Places to visit in Saudi Arabia – 15-day itinerary
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Allowing Westerners to get in is going to be a game-changer for the country because it means that Saudi will be open, more and more tourists will have the chance to discover its beauties and, therefore, the country will evolve positively and more progressive rules will be implemented.
For all the visa-related information, read how to travel to Saudi Arabia.
All right, the first thing you need to know is that there are many awesome things to do in Saudi Arabia and it actually has a massive touristic potential that goes way beyond desert, camels, and Bedouins.
I mean, just look at its dimensions – it’s massively huge, really – with an area 4 times bigger than Spain, so the country is home to large geographical contrasts, ranging from high, green mountains to sand dunes and coral reefs.
After spending 2 weeks traveling around, I have compiled all the places to visit in Saudi Arabia in a 2-week itinerary.
In this Saudi Arabia travel itinerary you will find:
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How to organize your Saudi Arabia itinerary
Most likely, your Saudi itinerary will start in Riyadh or Jeddah, from where you will start planning your journey.
Read: How to find the right accommodation in Riyadh
The problem with Saudi Arabia, however, is that the distances are too big, plus the 2 main cities are located in the middle, which means that, if you want to visit both the south and the north, you will have to do some really crazy detours.
Just for you to have an idea, imagine you want to visit Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Ula and Jizan, which are the 4 greatest places to visit in Saudi Arabia in my opinion:
Riyadh to Jeddah: 954km
Jeddah to Jizan: 714km
Jizan to Al-Ula: 1,382km
Al-Ula to Jeddah: 676km
That’s 3,726km in less than 10 days, only for moving from one city to another.
Remember to get travel insurance for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s health care is extremely expensive, so insurance is a must.
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Then, how to plan what to do in Saudi Arabia?
Moving around by car
If you are willing to drive long distances, you can rent a car, no problem, but just be aware that, in Saudi, most rental car companies (not to say all), offer limited daily mileage, around 250-300km, so if you drive all around the country, the final quote can be a bit expensive.
Moving around by plane
Probably the most feasible option. I personally took 2 flights, from Riyadh to Al-Jawf and from Jizan to Jeddah and it saved me a lot of time. There is a very budget airline called flyadeal and, if you book in advance, you should get good rates.
In any case, there is not a single place to visit in Saudi Arabia made for walking or moving around by public transportation, so even if you fly in, you will have to rent a car at the destination itself.
How to access blocked sites in Saudi
Something you should know is that, in Saudi, the internet is censored.
This means that some websites might be blocked and inaccessible for regular internet users.
Moreover, because of this censorship and, since there is no freedom of speech, the Government reserves the right to monitor your internet activity.
Therefore, if you want to access blocked sites and navigate anonymously, you will need something called a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and for that, I use – and strongly recommend – ExpressVPN, the VPN that works best for Iran.
If you have no clue about VPNs, read my tutorial: What is it and how to find the right VPN for Saudi Arabia
Get this epic travel guide to Saudi Arabia!
My friends Sian & Bob have recently published a full guidebook to Saudi Arabia, containing loads of actionable advice and a great overview of each one of their regions. A great introduction to the country, this must be the only available travel guide to Saudi Arabia!
Places to visit in Saudi Arabia – 10-12 Days itinerary
This Saudi itinerary covers the following things to do:
- Riyadh – The capital, which is surprisingly interesting.
- Jeddah – The second largest city has the most beautiful Old Town in the Gulf.
- Abha – Spectacular mountains and colorful heritage villages.
- Jizan – Mountain villages and Yemeni-like culture.
- Al-Ula – A replica of Petra and Wadi Rum but without tourists.
Visiting Mecca and Medina – Why aren’t included in the Saudi Arabia itinerary?
Good question. The Saudi tourist visa specifies that you can go anywhere in the country except Mecca and Medina, the two holiest places on Earth for Muslims.
