The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Luxury Travel Magazine
Saudi Arabia has become one of the most fascinating places to visit in the Middle East. It combines its rich history with its plans for the future. A week in Riyadh and Jeddah is the best way to get to know this interesting country, where the desert meets the Red Sea and ancient traditions live side by side with new innovations. Here’s how to get the most out of seven amazing days.
Your Saudi tour starts in Riyadh, the kingdom’s enormous metropolis, where sparkling towers pierce the arid sky. The National Museum is a great place to start your first morning. It has eight galleries that tell the story of Arabia from ancient times to the Islamic period and into the present day. The museum’s architecture is worth the trip on its own; each hall is meant to seem like the time it was built.
After learning about history, go visit Diriyah, the Saudi royal family’s original house and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This town is made of mud bricks situated on the border of Wadi Hanifah and was the initial capital of the Saudi kingdom in the 18th century. Walk through the renovated At-Turaif quarter at dusk when the golden light bathes the antique buildings in beautiful amber tones. There are now museums, galleries, and restaurants at the site where you may try traditional Najdi food.
On the second day, you’ll see the Kingdom Centre Tower, which is Riyadh’s most famous building. Take the elevator to the Sky Bridge on the 99th level for 360-degree views of the whole city. Plan your trip for late afternoon so you can see the city change from day to night. The mall below the tower has everything from fancy stores to casual places to eat.
The Edge of the World (Jebel Fihrayn) lies approximately 90 minutes northwest of the city. Don’t miss it! This steep cliff rises 300 meters above the valley level and has stunning views of the plains below. The trip through Acacia Valley is beautiful, and if you go there early in the morning, the weather will be cooler and the light will be softer for taking pictures. Bring food and water since there aren’t many places to get them at this natural marvel.
Spend your third day in Riyadh enjoying the city’s lively present. Boulevard Riyadh City is the place to go after dark, with restaurants, cafés, live shows, and seasonal events. The mood is electrifying, and families and young people are having a great time on the outdoor promenade. Souq Al Zal is a great place to get a flavor of ancient marketplaces. You can get anything from old carpets to camel-hair goods and traditional daggers there.
It’s time to leave Riyadh after three days and go west to Jeddah, a city on the coast. Get a Riyadh to Jeddah Flynas flight for an easy and affordable journey, and the trip only takes a little over two hours. This is far more pleasant than the 10-hour drive over the desert. If you want to spend as much time as possible on the Red Sea shore, book an early flight.
When you get to Jeddah, it seems like you’re in a whole other nation. The air is salty, the temperature is cooler, and the city’s laid-back beach ambiance is quite different from Riyadh’s businesslike bustle. For hundreds of years, Jeddah has been Saudi Arabia’s economic center and the place where pilgrims from all over the world come to go to Mecca. This has led to a unique mix of cultures.
Start your time in Jeddah at Al-Balad, the ancient town that UNESCO has named a World Heritage Site. This maze of small streets has beautiful coral-stone structures with intricate wooden balconies known as rawasheen. The buildings show styles from the Ottoman, Indian, Egyptian, and Syrian parts of the Muslim world. Go in the early morning while the store owners are opening up and the neighborhood hasn’t yet warmed up. Visit Beit Nassif, a renovated traditional home that is now a museum and cultural center.
Next, go to the Jeddah Corniche, which spans nearly 30 kilometers along the Red Sea shore, providing excellent sunset views. You may rent a bike or just walk down the seaside promenade and stop to look at the many sculptures that line the way. The highest fountain in the world, King Fahd’s Fountain, pours water 312 meters into the air and looks especially beautiful at night.
Day five is a time for diving or snorkeling. The coral reefs in the Red Sea are among the cleanest in the world, and you can frequently see more than 30 meters below. Several diving facilities provide trips for divers of various abilities, from beginners to expert technical divers. Glass-bottom boat trips let you see the underwater world full of tropical fish, sea turtles, and brilliant coral formations, even if you don’t dive.
Spend your sixth day in Jeddah’s modern area. The Red Sea Mall and the Mall of Arabia illustrate how much the city loves contemporary shopping and leisure. The Floating Mosque (Al Rahma Mosque) is more remarkable since it seems like it’s floating on the Red Sea during high tide. It’s an engineering wonder and a photographer’s dream during golden hour.
Take your last day to explore at a leisurely pace. The Jeddah Sculpture Museum is an open-air exhibition with pieces by artists from all over the world spread out around the city. You may get gifts along Tahlia Street, from traditional fragrances to modern Saudi fashion. Have supper at one of the Corniche’s seafood restaurants at sunset to end your week. You can watch the sun set over the Red Sea as they cook fresh fish to perfection.
A week spent seeing Riyadh and Jeddah shows how much Saudi Arabia has changed while still recognizing its long history. From the desert fringes of Riyadh to the coral reefs of Jeddah, each city has its own unique attractions that together make up a whole image of contemporary Arabia. This itinerary is a great way to get to know a kingdom that is changing its future while keeping its past alive. It will appeal to anyone who is interested in history, adventure, or learning about other cultures.
