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Mud-brick houses of Ushaiqer Heritage Village

⁨Saudi Arabia⁩ guide

Saudi Arabia

From Riyadh's events to AlUla's rocks and the Red Sea's beaches, a country with something new every season.

Why ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩?

  1. Riyadh Season

    Riyadh Season's events, from October to March.

  2. AlUla's rocks

    AlUla's rocks

    Hegra's tombs and Elephant Rock in AlUla, October to April.

  3. Red Sea islands

    Island resorts and reefs for diving, with direct flights in.

Before you go

  • Currency

    Saudi Riyal

  • Language

    Arabic

  • Time difference

    GMT+3

  • Getting around

    Car

  • Driving

    On the right

Popular destinations in ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

Pick a destination to open its guide.

Best time to visit ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

November to March

  • January

    Best time to go

  • February

    Best time to go

  • March

    Best time to go

  • April

    Good time to go

  • May

  • June

  • July

  • August

  • September

  • October

    Good time to go

  • November

    Best time to go

  • December

    Best time to go

Places in ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

Compare flight tickets to ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

Trip plans for ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

Local tips

  • Insider tips

    1. Pick one region and give it the whole trip; two regions in a week is mostly airports.

    2. Come between November and March if you can: the difference between walking a site and seeing it from a car.

    3. Start long drives early. The road is empty and the heat is the only thing that makes them hard.

  • Money

    1. The currency is the Saudi riyal. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, and contactless is the ordinary way to pay.

  • Internet

    1. Coverage is good in cities and on main roads, thin in the desert; an eSIM bought beforehand saves arranging one.

  • Customs and safety

    1. Modest dress in public, shoulders and knees covered for everyone; more conservative in Madinah and outside the cities.

  • Food and prayer

    1. All food sold in Saudi Arabia is halal. Pork and alcohol are not sold at all, hotels and airports included.

    2. Mosques and prayer rooms are everywhere, even petrol stations; many shops close briefly at each prayer.

Getting around ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

  • Car

    The distances are what shape a trip here, and outside the cities driving is how they are covered, on long, straight roads with very little between towns.

    Recommended

  • Train

    A national railway links the main cities, and a high-speed line runs along the Hejaz between Jeddah and Madinah.

  • Bus

    Intercity coaches reach the towns the railway does not, which is most of them.

  • Domestic flights

    Flying is one of the quickest ways between regions, over a network of domestic airports.

eSIM plans in ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

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About ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

Saudi Arabia is roughly the size of western Europe, and a trip here is decided by which part of it rather than by an itinerary that takes in all of them. Riyadh, Jeddah, AlUla and the Eastern Province are each a flight apart, and the ground between them is desert.

The two coasts are different places. The Red Sea in the west is warm, humid and the older, more worn-in side of the country; the Gulf in the east is flatter, hotter in summer and built around oil, ports and the causeway to Bahrain.

Heat organises everything. For most of the country the year divides into a half you can be outside in and a half you cannot, and the guides here are written around that rather than around a season of festivals.

Photo credits

Photographs on this page, with their licences.