in the country. 30% of the Middle East 's Twitter (now known as X) users are from Saudi Arabia.

Although that sounds impressive, the Saudi authorities regularly monitor websites, blogs, chat rooms, social media sites, emails, and text messages. It's strongly recommended to eschew from saying anything negative about the country or portraying the country in a negative light during your stay.

Pornographic websites, websites critical of the Saudi government and the country, websites critical of Islam, human rights websites, websites promoting religions other than Islam, LGBT websites, gambling websites, dirty humour websites, and websites promoting Israel are banned in Saudi Arabia.

It is illegal to operate a blog, forum, an online news outlet, or a chat room without a special license from the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information. If you operate either one of these, exercise restraint.

By mail [ edit ]

Saudi Post [dead link] has a good network of post offices around the country, but offices are closed Thursday and Friday. Stamps for postcards to anywhere in the world cost SR4. The bigger problem is actually finding postcards, as the mutawwa periodically crack down on the celebration of non-Islamic holidays like Valentine's Day, Christmas or even birthdays, causing all cards of any sort to disappear from bookstores. Your best bet is gift shops in major hotels. Mail coming in to the country from overseas is notoriously unreliable. Stories abound of things arriving months after they were sent or never arriving at all. There are branches of DHL, FedEx and UPS operating throughout the kingdom, so a good rule of thumb is to have anything important sent through those channels.

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Top 30 Tourist Places To Visit In Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is well-known for its diverse landscape, rich history, vibrant heritage, delectable cuisines, grand cultural events/festivals and vast deserts, which makes it worth adding to every traveller’s bucket list. Top tourist places to visit in Saudi Arabia present a perfect blend of the old and new. As a result, this Middle East country attracts a large number of visitors annually, be it pilgrims, photography enthusiasts, nature aficionados or history lovers. From azure blue waters of the Red Sea to majestic forts to soul-stirring mosques to wonderful museums, Saudi Arabia is home to an innumerable range of attractive tourist spots. Below-mentioned are some of the top attractions in Saudi Arabia, which are sure to leave visitors spellbound.

15 Most Popular Places to visit in Saudi Arabia

1. the two holy mosques, makkah & madinah – the holiest religious sites in the world.

Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi are the two holiest sites for Muslims located in the sacred twin cities of Makkah and Madinah respectively. Also known as the Great Mosque, Masjid al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world. This sacred mosque surrounds the holy Kaaba or the house of Allah. It is the main site for two pilgrimages, Hajj and Umrah. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi was established by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself. The second-largest mosque in the world, the Prophet’s Mosque not only houses the tomb of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) but also of two main Islamic leaders, namely Umar and Abu Bakr.

2. Abraj Al-Bait Towers, Makkah – The grand complex near the Grand Mosque

Located in Makkah, Abraj Al-Bait Towers is a government-owned complex, comprising seven magnificent skyscraper hotels. This building complex is situated in the vicinity of Masjid al-Haram and has a four-faced clock, which is known to be the highest in the world. It is home to residential apartments, shopping centres, hotels and a vast prayer area that can accommodate a large number of devotees.

3. Kingdom Centre – A must-see attraction in Riyadh

The Kingdom Centre Tower is an iconic structure based in Riyadh. Enjoying a strategic location in the capital city, this skyscraper is nearly 300 metres tall and is considered to be an iconic structure in the country. It is one of the ultimate tourist attractions in Riyadh and is home to different offices, eating joints, entertainment options, luxury brands, a five-star hotel and lavish apartments. Atop this architectural marvel is the SkyBridge, which is a 300-ton steel structure that overlooks the entire capital city.

4. Al Balad – One of the best tourist places to visit in Saudi Arabia

Al Balad is Jeddah’s historical area, well-known for its traditional markets, tight-knit lanes, intricately designed mosques and traditional houses. It is a UNESCO-listed world heritage site and was once the meeting point for pilgrims heading to Makkah. Al Balad is home to the historic Bab Makkah gate, which is located at the starting of the Makkah al-Mukkarramah road that leads to Makkah, the holiest city in Islam. This is why Al Balad is also known as the gateway to Makkah.

5. Al Baqi – The oldest Islamic cemetery in Madinah

Jannat Al-Baqi is known to be the foremost and oldest Islamic cemetery of the holy city of Madinah. It is located in Saudi Arabia’s Hejaz region and holds great importance amongst Muslims as it is said to be the resting place of many companions and relatives of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Jannat Al-Baqi is one of the holiest sites in Islamic tradition, located in close proximity to the Prophet’s Mosque.

Must Read: Jannatul Baqi – The Cemetery Where The Prophet’s Near Ones Rest

6. Al Rahma Mosque – The most popular attraction in Jeddah

One of the best places to see in Jeddah, Al Rahma Mosque is situated on the northern coast of the city’s waterfront. It features a turquoise-domed structure and contemporary Islamic architecture. It is built on stilts, due to which it appears floating on the Red Sea, and hence the name ‘Floating Mosque’.

