This page provides a list of the main things to see in Saudi Arabia. "++"
identifies the top attractions.
Map of main sites
- +Hegra/Madinah Saleh/ Madain Saleh in Al Ula,
southern Nabataean capital and
most iconic historical site of Saudi Arabia (northwest)
- +Riyadh:
KAFD World Trade Center (2016), PIF Tower (2021) behind KAFD,
Burj Rafal (2014) 6kms north of KAFD,
twisted skyscraper Al Majdoul Tower on King Fahad Rd south of KAFD,
Kingdom Center tower (2002) 2kms south of KAFD,
Riyad Bank Tower (2018),
King Khalid mosque and al-Kindi Plaza 4 kms from KAFD,
Norman Foster's
Al Faisaliyah Center (2000) 3 kms south of Kingdom Center and nearby
Kenzo Tange's King Faisal Foundation (known as al-Khayriyya Complex),
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture or Ithra in Dhahran 7kms south (including Saudi National Museum and Murabba Palace of 1936),
Ministry of Interior (north of Murabba),
Al-Masmak Fort/ Masmak Fortress (1865) in the historic southeastern section Ad Dirah and nearby Thumaira Gate,
al-Kindi Plaza in the center of the Diplomatic Quarter,
Ministry of Interior (1989),
Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque (old mosque where Wahabi started),
- Edge of the World/ Jebel Fihrayn (100 kms from Riyadh but on a dirt/sand road)
- At Turaif (near Riyadh)
- +Jeddah: old town Al Balad, skyscrapers Jeddah Tower (1,000 m - under construction in 2023), Diamond Tower (432 m - under construction in 2023), Sumo Tower 1 (322 m - under construction in 2023), Sumo Tower 2 (293 m - under construction in 2023), Aqua Tower (251 m - under construction in 2023), Sail Tower (240 m), Headquarters Business Park (236m)
- Al Wahbah Salt Crater (northwest of Jeddah)
- Jabal Qarah in Hofuf (near Qatar)
- Al Ahsa Oasis (near Hofuf)
- +Dhee Ain/ Thee Ainor Zee Ain mountaintop village (5h south of Jeddah, near Al Bahah)
- Abha mountain villages (near Yemen): +Rijal Almaa, Al Habala, Jarash ruins
- Fayfa (border with Yemen near Jazan, cylindrical mountain houses)
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Links
Notes (2023)
- Easy and quick evisa as of 2022
- Best month to visit: november
- As of 2023, foreign women don't have to wear a headscarf. Just don't show your legs (ideally not even your arm). Ditto for men: shorts are not allowed. So in a sense now Saudi Arabia is a more gender-egalitarian society (for foreign visitors). If you are traveling with your spouse, it is still a good idea to bring a marriage certificate. A overzealous hotel owner might ask to see it.
- Many businesses (eg restaurants) are open in the morning, then closed till evening (7-8pm) and then open till very late (even after midnight)
- Riyadh and Jeddah airports: beware of many fake Uber drivers who will ask you to book a Uber ride and pretend they are the ones selected by Uber (you'll end up paying Uber and then paying the driver cash).
- $1=3.75 SAR (2023 rate)
- Have the address and names written in Arabic. You can't trust the translitteration in Google or Uber.
- Attractions in Riyadh are spread out
- There is no public transportation in Riyadh, Jeddah, etc and the only trains are Jeddah to Mecca and Medina
- Flying is sometimes cheap (eg JED-RUH) and sometimes very expensive (eg to Al-Ula)
- De facto, there is only one ride-hailing app that works in Al Ula and most of Saudi Arabia outside the big cities: Kaiian. You can install it only on Saudi phone numbers. If you have a non-Saudi phone number, it won't install. Don't believe that you can use Uber: we were never able to get a Uber ride outside Jeddah and Riyadh.
- Jeddah is big. The water fountain (that runs only in the evening, after about 7pm) is a 10-15 taxi drive from Al Balad. Ask to be dropped off at the Ritz Carlton, then cross the street and enjoy the sidewalk that runs for many kms.
- Jeddah water fountain: It only runs in the evening. Ask the taxi to drop you off at Al-Harma corniche (after 7pm).
- Jeddah: many restaurants on Palestine St (eg Rameses Egyptian restaurant) and many hotels in the area
- Jeddah: hotels in the new town are generally cheaper than in the old town (although most hotels in the old town are being demolished as of 2023, so the choice there is shrinking rapidly)
- Al Ula: recommended restaurant Yemeni Taste (the sign is in English, the menu is de facto only in Arabic because the English translation is awful, but most of the dishes are vegetarian).
- Al Ula. There is a $100 bus from Riyadh to AlUla, advertised as a 9-hour bus ride but more likely 13 hours ($60). There is also a bus from Dammam, which can be reached by railway from Riyadh. Most tourists fly to AlUla. You can rent a car at the airport from Lumi Rental. If you arrive at the AlUla airport and don't rent a car, keep in mind that there are very few taxis. Don't hesitate to get into one or you may be stranded at the airport for a long time. And don't assume that you'll have WiFi, even at the hotel/guesthouse/apartment. It's still rare and unreliable in the AlUla region. Unless you arrive with your own car or rent one at the airport, you should choose accommodation as close as possible to the "old town". This is basically an open-air shopping mall that is served by free shuttles.
It would be a big mistake to assume that you can move around by taxi in Al Ula. Everybody says that there are taxis but in reality it is extremely difficult to get one. Once you get a taxi, the prices are very reasonable, but you'll always have to beg a local to use this kaiian app (it only works with Saudi phone numbers) and even so it may take one hour for the taxi to arrive. Taking accommodation far from AlUla can get you into serious trouble if you don't have your own car. The good news that accommodation far from AlUla can be very cheap and very nice (entire apartments for a fraction of the price of a hotel room in AlUla). But, again, don't trust the owner that you will be able to use taxis.
You can travel from AlUla to Winter Park for free. One electric bus connects AlUla's northern block to the Old Town, then many little shuttles can take you anywhere in the Old Town and all the way to its northern end. Then big buses can take you to Winter Park (of course, only if you reserved a tour there, like Hegra or Dadan). The main advantage of staying out of town is that you can find places where you will not hear the muezzin at 5am and will be able to sleep normally.
- Al Ula: Hegra can only be visited by organized tour. The tickets are sold online (95 SAR in 2023). There are three tours per day. Best light is in the afternoon, so they are the ones that sell out quickly. The tour starts in Winter Park and lasts 2.5 hours. The tour bus picks up the passengers at Winter Park, halfway between Al-Ula and Hegra. There is no food and no water at Winter Park (no matter what they tell you). A taxi from Al Ula to Winter Park takes about 20 minutes. If you arrive on the same day by flight, a taxi can take you directly from Al Ula airport (south of Al Ula) to Winter Park (north of Al Ula) in 40-45 minutes.
- Al Ula: Dadan can only be visited in an organized tour that starts from Winter Park. Dadan dates back between the late 9th and early 8th century BCE (Kingdom of Dadan) and 5th–2nd century BCE (Kingdom of Lihyan). 60 SAR for the 2-hour tour.
- Another way to reach AlUla: train to Medina, rent a car in Medina, drive to AlUla (a very long drive though)
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