Jeddah
Jeddah is right by the Red Sea and is one of Saudi Arabia’s most important port cities. The climate here is warm and humid. However, here, people are very open-minded and there are plenty of multicultural influences in the city, so it is absolutely worth a visit! You should definitely take a walk on the beach and admire the sculptures. Some of them are original works by Pablo Picasso. You can also admire the houses as some of them are individually designed. After you walk on the beach, you can enjoy fresh fish because the Red Sea is right in front of you. You can also go jet skiing or diving. Jeddah is also known as the perfect place to go shopping and for its many great restaurants and cafés, meaning you should not miss this part of the city. In Jeddah, you can stay at one of the local hotels and get a double room for €38 a night.
Yanbu
The journey goes on to Yanbu by bus. The trip will cost you about €15 per person. Yanbu, like Jeddah, is right by the Red Sea and is home to about 190,000 residents, many of them being immigrants who work in the industry.
The city is known for its industrial center, but it has become more and more popular with tourists! There are countless activities here. For example, you can go diving, swimming, or simply relax on the beach.
The city is divided into three parts, called Yanbu Al-Balad, Yanbu Al-Nakhal, and Yanbu Al-Sina'iya, which are all about 15 minutes away from each other by car.
Most people live in the first part, where there are also many shopping centers and western restaurants and cafés. Yanbu Al-Nakhal consists of 20 villages and is about 47 kilometers away from the city. Many farmers live here and trade camels and sheep.
Yanbu Al-Sina'iya means “the industrial Yanbu” and is the southernmost part of the city. This part is subdivided again into the part where people work and the part where they live.
As you may have noticed, the city is exciting and very different from any European city. So there is a lot for you to discover!
You can get a single room in Yanbu for €38 a night.
Mecca
You’ll drive by bus from Yanbu to Mecca, which will cost €22.
Mecca is located in the west of the country and is, together with the Kaaba sanctuary, the central place of pilgrimage for Islam.
There are great sights in Mecca. For example, you can admire the al-Haram mosque. It is the holy, consecrated mosque, which means it is the most famous mosque of Islam, as well as the largest mosque in the world.
Together with the Prophet Mosque in Medina and the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, it is one of the three holiest sites of Islam. The Kaaba is located inside the mosque along with several other exhibits.
The Kaaba is a cuboid building that stands in the inner courtyard of the mosque and is called the House of God. It is a central sanctuary of Islam.
If you are interested in religion and history, you’ll love Mecca!
You can get a double room in Mecca for €28 a night.
Ta'if
Your journey through Saudi Arabia is not over yet. Your next stop is Ta'if, which you will get to by bus for €5 per person. Ta'if is located in the western part of the country. There is a lot of agricultural activity around the city, with grapes, figs, roses, honey and pomegranates – you should definitely try these delicacies when you are in Ta'if! Throughout the city, you can see breathtaking mountains and the city itself offers many points of interest such as the Al Rudaf Park: A big national park with high granite rocks and trees. There is also a small zoo in the park. Another sight is the rose plantation in Ta'if, which is filled with small, pleasant smelling, pink roses in April. They are picked at sunrise, distilled and processed into expensive rose oil, which is the ingredient for many perfumes. The Shubra Palace is also worth seeing, which is the regional museum of the city and was built around 1900. You can stay at one of Ta’if’s hotel and get a double room for €23 a night.
Abha
Abha is your next destination on your journey through Saudi Arabia. The night bus trip will cost you €30. The city is the capital of the province Asir, is located in the southwest of the country and has about 200,000 inhabitants. You can visit an old fortress, which is located in the largest of the four districts as well as admire the mountain Mt. Sooda. Climb up Jabal Sooda or use the cable car, which starts in Abha. It’s also possible to buy traditional clothes from Asir province from the museum. Another particularity is Kabsa, a local dish consisting of chicken on rice. Sleep at one of Abha’s hotels and get a double room for €31 a night.
Riyadh
After having already explored so many different places in Saudi Arabia, now is the time for your final stop in Riyadh. You will fly from Abha to Riyadh for €50. In the capital, you can try the typical cuisine of the country, while also having the possibility to eat international specialities. Wheat serves as the main component for a lot of traditional dishes, especially semolina, couscous, or bulgur. The locals also cook a lot with millet, pulses, dates and various vegetables. The vegetables are stuffed, prepared as a stew or pickled in milk: don’t miss out on these regional delicacies! Riyadh has about 6.5 million inhabitants, and 7.9 million people live in the province of the same name. The capital is also the economic, administrative and cultural centre of the country, as well as having are many universities, museums and monuments. Riyadh has also been home to the main palace of the Saud royal family since 1824. Riyadh is located approximately in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula and is on average 612 meters above sea level. The city is surrounded by desert, the climate is subtropical and the average
temperature here is 25.6 degrees Celsius. However, during summer the heat becomes very intense as the temperatures range in an average between 38.9 to 43.5 from May until September. You can discover a lot here because, besides high buildings like the old Fort Masmak or the 170 tall television tower Riyadh, there are numerous parks in the capital. You should visit Al Maktaba Park because it has a swimming pool, waterways, beautiful seating areas and a clock tower. The most popular sport in Saudi Arabia is football. Riyadh is the right place for sports because Al-Hilal is the most famous football club in the country. It plays in the first league; so how about going to a match during your stay? Otherwise, you can watch another popular sport, such as falconry, or go to a horse or camel race. This will undoubtedly be a great way to end your trip! You can get a double room in one of Riyadh’s hotels for €33 a night. After having spent so much time in this fascinating country, now is the time to catch your flight back home!