7. Masmak Fortress – Also, a palace and a museum

The Masmak Fortress is an architectural wonder and a must-visit tourist attraction in Saudi Arabia. Situated in the old city of Riyadh, this fortress was constructed using clay and mud-brick. As per popular beliefs, in 1902, this fortress was raided and regained by Emir ‘Abdulaziz ibn Saud Al Saud from the House of Rasheed. This event, which is known as the Battle of Riyadh, played an important role in restoring the control of Saudis over the capital city. In 1995, Masmak Palace was converted into a museum that gives an insight into the roots of Saudi Arabia.

8. King Abdulaziz Historical Centre – Now the National Museum

Amongst the famous tourist places in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz Historical Centre is a well-developed urban project, which is home to diverse museums. One of the main attractions of this place is the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, which is located in the midst of this historical centre. This museum features eight halls and showcases human life in the early days, Arabian kingdoms in the pre-Islamic era, family and lineage of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the birth of Islam and the importance of Hajj and the two holy mosques.

9. Elephant Rock – A spell-binding natural wonder

Jabal AlFil or the elephant rock is amongst the many must-visit tourist attractions in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the most impressive geological marvels across the world and is located in Al-‘Ula area of Mada’in Salih, a UNESCO world heritage site. You can spot it amidst a golden sandy desert, surrounded by huge rock outcrops of different shapes and sizes. As per archaeologists, the body and trunk of this monolithic structure was a result of wind and water erosion over centuries.

10. Edge of the World – Also, known as Jebel Fihrayn

Jebel Fihrayn is a geological marvel in a rocky golden desert located northwest of Riyadh and one of the top tourist attractions in the country. Ideally named ‘Edge of the World’, this spectacular spot offers panoramic vistas of the below landscape and uninterrupted, stunning views of the endless horizon from the top of this escarpment.

11. Diriyah – One of the best tourist places to visit in Saudi Arabia

Diriyah is a beautiful town situated on the periphery of Riyadh. It has become a popular tourist destination in Saudi Arabia over a period of time. It is home to the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif district, which is said to be the seat of the royal family of Al Saud. Diriyah is quite renowned for mud-brick houses and tight-knit alleys.

12. World Sights Park – A great family destination in Saudi

A well-known site among tourist places in Riyadh , World Sights Park is sure to leave visitors spellbound. It features small-sized replicas of world-famous architectural marvels, including the Taj Mahal, iconic Eiffel Tower, Petronas Tower, the Prophet’s Mosque and Al Masjid al-Haram. This tourist attraction is a must-visit during a trip to Saudi Arabia.

13. Rijal Almaa – One of the most beautiful tourist places in Saudi Arabia

A village situated in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region, Rijal Almaa was once considered to be a natural passage linking Makkah, Madinah, Yemen and Levant, thus making it a regional trade centre. The village features approximately 60 multi-storey buildings constructed using wood, clay and stone. It is home to a number of old fortresses and In 1985, a museum was established here by locals in order to preserve the village’s heritage.

14. Fakieh Aquarium – A must visit place for kids

The one and only aquarium open to the public in Saudi Arabia is the Fakieh Aquarium. It is situated on Jeddah’s north Corniche and is truly unique and worth visiting. Home to over 200 marvellous species of the underwater environment, which have been brought from oceans and seas from across the globe, Fakieh Aquarium is truly a sight to behold. Every day, sea lion and dolphin shows are organised as well, which are quite popular amongst families.

15. Makkah Museum – Take a trip through Makkah’s history

Located in the holy city of Makkah, this historical museum showcases the city’s history through various exhibits, in addition to depicting diverse epochs of Islamic history. It is made in a typical Islamic architectural style and displays the history of the Grand Mosque and the holy Kaaba. A wonderful tourist attraction in Saudi Arabia, this museum beautifully depicts and preserves the culture and values of Islamic society.

15 Awesome Places to Visit in Saudi Arabia : In Pictures

16. king fahd’s fountain – the iconic fountain of jeddah, 17. king abdullah park – for a family outing in riyadh.

18. Riyadh Zoo – A must visit attraction for kids

19. yanbu lake – a serene getaway, 20. yanbu beach – for an evening of leisure, 21. jeddah lighthouse – one of the popular tourist attractions in saudi.

Suggested Read: Top 24 Tourist Places To Visit In Jeddah

22. Al Fanateer Beach – One of the best places to visit in Jubail

23. umluj beach – try some adventure sports here, 24. jeddah waterfront, corniche – one of the best family places to visit in saudi, 25. red sea mall – for those who absolutely love shopping, 26. hejaz locomotive & ruins – rail route ruins in tabuk, 27. al qarah caves – a must visit natural wonder in al ahsa.