”I understand, but I know that some Westerners have sneaked in successfully”
Yes, but let me tell you something: those holy places receive thousands and thousands of visitors every day, so they can’t check everybody who gets in, especially if you dress like them. However, entering without their permission is not only illegal but also extremely disrespectful, let me tell you why:
According to their interpretation of the Quran, whoever goes to Mecca or Medina needs to have their soul and body cleansed, and that involves following some rituals and protocols before getting in, similar to going to a regular mosque but even more extreme. Christians entering Mecca won’t follow any of those rituals and, according to Saudis, that could lead to something bad. Yes, it is a superstitious thing but you are in their country and in their holy place, so if you want to be a responsible tourist, you shouldn’t go there. You can, however, visit both cities but there is a line several meters before the holy place which you are not allowed to cross.
Map of the things to do in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh – The country’s capital (3-4 days)
As the capital, Riyadh has the largest number of flight connections from Europe, Asia and many places around the world, so it makes sense for it to be your first place to visit in Saudi Arabia.
The first thing you need to know about Riyadh is that it has nothing to do with the fancy, oil-rich, Dubai-style and Maserati-filled capital you may think of, but it is actually a crowded city, full of dust, and not very clean precisely.
Nevertheless, Riyadh is rich in culture and history, more than any other capital in the Arab Peninsula, so I actually liked it a lot, plus it has some wonderful natural beauties, as well as ruined cities, just outside of the city.
Read: How to find the right accommodation in Riyadh
Things to do in Riyadh
In the Old City – Don’t forget to check Masmak Fort, the place that held the famous Riyadh Battle; the National Museum; Deera Square, where public executions take place; and Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Saudi.
Outside of Riyadh – Visit the Red Sand Dunes, the Edge of the World, the Camel Trail and Ad Diriyah.
In the modern part – At sunset, you must climb the Skybridge tower.
For more information, I have written a full mega-guide:
How to visit Riyadh in 3 days – A complete guide
Where to stay in Riyadh
These are just a few options. For a proper district breakdown, check:
Best areas to stay in Riyadh
Budget Hotel – OYO 150 Al Hamra Palace Al Aswaq – Simple but clean and comfortable. In Saudi, aparthotels are very common and the cheapest accommodation.
Mid-Range – Mada Suites – For travelers with a higher budget, this aparthotel is a really good value for money choice.
Affordable Luxury – Crowne Plaza – This 5-star hotel is cheaper than many other luxury options in the city.
Jeddah – The most progressive city (3 days)
Established in the 7th century AD as the gateway for Muslims going to Mecca who arrived by sea from mostly Africa, Jeddah is the second largest city in the country and, in relative terms, the most progressive place to visit in Saudi Arabia.
Here is where you find the most liberal young hipsters in Saudi, who mainly hang out in the modern cafés, which are growing day-by-day, and organize the many underground, clandestine parties Saudi is famous for.
Things to do in Jeddah
Al Balad – Besides being the preferred place for expats to live, Jeddah is also home to Al Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the most beautiful Old City from all the Gulf Monarchies, composed of buildings with colorful windows and narrow streets with a great local life that turns into a bustling and vibrant area right before sunset.
The Red Sea – Moreover, since Jeddah is settled on the shores of the pretty untouched Red Sea, Jeddah has a great coastline with great beaches, Silversands for example, is a mixed gender beach where women can wear bikinis.
Al Wahba Crater – If you have time, I also recommend going on a day trip to Al Wahba Crater, a crater around Taif area, which is believed to be caused by a meteorite.
The Floating Mosque – Last, don’t forget to check out the Floating Mosque (north corniche), a beautiful mosque on the sea which gets pretty busy after the main Friday prayer.
Where to stay in Jeddah
Budget – OYO 125 Al Hamra Palace – It is the same one I recommend in Riyadh, basically, because they are the best decent budget option in town.
Mid-range – Shada Executive Hotel – This beautiful hotel has a great design concept, it is in a relatively good location and is one of the best-rated hotels in town.
Affordable luxury – The Hotel Galleria By Elaf – One of the best, cheapest and best-rated 5-star hotels in Jeddah.
Abha – Epic ancient buildings and monkeys (2 days)
My Couchsurfing host had canceled my request upon my arrival in Abha, so I headed to the center of town in order to figure out where I could stay.
