My Saudi Arabia

In this article I will share with you the list of my favourite places. They will be interesting both for the first encounter with the country, as well as for a more entertaining long-term stay.

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Russian version

My love story with the country started with Riyadh. This city often gets criticized because of its inefficient roads, traffic jams, high prices, long distances between places to see, their scarcity… You can go on and on. Despite all this, I love this dusty and always-in-a-hurry city and I hope that you will be able to see it through my eyes.

«So what makes this capital so unusual?» — you might ask. Here is the answer: it has no central square, no Kremlin or King’s palace, around which the life of the city evolves. On the contrary, its development is more chaotic, happening in all directions simultaneously and without linkage to a particular center. It has advantages and disadvantages at the same time. For instance, the distances between literally everything are too large, and you can’t walk around all cultural landmarks as you would do in a European city. However, it means that every district of the city has its own places-to-see, and you don’t feel much social differentiation based on the fact that you live in the center or the outskirts of the city.

So, here is the list of my favorite places inside the city, where I will definitely go again:

• Diriyah — a cultural and historical district in Riyadh, recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In XVIII-XIX centuries it was the capital of the First state of Al-Saud dynasty. It finally opened after reconstruction in the end of 2022.
  More details (description, working hours, pricing, tickets) are here…

• Al Masmak Fort — the capture of this fort at the beginning of the ХХ century gave the start to the Third (current) state of the Al-Saud dynasty. Now it is a museum.
  More details and a tip on how to get on a free tour is here …

• Viewpoint «Sky Bridge» in the Kingdom Center which is situated on the 77th floor of the skyscraper. From here you can see the capital city in all directions. More details are here…

• Diplomatic Quarter (called DQ by locals) — here are located most of the embassies, and they regularly host cultural events. Apart from that, there is enough space for a nice walk and a variety of restaurants for all tastes.

• King Abdullah Park — just a very nice park where you can spend some time with your family. Attractions for kids, shade, fountain show 🙂

• Salam Park — a large park with a lake and family attractions. Will be great for kids and adults.

• Wadi Hanifah — a picturesque place to have a winter picnic near some water

• Library of the Princess Nurah University — huge building with a green dome that you can see from far away. On the territory of the equally huge university, you can get on a monorail train, feel the atmosphere of the Arabic «Oxford» and watch the ladies taking driving classes 🙂

Apart from the true gems listed above, there are a lot more interesting places you can visit on a weekend. In my experience, one time for them is enough. But who knows — maybe something from this list will become your favorite:

• Aviation museum

• Zoo

• King Salman Park

• The National Museum of Saudi Arabia — a modern place where you can see a desert rose and learn more about the history of the Arabian Peninsula

There are also worth-visiting places within one-hour drive from Riyadh:

• Noufa Wildlife Reserve — it is easier to book it if you have a group of 10+ people

• Edge of the World

• Lake Park Riyadh

Here you can find the list with my favorite places to eat in Riyadh. It has variants for different time of the day and suitable for different tastes 🙂