28. Tabuk Castle – Ruins of an important Ottoman fort

29. wahbah crater – a must visit for photographers, 30. khalil museum – a beautiful museum in jeddah.

Whether it is about getting a glimpse of Islamic history or enjoying architectural and natural wonders or even relishing mouth-watering foods, this Middle East country never disappoints. Being home to a host of diverse attractions and tourist spots, Saudi Arabia ensures a memorable and enchanting vacation.

Tourist Attractions in Saudi Arabia FAQs

What is the best time to visit saudi arabia.

Being an extremely dry country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnesses harsh summers between April and October, which makes it difficult to explore the country. However, from November to March, Saudi Arabia experiences pleasant weather, thus making these months absolutely suitable to visit this Middle East country.

Does Saudi Arabia have any world heritage sites?

Yes, the country is home to some of the most amazing world heritage sites. These include Al-Ahsa Oasis, Al-Hijr (Madain Salih), At-Turaif District, Historic Jeddah and Rock Art in the Hail Region.

Is there any amusement or theme park in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia has something for everyone, which includes kids as well. Some well-known amusement parks in the country are Al-Shallal Theme Park, Al Hokair Land and Lavera Theme Park.

Which are the most beautiful beaches in Saudi Arabia?

Some of the most beautiful beaches in Saudi Arabia are Yanbu beach, Fanateer beach, Obhur beach, Umluj beach.

Are there any tourist places for kids in Saudi Arabia?

Yes, there are zoos, theme parks and many amusement parks for kids in Saudi Arabia.

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Information for Travellers During COVID-19

• 2 doses of Pfizer BioNTech
• 2 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca
• 2 doses of Moderna
• 1 dose of Johnson and Johnson
• A visitor must enter their immunization data into the Saudi vaccination registration system “Muqeem” before arrival into Saudi Arabia. The vaccination registration website address is: https://muqeem.sa/#/vaccine-registration/home .
• Visitors arriving in Saudi Arabia are also required to provide a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before departure and an approved paper vaccination certificate, issued by the official health authorities in the issuing country.
• Visitors are advised to check the current entry requirements with their chosen airline before purchasing a ticket.

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Here’s What You Need to Know Before Visiting Saudi Arabia

For the first time in its history, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that will be opening its doors for tourism by issuing an electronic visa for visitors coming from 49 countries — including the United States.

Anyone over the age of 18 can apply for an eVisa . It costs approximately $120 and is valid for a period of one year with an option for multiple entry, and permits a maximum stay of 90 days in the country. Previously, the Kingdom issued only visitor visas for religious pilgrimage and business visas. This monumental announcement is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reform program, Vision 2030 , which aims to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and diversify its economy by way of tourism and entertainment.

Over the past two years, the government has also announced the launch of several ambitious projects, including an entertainment mega-city in Riyadh (reportedly, twice the size of Orlando’s Disney World ), a futuristic beach destination along the coast of the Red Sea, and restoration of UNESCO World Heritage sites. By 2030, the government expects 100 million annual visits, increased foreign and domestic investment in hotels and associated amenities, the creation of million jobs, and an increase in tourism revenue from the current 3% to 10% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, according to Reuters.

To attract Western tourists and market itself as a tourist destination — on par with neighboring Gulf states— Saudi Arabia has eased some of its conservative restrictions, like granting women rights to drive and travel without a guardian, curbing the powers of the moral police, permitting unmarried tourist couples to rent hotel rooms, and relaxing dress codes.

Within the first 10 days of the introduction of the eVisa 24,000 visitors entered the Kingdom, according to Arab News . Although there is a lack of adequate tourism infrastructure, those curious to learn about and experience the country will find Saudi’s natural landscape and its welcoming locals incentive enough to visit.

If you find yourself heading to Saudi Arabia to explore the land uncharted to tourists, here are a few basic and cultural tips for first-time travelers to the Kingdom.

With this news, people are asking: Is Saudi Arabia Safe for tourists? Yes, Saudi Arabia is safe for tourists. As with travel to any other country in the world, be respectful of local rules and customs, be mindful of your surroundings, and carry out due diligence before traveling. Be sure to consult travel advisories before your trip.

Public spaces

Public spaces may be segregated, and you will find separate entrances or seating areas for men and women. Refrain from public displays of affection.

Seek permission before photographing locals. Under the public code of conduct , it is a punishable offense. Other offenses include vandalism of public property, playing music during prayer times, and dress code violations.

Female tourists are not required to wear the abaya (a cloak, previously mandated by the government). However, both men and women should dress modestly, avoiding tight fitting and revealing clothes in public. The official Visit Saudi tourism website provides further details on what this entails.