I was walking around with my backpack, without many expectations to be honest, until I found a great traditional market, the first one I had visited in which the different stalls were not Indian or Pakistani-run, but 100% local Saudi, both men and women, who were selling from dates to all sorts of fruits and homemade meals.
There were also many honey-stalls, some of them selling literally tens of types and there I learned that Abha is worldwide famous for its honey and, in fact, it is considered the best one in Asia.
If you want to read more content about this region, read: where in the Middle East is safe?
You will have a great time in that market but the main reason you should visit Abha is that it is located in a secondary dimension from the rest of Saudi Arabia and that is in a mountainous area filled with lush green hills, wild monkeys (yes, there are loads of monkeys) and some striking local architecture.
Moreover, Abha is a real off the beaten track region, so making random Saudi friends is fairly easy and I actually met a great group who showed me around their mountains and villages.
But perhaps, Rijal Almaa Heritage Village is the place Abha is most famous for and one of the best places to visit in Saudi Arabia.
Many centuries ago, Rijal Almaa was the main stopover for people coming from Yemen to Mecca and Medina, so the village turned into an important trading center.
The main peculiarity about Rijal Almaa is that it was never totally under total Ottoman rule, so they managed to keep their traditional architecture which, as you may see from the photos, is similar, if not the same, to the architecture you find in Yemen.
The colorful Heritage Village is still under restoration and it will take a while to be finished because it is mainly been restored from the villagers’ pockets.
Today, Rijal Almaa is in the tentative list for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It contains a museum, as well as many viewpoints from where you can take great pictures.
Where to stay in Abha and Rijal Almaa
Be aware that accommodation here is more expensive than in the big cities.
Budget – Shatha Abha Furnished Units – The cheapest option in Abha.
Mid-range – The View – Relatively fancy, super spacious rooms with great views of Abha’s lake.
Affordable Luxury – Blue Inn Boutique – There are not many 5-star hotels in Abha, but I recommend this one because it is quite affordable for what you get.
Jizan – Welcome to Yemen (2 days)
Jizan, WOW.
If Abha is a secondary dimension, then Jizan is in a different universe because the mountains here are not only more dramatic but the Yemeni-like culture is totally different from any other place to visit in Saudi Arabia.
They eat Yemeni food and, in the villages, you will find many people dressing in the traditional Yemeni way, which often involves wearing a janbiya, the Yemeni dagger, and a hat made of flowers.
These Yemeni-like people are really friendly and you can ask them for a picture, no problem at all. In fact, they will like it because it’s not every day that a random foreigner asks for a photo.
Jizan is also very close to two Against the Compass destinations (just across the sea): Somalia and Eritrea
While Abha is very much off the beaten track, it attracts a lot of domestic tourism, but barely Saudis visits Jizan, which means that you will be a particularly exotic element here.
Jizan is a province, with Jizan City as its capital. The city is not very exciting, other than having a really average-looking corniche, quite boring in my opinion, but it is a great base to explore the region.
The places you should not miss are Fayfa and Absiyah, two mountain villages which are around 100km east of Jizan, where you will find the famous hills with those terrace fields (Southeast Asia style) Jizan is famous for.
Read: Syria travel guide
There are many different villages to explore and I recommend to drive around randomly. By the way, the local market where you will meet those Yemeni-like people bargaining for a dagger takes place every day in a different village, so do find out where will it be held on the day of your visit.
Where to stay in Jizan
Budget – El Eairy – The most budget option. Seriously, despite the bad rate on booking (Saudis are very demanding), it is not that bad for one or two nights. I stayed here and it was fine.
Mid-range – Nozol Ghayda – For people on a mid-range budget, this is a good value for money option.
Affordable luxury – Novotel Jizan – There are only two 5-star hotels in Jizan and this is the best-rated. I came here to have some nice coffee in the morning and it was great.
Al-Ula – Like Petra and Wadi Rum but without tourists (2-3 days)
I will be honest here.
