Saudi Arabia Travel Guide

Saudi Arabia used to be nearly impossible to visit except for work or pilgrimage, but tourist visas were introduced in 2019. If you are flying in and out with either Saudia or Flynas, you may also be eligible for a free 96-hour transit visa; this must be applied for directly from the flight booking site.

The Saudi currency is the Saudi riyal, denoted by the symbol "ريال" or "SR" (ISO code: SAR). It is fixed at 3.75 riyals to the US dollar. The riyal is divided into 100 halalas, which are used to mark some prices, but, in practice, all payments are rounded to the nearest riyal and odds are you probably will never see any halala coins. Bills come in values of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 riyals, with two different series in circulation. Coins come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 halalas, 1 and 2 riyals.

festival — no longer a viable means of long-distance transport]] Internal travel permits are a thing of the past, so once you've gotten into Saudi Arabia, most of the country is your oyster. There are, however, some exceptions:

The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic. Najdi Arabic is the most widely known vernacular and it is spoken in the central and northern parts of the country. Hejazi Arabic is spoken in the western part of the country.

Saudi Arabia is a safe country crime-wise; the country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and you are unlikely to encounter problems. At first, being in a fundamentalist Muslim country with very strict laws may feel scary and intimidating. As a tourist, you're not expected to know every law and rule in Saudi Arabia. So long as you respect local customs, you should be able to cope.

There are no major health risks for traveling in Saudi Arabia: water is generally drinkable, and food is usually, but not always, hygienic. No vaccinations are required for general travel to the Kingdom, but for pilgrims joining the Hajj and its extraordinary concentrations of pilgrims from all corners of the globe, a comprehensive series of vaccinations is required as a condition for entry. See the Hajj article for details.

The four mobile operators in Saudi Arabia, incumbent Al Jawal, Emirati rival Mobily, Kuwaiti Zain (Vodafone Network) and STC newcomer Jawwy are fiercely competitive, with good coverage (in populated areas) and good prices. A starter pack with prepaid SIM and talktime starts from about SR75, and you can sign up in most any larger mobile shop (bring your passport). Local calls are under SR0.5/minute, while calls overseas are around or less than SR2/min.

Saudis, North Africans, and other Middle Eastern Arabs share a common culture; therefore, what is considered good manners in the Arab world is applicable to Saudi Arabia. The best way to stay out of trouble is to respect local conventions. Should you accidentally cause offense, don't panic, because you are not expected to know every cultural nuance. With a modicum of common sense and respect, you will be fine. If you don't know about something, just ask. People will be more than happy to explain.

Like most of the Middle East, the weekend in Saudi Arabia is Friday and Saturday, with Sunday a normal working day. (Until 2013, it was Thursday & Friday.) The Saudi interpretation of Islam tends to view non-Muslim holidays as sacrilegious, and the public observance of Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, Halloween etc. is prohibited. Public holidays are granted only for Eid ul-Fitr, the feast at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, commemorating Abraham's willingness to s…