Stores and restaurants close during prayer times, five times a day. To make the most of your trip, plan your itinerary according to these times.

Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country. While non-Muslims are welcome and permitted to practice their religion in private spaces, preaching in public forums or on social media platforms is prohibited. Malicious propaganda against the country, government, and religion is a severe offense.

The sale, purchase or consumption of alcohol and drugs is illegal in the country.

Social customs

You will find locals to be hospitable, generous, and as equally curious about you as you may be about them. It is not uncommon to be invited to share a meal or a cup of gahwa (Arabic coffee) and dates. Your hosts — and even strangers — will want to extend their welcome and offer a token of their hospitality, like food or even a small gift. It is considered rude to refuse such an offering. Just remember, always accept and consume food and beverages with your right hand.

If you are invited into a Saudi house, remove your shoes, unless your host insists you keep them on. In a traditional Majlis, (a sitting hall with floor cushions) you are expected to sit on the floor. If hosted elsewhere, you can expect a modern setup with armchairs and other furniture.

Saudis encourage and welcome Westerners asking questions about their culture. To avoid offending local sensibilities, it's best to steer clear of political or religious topics of conversation.

Familiarizing yourself with Saudi rituals like greetings and handshakes will always make a favorable impression with your hosts. “Marhaban!” (Welcome) is a common way of greeting and you may respond with “Marhabtain” (I give you two welcomes).

Men shouldn’t extend a handshake to a Saudi woman, unless she does so first. To err on the side of caution, place your hand over your heart and greet with a hello.

Related Articles

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is changing daily right now, with a sprawling Vision 2030 road map rolling out ambitious reforms to the Saudi economy, infrastructure, and society—and, in the process, transforming the way the cloistered kingdom has operated for decades. Businesses are no longer required to separate customers by gender; film and music industries are booming; and women have the right to drive, hold their own passports, and travel domestically without a male escort. Billions have been invested in tourism, transforming long-neglected heritage sites, carving futuristic cities out of swaths of desert, and making the country easily accessible to foreigners for the first time.

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Some of the first non-religious tours of Saudi Arabia will include stops at the archaeological site Hegra.

Photo by Shutterstock

How to plan a trip to Saudi Arabia

In a matter of minutes, travelers can apply online and receive a multiple-entry eVisa , valid for one year, for about $142. In February 2022, Saudi Arabia started offering free 96-hour layover visas for international visitors arriving by air on Saudia or Flynas airlines. Tour operators such as U.K.-based Wild Frontiers host immersive trips that take travelers from the world’s largest camel market outside Buraydah to ancient petroglyphs around the Jubbah oasis—as well as to the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh. AFAR’s Travel Advisory Council members can also help with planning a trip.

When’s the best time to go to Saudi Arabia?

November to March brings the most pleasant weather in Saudi Arabia, ranging from the 50s in the Hijaz Mountains to the 70s and 80s on the coast. It’s also when the country comes alive with events: AlUla Moments , the MDLBeast music festivals , the Islamic Arts Biennale, the Red Sea International Film Festival, and others.

Local etiquette in Saudi Arabia

• In recent years, guidelines around women’s attire have relaxed considerably, and it’s no longer mandatory to wear an abaya (the traditional body-length dress) and scarf in public. However, both men and women travelers should respect cultural norms with modest clothing options covering the shoulders and knees when in public. Women should have a scarf on hand if they plan to visit a mosque, as head coverings are required.
• Alcohol is prohibited in Saudi Arabia and is not available at restaurants, hotels, venues, or events.
• During the month of Ramadan (March 22 to April 20 in 2023), many restaurants will be closed until after sunset. While some hotels continue to serve meals throughout the day for those who aren’t fasting, you should avoid eating or drinking in public during daylight hours out of respect.
• In general across Saudi Arabia, it’s best to avoid public displays of affection.

Practical information

Arabic is the official language of Saudi Arabia, but English is widely spoken. It’s used in business and is a compulsory second language in schools.

Saudi Arabia operates on a 230V supply voltage and 60Hz; that means it’s plug G, with three rectangular pins in a triangular pattern.

Guide editors and contributors

Canada-born, New York City–based writer Sarah Khan spent the formative years of her childhood in Saudi Arabia. Khan recently served as the editor-in-chief of Condé Nast Traveller Middle East .

Writer Nicola Chilton tells the stories of people, places, and unexpected adventures from her home base in Dubai.

Laura Dannen Redman is the digital content director of AFAR. A student of Middle Eastern politics at Princeton University, she recently returned from a week in Saudi Arabia.

Update April 12, 2024

Information for u.s. citizens in the middle east.

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Saudi Arabia Travel Advisory

Travel advisory january 24, 2024, saudi arabia - level 3: reconsider travel.