This is the only place from this Saudi Arabia itinerary that I didn’t go to.
And the reason is that Madinah Saleh, the most jaw-dropping thing to do in Saudi Arabia, was closed during my visit, as the place had suffered from vandalism and they had restricted the entrance until they figure out what to do with the place.
Nowadays, however, Madinah Saleh is fully open to visitors!
In any case, what is Madinah Saleh?
Madinah Saleh, or Hegra, was an ancient city founded by local tribes 5000 years ago, but it was not until the 2nd century BC that the Nabateans, the same guys that built Petra, made it a great city, in a fear of the Romans conquering Petra, so it could serve as the new capital.
Still, the Romans conquered both cities, Hegra and Petra, but the more than 100 tombs carved from the giant desert rocks still remain and it is particularly more stunning than Petra because it is located in the middle of literally nowhere.
For more information, I recommend you read this guide to Madinah Saleh from Blue Abaya.
Besides Madinah Saleh, there are other things to do around Al-Ula
The desert around Al-Ula – Is a replica of Wadi Rum but with no Bedouins trying to sell you expensive desert tours.
Al Deerah Heritage Village (Old Town) – Another great highlight, Al Deerah is a 2,000-year-old mud-based ghost town.
Where to stay in Al-Ula
Mid-range – Sahary Al Ola Camp – A beautiful desert-themed hotel located in the middle of the beautiful desert.
What to do in Saudi Arabia – Extending your itinerary: Al Jawf & Hofuf (2-3 extra days)
Remember to get travel insurance for Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s health care is extremely expensive, so insurance is a must.
IATI Insurance offers different plans, for all budgets.
Get your 5% exclusive discount if purchasing via this link
Since I had some spare days left, I decided to also visit Al Jawf and Hofuf, located in the far north and far east respectively.
To be honest, they are not the greatest touristic places but I enjoyed my time because I went there with a great group of people and also, I had to go because I was working on a project for a local company, so they wanted to show me around and take some photos.
Is it worth it to go? Well, I will show you the photos, give you some explanation and then you decide.
Hofuf – Great temples and mosques – (1 day)
Hofuf is 327km from Riyadh, so if you leave early in the morning, you could visit it on a day trip, that’s what I did.
It is located in the eastern part of Saudi, in Al Ahsa region, relatively close to Dammam, an unattractive industrial city with no particular touristic interest.
In Hofuf, however, there are a few sites worth checking out.
Things to do in Hofuf
Ibrahim Palace – Beautifully restored, this 500-year old Ottoman building used to serve as both an Islamic building and a military fortress, and elements fulfilling these functions can be seen all around.
Jabal Qarah – In the middle of Hofuf, there is a small rocky hill named Qarah made of utterly strange rock formations.
Most of the site has been restored, very badly, and it seriously looks like shit because they have added loads of artificial elements, losing the total sense of a natural place and, unfortunately, as I expected, the locals freaking love it.
Only because of that refurbishment, I would tell you to skip it but if you get off the main trail, climb the walls, you will see that half of it hasn’t been restored yet, so it is a great place to watch the sunset and take some cool shots.
Jawatha Mosque – Apparently, this was the second mosque that Prophet Muhammed ever prayed at on a Friday and what I like about it is that it is very humble.
The souq – The souq of Hofuf is composed of narrow lanes with traditional wooden facades and many of the shops are run by local Saudis, so it was pretty cool to visit.
Where to stay in Hofuf
Budget – Al Masem Hotel – The classical budget aparthotel in Saudi.
Mid-range (traditional hotel) – Al Koot Heritage Hotel – We visited this hotel because it is one of the very few hotels in Saudi Arabia which is decorated in the most traditional way and tries to sell a cultural experience. The food here was also great.
Top-end – Al Ahsa InterContinental – The best-rated 5-star hotel in Hofuf.
Al Jawf – The most northern region (1 or 2 days)
Well, if you check the map, you will see that Al-Jawf is crazy far, more than anywhere else, and it is in fact 1,147km away from Riyadh.
