Riyadh
Saudi Arabia · 612 m
Description
Riyadh is the Saudi capital and the country's largest city, a place that was a mudbrick oasis town within living memory and is now a grid of towers on the Najd plateau. Almost everything a visitor comes for sits at one of two extremes, the restored mudbrick district of At-Turaif at Diriyah, where the first Saudi state began, and the glass of the Kingdom Centre and the financial district. Between them the winter months bring Riyadh Season, an entertainment programme on a scale that pulls in more visits than any museum in the country. Summer heat regularly passes forty-five degrees and empties the streets until nightfall.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – March
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Boulevard City and the Riyadh Season (October - March)
- Diriyah and the At-Turaif mudbrick district (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Kingdom Centre Sky Bridge
- Masmak Fortress
- National Museum of Saudi Arabia
- Bujairi Terrace restaurants below At-Turaif
- Souq Al Zal antiques and carpet market
- Edge of the World escarpment cliffs(Day trip)
- Wadi Hanifah parks and its water gardens
- Al Faisaliah Tower and its glass globe
- Al Murabba Palace and the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre
- Kabsa and Najdi cooking
- King Abdullah Financial District skyline walk
- Riyadh Zoo
- Salam Park and its lake
- Ushaiger heritage village(Day trip)
- Camel racing and the desert camps north of the city (November - February)(Day trip)
Getting there
- Airports:
- RUH
- Train stations:
- Riyadh