Updated after periodic review to provide information on the risk of arrest due to social media use and the importation of prohibited items.

Reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to  the threat of missile and drone attacks.   Exercise increased caution in Saudi Arabia due to  terrorism, the risk of arrest based on social media activity, and importation of prohibited items.  Some areas have increased risk.  Read the entire Travel Advisory.

Do not travel to the following locations due to the threat of  missile and drone attacks  and  terrorism :

• Within 50 miles of the Saudi-Yemen border, as well as the cities of Abha, Jizan, Najran, and Khamis Mushayt;
• Abha airport;
• Qatif in the Eastern Province and its suburbs, including Awamiyah.

Country Summary : U.S. government personnel under Chief of Mission responsibility must adhere to the above travel restrictions.  As such, the U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in these locations.

Missile and drone attacks perpetrated by Iran and Iran-supported militant groups have occurred as recently as September 2023.  The Islamic Republic of Iran has in the past supplied Yemen-based Houthis and regional proxy groups with weapons to conduct destructive and sometimes lethal attacks using drones, missiles, and rockets against a variety of Saudi sites, including critical infrastructure, civilian airports, military bases, and energy facilities throughout the country, as well as vessels in Red Sea shipping lanes.  Past attacks were aimed at targets throughout Saudi Arabia including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Jizan, Khamis Mushayt, the civilian airport in Abha, Al Kharj, military installations in the south, as well as oil and gas facilities.

Debris from intercepted drones and missiles has also represented a significant risk to civilian areas and populations in the recent past.  Militant groups have threatened to conduct attacks against locations in Saudi Arabia.  U.S. citizens living and working near military bases and critical civilian infrastructure, particularly near the border with Yemen, are at heightened risk if missile, drone, or rocket attacks reoccur.

Terrorism continues to be a concern in Saudi Arabia.  Attacks can occur with little or no warning.  Past attacks have targeted tourist locations, large gatherings, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities.  Terrorists are also known to time attacks around major holidays and/or in response to military operations.  Terrorists have targeted both Saudi and international interests, mosques and other religious sites (both Sunni and Shia), and places frequented by U.S. citizens.

Be advised that social media commentary – including past comments – which Saudi authorities may deem critical, offensive, or disruptive to public order, could lead to arrest .  This may include posting, re-posting, or liking comments about Saudi institutions, policies, and public life.  U.S. citizens have been convicted for social media activity under Saudi laws concerning cybercrime, terrorism, and disrupting public order.  Punishment for social media activity has included prison sentences of up to 45 years in some cases.  Saudi courts do not necessarily consider the timeframe of the posts or the location from which they were made to be material to these cases.

The importation of drugs (including marijuana), drug paraphernalia, alcohol, weapons, pork, or any materials that could be considered pornographic or suggestive, is prohibited.   Penalties for drug possession, consumption, and trafficking are severe by U.S. standards.  An extensive list of banned items is available on our Saudi Arabia country information page .

Due to risks to civil aviation operating within the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region, including Saudi Arabia, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an advisory Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM).  For more information U.S. citizens should consult the  Federal Aviation Administration’s Prohibitions, Restrictions and Notices .

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Saudi Arabia.

If you decide to travel to Saudi Arabia:

• Visit our website for information on  travel to high-risk areas .
• Stay alert in large crowds and/or locations frequented by foreign nationals.
• Obtain comprehensive medical insurance that includes medical evacuation.
• Review local laws and conditions before traveling, including our Saudi Arabia country information on arrest notification and the Department of State’s general information on arrests of U.S. citizens abroad .
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  ( STEP ) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter .
• Follow the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia on  Facebook  and  Twitter .
• Review the  Country Security Report   for Saudi Arabia.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest  Travel Health Information  related to your travel.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

Yemen Border, Abha airport, and Qatif in the Eastern Province and its suburbs, including Awamiyah – Level 4: Do Not Travel

Militants in Yemen have attacked Saudi border towns and other sites in Saudi Arabia with armed drones, missiles, and rockets .  Civilians that are near the border with Yemen are especially at risk.   Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Saudi Arabia, including in Qatif.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens within 50 miles of the Saudi-Yemen border as U.S. government personnel and their families are restricted from travel to this area.

Visit our website for information on  travel to high-risk areas

Travel Advisory Levels

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Saudi Arabia to turn historic palaces into tourist attractions

Travel & tourism.

The kingdom eyes 150 million tourists annually by 2030

Cairo: Saudi Arabia plans to convert its historic palaces into tourist sightseeing attractions for visitors as the kingdom is seeking to be a global tourist destination.

The Boutique Group, a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), said it plans to develop three such palaces, turn them into ultra-luxury hotels, and open them for guests next year.