I personally came here by plane from Riyadh but, like I said, I went there to work on a project, so they paid all my expenses. Still, if you happen to be in Tabuk, a northern city that has the greatest desert landscapes in the country, Al-Jawf is pretty close.
So, is it worth it to go or not?
I had loads of fun because there I was received by two young Saudi ladies who wore the niqab and spent the whole day with them. I went for coffee with one of them in a café (just the two of us), they invited me to their house, fed me and, of course, showed me around their province.
It was a great cultural experience, one that very hardly any male can tell.
Anyways, other than my interactions with the local women, Al Jawf is rich in archaeological sites, as well as a local culture which sometimes seems to have closer relation with Jordan than Saudi itself, especially when it comes to food, as I just ate Arab Levantine dishes such as makluba and dolma and you will be surprised to know that the region is very rich in olive oil.
Actually those ladies gifted me with 1 litre of local olive oil.
Many Saudis also claim that Al Jawf is home to the most hospitable people in the country but I would not know what to say about that, as I was treated like a royal guest everywhere I went.
Things to do in Al-Jawf
Rajajil columns – Some very weird 6,000-year old stone columns built by pagans. They believe that each rock represents a man.
Za’abal Castle – More a fort than a castle, located on the top of a hill from where you get stunning views of the valley.
Marid Castle – An Assyrian 1,800-year old castle with traces of Romans and Nabateans. This is the top place to visit in Al-Jawf region.
Where to stay in Al-Jawf region
Budget – Ghoson Al Zaitoun Furnished Units – The most budget classic aparthotel.
Mid-range – Dana North – Spacious rooms and the best location for travelers with a higher budget.
More information to complement your Saudi itinerary
📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.
All guides and articles for traveling in Saudi Arabia destination
- Travel Guide to Riyadh
- Where to Stay in Riyadh
- Solo Female Travel Guide to Riyadh
- Is it Ethical to Visit Saudi Arabia as a Tourist
- Hitchhiking and Backpacking in Saudi Arabia
- VPN for Saudi Arabia
- Travel Guide to Saudi Arabia
Travel Itineraries to other countries in the Middle East
You will also be interested in: Where in the Middle East is safe? and The most beautiful places in the Middle East.
31 comments
Great rundown of places for a first-time itinerary! I was excited to hear that they were allowing regular tourists to visit, so now I’m trying to think of a good time for me to do so. That said, I’ll probably wait until Madain Saleh is open for visiting, as that is definitely a place I want to visit when I go there.
Hello, my friend and I are going to Saudi in January 2020 for 10 to 12 days. We really want to go to Jizan and the surrounding mountains and villages. Did you feel it was safe when you went yourself? How close did you go to the Yemeni border?
Also, How did you move around, did you arrange a guide/driver? would you have any recommendation for that?
Finally, did you consider going to the Farasan Islands by ferry from Jizan?
Thanks for this great blog post, we found plenty of very useful information!
François
Hi François, I went as close to Yemen as Jizan and Fayfa. It was safe.
In Jizan, I met up with a local Couchsurfer and they showed me around with their car. The rest of Saudi was mainly by hitchhiking and locals I met on the way.
I would suggest you rent a car.
I did consider going to the islands but didn’t have time unfortunately.
By the way, I just wanted to quickly update you on the status of Madain Saleh, it is open this January for the winter festival on weekends only, then it will close again until they figure out how to open it to tourists. More info at https://experiencealula.com/en/Pages/default.aspx and bookings at https://book.experiencealula.com/
thanks for the update!
Hello!
I really love your travel blog here and it gave me a very good start and overview for my plannings!
Now I am planning a trip to beautiful Saudi Arabia and visiting Madain Salih would be my main reason to visit also the north! But now I am wondering if this would be possible in the middle of march 2020!? I saw the news that the sight is closed for maintanance reasons till the end of 2020 – only open during a festival from december till beginning of march.
Will it be worth to go there or is there a way to visit this wonderful sight?
I would los to see this place!
Thank you and kind regards from Austria,
Florian
Hey Florian, I just updated the article accordingly and, as you say, it will only be opened until March 7th.