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The first group of historic palaces in the plan are Al Hamra Palace in the port city of Jeddah, the Red Palace in Riyadh and Tuwaiq Palace also in the Saudi capital.

The refurbished sites are aimed to be tourist attractions for domestic and international visitors.

• Saudi Arabia will add another 320,000 hotel rooms by 2030 as it targets peak tourism
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• Saudi Arabia enforces stringent safety protocols for Mecca and Medina hospitality facilities

Boutique Group, fully owned by PIF, defines itself as a hospitality company that transforms historic palaces into ultra-luxury hotels and promotes Saudi heritage and culture.

The destinations feature art galleries, elegant public spaces and gardens, as well as a variety of restaurants, spaces for exhibitions, and lush green areas adorned with art, sculptures, and fountains, according to Boutique.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry has flourished in recent years.

The number of tourists in the kingdom surged to more than 100 million last year.

Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al Khateeb said earlier this year the kingdom’s tourism sector in 2023 fulfilled a target of 100 million tourists including 77 million local visitors and 27 million tourist arrivals.

He cited a strategy charted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman envisaging 150 million tourists annually in the country by the year 2030 including 80 million domestic tourists and 70 foreign million arrivals.

The aim is also to make Saudi Arabia rank among the world’s top 10 tourist attractors.

In recent years, the kingdom has introduced a set of facilities aimed to draw more foreign tourists to the country as part of an ambitious development scheme designed to diversify oil-reliant economy.

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‘Wild, beautiful, untrodden:’ The epic hiking trails emerging in Saudi Arabia

E ditor’s Note: This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy .

Ben Hoffler always sleeps out in the open when he is hiking in the desert and describes it as “one of the great pleasures of being out on the trails, sleeping under the big, starry desert skies with the breeze on your face.”

“It’s very liberating, it opens your mind,” says Hoffler, a hiking consultant who is helping to develop new trails in Saudi Arabia.

“It really makes you dream and it’s the best sleep I’ve ever had. I sleep better in the desert than anywhere else in the world.”

But one night in the vast Hisma desert in northwest Saudi he says he had bedded down in a wadi, a dried-up riverbed , when he awoke to a lot of “hustle and bustle” nearby.

Dozing off again, he opened his eyes in the morning to the sight of four camels snuggled around him.

Rising quietly, he saw six more and then realized a herd of 20 camels had descended into the wadi to sleep.

“I guess they felt safe sleeping next to a human being in the desert,” he says.

Hoffler has spent 15 years developing trails in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Jordan and is now working with local guides, including Bedouin scouts, to develop Saudi’s ancient ways for local and international hikers.

And he insists the notion of Saudi Arabia as just sand, desert and heat is just a mirage.

“Saudi Arabia is absolutely vast in scale, that is the first thing that strikes me,” he says.

Year-round destination

“It’s also incredibly diverse, you get everything from jet black volcanic lava fields to red sandstone deserts like you might see in Wadi Rum (in Jordan), to high granite ranges like you’d see in the Sinai (in Egypt), to green forested rolling mountains in the south.

“The natural beauty of it is extraordinary, it’s one of the most visually spectacular places, if not the most spectacular, that I have ever seen in the Middle East.

“Saudi Arabia feels very wild, very beautiful, it feels untrodden, perhaps more than other destinations it feels new.”

Hiking is a new but increasingly popular weekend pastime for some Saudi city dwellers from the west coast or the capital Riyadh, with a number of accessible short walks.

About an hour’s drive from the capital, hikers can easily reach the sandstone escarpment of the Tuwaiq Mountains where there are numerous clifftop viewpoints, including one dubbed “Edge of the World.”

Al Wahbah, a four-hour drive northeast of Jeddah, is a volcanic crater 250 meters (820 feet) deep and about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across on the western edge of a barren plateau. It’s about a 45-minute walk from the rim down to the white center, which is composed of sodium phosphate crystals.

Wadi Al Disah is a green, spring-fed valley, known as “valley of the palm trees,” surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs in the mountains of southwest Tabuk province noted for its serene atmosphere, rock carvings and remains of ancient fortresses.

Another well-known but less-travelled hike is to Jabal Abyad, which means White Mountain in Arabic, named for its ash coating. Jabal Abyad is Saudi’s tallest volcano at 2,093 meters (6,867 feet), situated in the huge Harrat Khaybar lava field north of Medina. The mountains outside Mecca and Taif, such as Al Hada, also offer hiking trails.

But while there are standard tourist trails available, with licensed guides and tour companies, the infrastructure and breadth of trails is “embryonic,” according to Hoffler, although “the potential is there” to develop Saudi Arabia into “one of the most outstanding hiking destinations in the world.”

And with cooler temperatures in the highlands, it makes for a year-round destination.

“That’s what we’re working on for the next couple of years, proper trails for tourists from outside Saudi to come and experience the scenery and nature that Saudi offers,” says Yasmin Gahtani, a rock-climbing instructor and managing director of the Saudi Climbing and Hiking Federation (SCHF), whose role is to promote healthy activity, tourism and competitive sport.

“It still needs to be more properly developed for people to go independently. There are still no guidebooks, it’s all word of mouth or through hiking guides, of both genders, to take people out. The country is safe, of course, but you’ll have a better experience if you have a map of the trails, and we’re still not there.”

Hoffler is based in the Hejaz mountains – which he says is “one of the most fabled ranges of Arabia” – the long chain that runs from midway up the Red Sea coast north to the Gulf of Aqaba and Jordan. The highest point is Jabal Al-Lawz in the far north at more than 2,500 meters above sea level and one of the only places in Saudi Arabia to receive regular snowfall.

“When I’m up on the high peaks of the Hejaz you can look out over the Red Sea and on a clear day you can see the high jagged peaks of the Sinai and on a very clear day you can even see the highlands of Africa, which is absolutely spectacular,” says Hoffler.

The mountains inland of Umluj in the northwest Tabuk region offer another unique landscape to explore, says Hoffler, made up of cinder cones (conical hills of volcanic material), lava fields, known as harrat in Arabic, and huge, gaping lava tubes “big enough to drive a bus into.”

The Briton also regularly adventures out into the huge Hisma desert, made up of red sand and huge sandstone rock formations, which stretches up into Jordan where it encompasses Wadi Rum.

“All of these landscapes are criss-crossed by paths that are very old, some hundreds, some many thousands of years old, passed down between different peoples and different generations,” he says.

The issue in the Saudi Hisma desert, he says, is that “drift” of the semi-nomadic Bedouin population to the towns means many paths have fallen into disuse.

“What we typically find is those paths are in quite a poor state of preservation, it’s like an archaeology of walking,” he says.

When he does meet Bedouin on the trails, Hoffler says he’s “only had the best experiences with them.”

“The Bedouin are famous around the world for their hospitality, and they offer a space that feels like a refuge wherever you are in the desert,” he says. “They’ll always make sure you’re well fed and have a cup of tea in your hand and have everything you need before you move on.”

‘Magical place’

Further south below Jeddah, the Sarawat mountain range stretches down to the southwest Asir region, which is home to Saudi’s highest mountain tops, including Jabal Sawda and Jabal Ferwa’, both more than 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) high. Al Soudah is a tourist hub with a cable car to the top of Jabal Sawda with government plans to develop a luxury destination with boutique hotels known as Soudah Peaks as part of Vision 2030.

It’s another area rich in potential for hiking and camping. It’s also where Saudi-Lebanese mountaineer Nelly Attar trains, including for both her ascent of Everest in 2019 and her record-setting feat when she claimed the title as the first Arab woman to climb K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in 2022.

There are two wet seasons: one between February and April and another between July and August and temperatures rarely reach the soaring heights of the coast.

“Lower down you see a lot of juniper trees, lots of lush vegetation, cacti, fruits, animals,” she told CNN. “There’s some areas that look like you’re on Kilimanjaro and they look quite tropical.

“We see baboons here a lot of the times. It’s magical. I come to train, but I actually leave feeling at peace and feeling so calm because there’s no one else on the trail.

“I didn’t think I’d find a gem like this in the GCC [Gulf countries]. People perceive Saudi to be mainly a desert, but there’s so many diverse landscapes.  I’ve been living here most of my life and I have not seen most of what Saudi can offer, and I’m so excited for this country to open up.”

The capital of Asir is Abha, the popular hilltop city at about 2,270 meters (7,450 feet) high, known for its mild climate, fortresses and mountain access and views. It is serviced by Abha international airport.

About 120 kilometers north of Abha lies the town of Tanomah, often shrouded in fog but popular for its waterfalls, juniper and pine forests and outdoor pursuits in Al Sharaf park.

“Tanomah has beautiful rock for climbing and beautiful trails to hike,” says Gahtani.

“I love this place. It’s very magical, I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, but it has this really nice energy and everyone who goes there feels the same way. It is surrounded by cliffs of rocks so you feel like you’re very disconnected from the world which is lovely.”

She adds: “Hiking in Saudi Arabia is very virgin, there are so many untouched locations and it’s very serene.”

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Blinken to Meet With Arab Officials in Saudi Arabia About Israel-Gaza War

The U.S. secretary of state plans to raise the issues of hostages held by Hamas, a potential cease-fire, humanitarian aid and a long-term political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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By Edward Wong

Reporting from Washington

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday to speak with top Arab officials and try to figure out possible solutions for the thorniest issues of the Israel-Gaza war, including humanitarian aid, reconstruction and hostages, the State Department said on Saturday.