After that, there is no official source saying what will they do with the site. I think that not even they know what will happen.
If Madinah Saleh is your only and main reason to visit Saudi, I would suggest you postpone the trip.
For me, it was a big disappointment not visiting Madinah Saleh but as you can see, there are loads of things to do in Saudi
Hi,
I have tried to get a visa via the recommended site, however, the price they mentioned is very far away from the US170 and they claim that you need to buy a visa from them in order to get the visa?
Do you know how to get a visa for US170 without having to get an insurance too as I do have one already covering KSA too?
Bertil
Hi, today we returned from a trip of one month in KSA and it was wonderful. I have loads if fresh information. The country is very safe, even on the road visiting Najran as close as 15 km from the Yemeni border. People are extremely friendly and helpful. For shorter legs we took the Saptco bus and flying with fyadeal never was expensive. But we could not visit Madain Saleh. There are lot of other places worth a visit.
Thanks for your report 🙂 I also couldn’t visit Madinah Saleh, a pitty, but yeah, Madinah Saleh is just one of the many wonders in Saudi
Good morning
Thanks to the new visa regulation we are allowed to visit Your country
and therefore we ask for your assistance to study the following itinerary:
13 DAYS group of 11 pax TOUR iNCLUDING :
fly to jIDDAH – AL MADINAH – AL ULA – MADAIN SALHI – AL WAJH on the coast-
DUBA on the coast , AYNUAH – – HUMAYD – TABUK flay to italy via Riyad
Duration 12 days
Using 4×4 cars which will be driven by us
One car will have to be driven by your guide/driver expeert of the area while other 2 car by our clients (2 cars driven by us 1 car driven by tour guide/driver .
We nweed to arrange all overnights in hotels,private houses when available or tented camps but always of mediun cost , not de luxe –
You can include il your quotation ( no meals that will be paid locally)
Ariport Transfer upon arrival andeparture
CAR RENTAL FOR 4X4 SELF DRIVEN CARS
ALL ACCOMODATION AS REQUESTED
ONE DRIVER – GUIDE WHO WILL FOLLOW OUR GROUP FO THE WHOLE 12 DAYS
We intend to promote this tour and receive many groups from January 2020 on
april /may according to temparature .
Hope to receive as soon as possible tour reply and info abd suggestions about our project
Faithfully
Vittorio Kulczycki
Please let me knmown if you received my message vittorio >KUlczycki
Hello Vittorio. I am not a tour operator but this is just a travel blog, sorry!
Hi Torres,
thank you for your feedback about Saudi Arabia. I enjoyed your blog about your trip. You went to the most beautiful places in Saudi and you mad the right chose. I do work with a Saudi travel agency called Taiba Flocks. Also, thank you for writing about Saudia because many western people have bad thoughts about Saudi, and no one can judge them because we know how the media impact everything. And you all welcome to Saudia.
Hi Joan,
thank you for sharing. It is very difficult to find some relevant information about traveling around KSA and some great sights to see. Sadly even some expats living there have no clue about the country. Nevertheless we are flying to Jeddah in a month and we will try to enjoy our stay as much as possible. Since we have just 10 days, we want to cover just a small part of the KSA and so far it looks like we are going to the south (security situation permiting).
Our preferable way of travel would be a rental car and we would like to camp in the wild as much as possible. Do you think it would be possible? I assume that in the middle of nowhere we would just turn off the road and pitch the tent and in case we are in inhabited area like in the mountains we would ask locals.
Thanks for your feedback,
Michael
Hi Michael, yes, it would be possible, In fact, random camping is a very common practice in these region
Thanks Joan, we are looking forward to new middle east adventure. Together with Kuwait, the KSA is the very last country in the region we haven’t been to yet. So exciting!
One more question – do you think we would need a proper offroad car (Toyota Landcruiser or so) to drive around southern mountains or is common SUV good enough? In Oman we always rented a big proper one which would alow us to get deep in some wadis, but mostly any car is fine, high clearance is a plus.