One of Mr. Blinken’s priorities on Monday and Tuesday will be discussing “ongoing efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages,” a department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said in a statement. He added that Mr. Blinken would underscore his belief that it is Hamas that stands in the way of a cease-fire for the Palestinian people, since the group is not budging on the hostage negotiations.

Saudi Arabia is hosting a three-day meeting of the World Economic Forum, and top Arab officials, including Mr. Blinken’s diplomatic counterparts, are attending. They include senior ministers from Qatar and Egypt, which have been the two Arab mediators in multiple rounds of talks over a potential hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The forum’s website says Mr. Blinken will be in a half-hour public “conversation” starting at 12:45 p.m. on Monday, the final day of the conference.

American officials are pushing for Hamas to release about 40 of the 100 or more hostages it is holding in exchange for the liberation of many more Palestinian prisoners and a six-week cease-fire. U.S. officials say that would be the first step in securing a permanent cease-fire, and Israel supports the proposal. However, Hamas has insisted on a commitment to a permanent cease-fire, and many Arab officials, including in Saudi Arabia, have been calling for the same; those officials say that such a cease-fire should take place immediately.

Mr. Blinken and other top aides of President Biden have also been trying to push for a long-term political solution to the conflict. In their best-case scenario, they envision Saudi Arabia and perhaps a few other Arab nations agreeing to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel. In exchange, Saudi Arabia would receive advanced weapons and security guarantees, including a mutual defense treaty , from the United States, and a commitment for U.S. cooperation on a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom .

For its part, Israel would have to commit to a concrete pathway to the founding of a Palestinian nation, with specific deadlines, U.S. and Saudi officials say.

Before the war started last October, U.S. and Saudi officials were in intense discussions to reach an agreement on the terms of such a proposal. For those negotiators, a big question at the time was what Israel would agree to. Since the war began, the Americans and Saudis have publicly insisted that Israel must agree to the existence of a Palestinian state.

But Israeli leaders and ordinary citizens have become even more resistant to that idea since the Oct. 7 attacks, in which Hamas and allied gunmen killed more than 1,200 people and took about 240 people as hostages. About 100 of the hostages were released last November in a prisoner swap during a weeklong cease-fire. The Israeli military has launched attacks to eradicate Hamas from Gaza, where the health ministry says more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Mr. Miller also said on Saturday that Mr. Blinken planned to discuss “continued progress on climate change mitigation and the global energy transition” at one of the World Economic Forum events. The secretary also expected to attend a meeting of ministers from nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional organization, to talk about security coordination.

An Israeli official told The New York Times on Friday that Mr. Blinken planned to visit Israel while in the region.

If Mr. Blinken does go there, the topics he is likely to discuss would no doubt be the same ones on his agenda for Riyadh, including increasing humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza, a potential political solution in the form of a multicountry megadeal and the impasse over a hostage/cease-fire agreement. He would also probably discuss Israel’s plans for a major offensive in the Rafah area of Gaza, which Mr. Biden opposes.

The details of Mr. Blinken’s scheduled trips to the Middle East often change at the last minute . As of Saturday night, the State Department has not announced any stops beyond Riyadh.

Edward Wong is a diplomatic correspondent who has reported for The Times for more than 24 years from New York, Baghdad, Beijing and Washington. He was on a team of Pulitzer Prize finalists for Iraq War coverage. More about Edward Wong

Our Coverage of the Israel-Hamas War

News and Analysis

Rebuilding all the homes destroyed by Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip could take until the next century  if the pace of reconstruction were to match what it was after wars there in 2014 and 2021, according to a United Nations report.

A Hamas leader said that the group would soon send a delegation to Cairo to “complete ongoing discussions”  on a cease-fire deal for the war in the Gaza Strip, raising hopes of progress in the stalled efforts for a truce.

Israeli officials weigh sharing power with the Arab states in a postwar Gaza, which will likely displease both Israel’s right-wing faction and many Arab states. But it does signal that Israel is thinking about the future , and it could inform future talks.

No Palestinian Flags at Eurovision: The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest, a glitzy singing contest, said that attendees would be allowed to wave  only the flags of participating nations — including Israel’s.

Nonviolent Resistance in the West Bank: Issa Amro, a Palestinian activist who has been arrested and beaten for simple acts of defiance, is aiming to emulate Gandhi  at a time when violence is inescapable.

Campus Protests in the U.S.: On quads and lawns from coast to coast, U.S. colleges are grappling with a groundswell of student activism  over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Administrators are having to make controversial decisions .

Cracking Down on Protests: Grief and rage over the Gaza war and Israel have led to demonstrations across the Arab world. Arrests suggest governments fear the outrage could boomerang .

US State Secretary Blinken to travel to Saudi Arabia next week

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