Thanks, Michael
Hey Michael, at least for all the places mentioned in this article, there is no need to get a 4×4, but it depends on where you wanna go!
Hi Joan, I’m so glad I found your well written blog about KSA as there isn’t that much info on internet for travelers who like to travel on their own. We’re 4 Slovak guys planning to go for a week (can’t stay longer unfortunately due to family reasons) to Saudi Arabia flying into Riyadh and departing from Jeddah (to save time). As Madinah Saleh is closed we’ll skip the north because of lack of time (I visited Petra together with my wife last year), so we’ll might focus on Riyadh, Jeddah , probably Dhee Ayn, Marble Village and eventually Jizan. We plan to rent a car but that issue with limited daily mileage concerns me a lot. I googled through different renting websites but couldn’t find an offer for unlimited mileage. Do you eventually know which company could offer such? What I considered as well was taking some bus/train at least between Riyadh and Jeddah, but I can’t really find some direct connection. I have a question as well in regards of that eVisa, found several websites offering to handle the touristic eVisa, none of them is governmental though. Most of them don’t even have the final price stated until you fill out the data…a fact I don’t like that much. The link you provided in your blog, that price of 170 USD is a final one everything included? Thanks in advance. BR Martin
Hi Martin,
When I was in KSA, I asked many locals about the mileage issue and they said that that was the general rule in KSA.
As per the evisa, the one linked in my blog is the official one. I don’t know how much it costs now, as it has changed since the last time I applied
Hi there
This blog is so good! Thank you so much much for all the info and ideas.
Ive booked my flight into Riyadh for next month and can`t wait to travel Saudi Arabia 🙂
My plan is to end up in Hail and then somehow cross by land boarder into Jordan. I tried booking a bus with JETT and SAPTCO , but both websites don`t seem to have a bus service between Saudi Arabia and Jordan anymore.
Does anyone have any ideas or Links on how I could travel into Jordan by road ? Maybe from Hail or any other destination in Saudi Arabia
If there is no bus, would it be possible and safe to hitch hike with a truck or ride share with locals. Would people be able to take me legally across the border into Jordan. Unfortunately I don`t speak Arabic 🙁
Any help would be appreciated, thanks Markus
Hi Joan:
Just wondering the best way to travel from Abha to Jizan? Did you fly into one of the cities and drive/bus from there?
Love your blog!
Karen
you should be able to find a bus to Jizan from Abha, or a shared taxi. Otherwise, hitchhiking is also feasible
Hi Joan!
Thanks for putting this post together!
I have a question regarding your Fayfa/Jizan/Abha pics above:
There is the one with a man sitting in front of a beautiful door looking over the fields. Do you know the name of the building or where exactly it is?
Thanks, Anton
Hey Anton, unfortunately, I couldn’t tell, as we were just driving around randomly, However, it is in one of the highest points in Haifa and by the way, there are many view points like this one where you can see similar views. Cheers,
Hi Joan
I really would like your help, because still can`t find a bus to take me from Saudi Arabia to Jordan.
Do you know if I could cross the border hitch hiking? Ive got a German passport and visas are okay.
Thanks
Markus
Dear Saudi tours agents .
Can someone of yours know about non Muslims visiting the city of Medina and the city off Mecca ?
Flyadeal is not specially cheap. The rates difference to Saudia is insignificant. And you can’t buy well in advance as tickets are only made available a couple of months before the flight.
Wow! Beautiful photos. It would be really nice if you had also shared the coordinates of the phots or the name of the lookouts where photos were taken. Incredible photos and great details.
Your 15-day itinerary of Saudi Arabia is a treasure trove of cultural and scenic diversity! From the urban landscapes of Riyadh and Jeddah to the natural beauty of Abha and the historical wonders of Al-Ula, your guide covers it all. It’s fascinating to see how travel in Saudi Arabia, a country without permanent rivers, revolves around road trips, showcasing its vast and varied terrain. This guide is a brilliant resource for anyone wanting to explore the rich tapestry of experiences Saudi Arabia has to offer. Thank you for sharing your adventures and insights!