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Voykit pocket guide · Saudi Arabia
Neom
نيوم
Skip Neom as a tourist stop in 2026: The Line is a fenced construction site, Sindalah's hotels are not open, and the only beds are staff-blocked or invitation-only.
Neom is a giga-project under construction on the northwest coast, not a finished destination. As of 2026 the headline pieces — The Line, Sindalah's hotels, Trojena — are unbuilt, closed or on hold, and the 2029 Asian Winter Games have moved to Kazakhstan. The coast around Sharma and the Duba road is real and drivable, but treat it as a construction zone with a hotel shortage, not a resort.
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Local name
- نيوم
- Best months
- Nov–Mar
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (40 °C+ heat), and any date tied to a project openingJun–Aug (104 °F+ heat), and any date tied to a project opening
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- SAR
- Money
- SAR (riyal) is pegged to the US dollar at about 3.75.
- Daily spend
- Budget SAR 250–450 excl. bed · Mid SAR 450–900 excl. bed · High SAR 900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- STC, Mobily and Zain sell tourist SIMs at arrivals; passport and fingerprint registration are required.
- Emergency
- Unified emergency 911 · Police 999 · Ambulance 997
- Plugs
- Types G, C, F · 230 V · 60 Hz · UK-style three-pin (G) is the standard; older buildings may have European sockets. Bring a universal adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% if no service charge; small change at cafés.; Ride-hailing / taxi: Round up or tip in the app.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: SAR 5–10.; Guide / driver day: SAR 50–100 guide; SAR 30–50 driver.; Fuel station attendant: SAR 2–5 if they clean the windows.
- Water
- Tap water is desalinated and treated; most people drink bottled water, sold everywhere for SAR 1–2.
- Toilets
- Western toilets with a hand shower in malls, hotels and mosques; squat toilets at older fuel stations. Malls and mosques are the free public options.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | SAR 10–20 |
| Simple meal (rice, chicken, bread) | SAR 25–60 |
| Bottled water, 1.5 L | SAR 2–5 |
| Fuel, per litre | SAR 2.3–2.9 |
| Car hire, per day | SAR 150–450 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | SAR 40–100 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NUM · Neom Bay Airport
- Domestic flights from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam; some international from Doha and Dubai. Confirm the current schedule before booking.
- TUU · Tabuk
- About 2–3 h by road south to Sharma; more flights and car hire.
Typical fares
- Taxi NUM → Sharma
- arrange via your accommodation; no metered rank
- Car hire, Tabuk, per day
- SAR 150–450
- Fuel, per litre
- SAR 2.3–2.9
Get around
You need a car. There is no useful public transport inside the project area, the Riyadh–Jordan railway passes far east, and intercity buses do not serve this coast. Hire in Tabuk or Duba; fuel up before long coastal stretches. Project roads and gates can close without notice.
See and do
Known for
- The Line (under construction)
- Sindalah Island
- Trojena ski plan
- Sharma and the Gulf of Aqaba coast
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Duba | Drive south on the coastal road | About 2–3 h from Sharma |
| Tabuk | Drive south on Highway 80/375 | About 2–3 h |
| Wadi Disah | Drive from Tabuk, 4WD advised for the last stretch | Half a day from Tabuk |
| Sakakah | Long drive east via Al-Jawf | 6 h+ |
| Qurayyat | Drive east toward the Jordanian border | 5 h+ |
| Aqaba, Jordan | Drive north on the coastal road to the border | About 4 h plus border time |
Sleep
- Sharma (mainland coast)
- Hampton by Hilton Sharma and Royal Tulip Sharma Resort; both largely held for project staff or by invitation. Book nothing here without written confirmation.
- Sindalah Island
- Yacht club opened October 2024; hotels were not operating and the club appears closed as of 2026. Do not plan a stay.
- Tabuk
- The practical base: real hotels, car hire and flights, 2–3 h from the Neom coast.
- Duba
- Small Red Sea port town south of the project with basic lodging and the coastal road north.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | مرحباmarhaba |
| Thank you | شكراshukran |
| How much is it? | كم السعر؟kam al-si'r? |
| Where is the road to…? | أين الطريق إلى…؟ayna al-tariq ila…? |
| I have a booking | لدي حجزladayya hajz |
| Help | مساعدةmusa'ada |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say as-salamu alaykum; wait for a woman to offer her hand first; avoid: Hugging or touching the opposite sex
- Hospitality: Accept coffee and dates; eat with the right hand; avoid: Refusing all offers or showing the soles of your feet
- Prayer times: Wait quietly when shops close; step aside for people praying; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; loud music near mosques
- Dress: Loose, covering clothes in public; headscarf in mosques; avoid: Shorts, sleeveless tops and swimwear in town
- Photos: Ask before photographing people; avoid: Photographing women, families or official buildings
- Conversation: Talk about family, food, football, travel; avoid: Criticising religion, the royal family or the government
- Queues and sections: Follow signs for family and women's sections where they exist; avoid: Entering women-only areas
Scams and watch-outs
- The Line and most Neom sites are active construction zones and off limits to tourists.
- Hotel inventory is tiny and mostly reserved for staff: never travel here without a confirmed, written booking.
- Summer heat is extreme; carry water and plan driving for early morning.
- Do not photograph or approach construction sites, gates or security checkpoints.
- Check the official Saudi tourism and Neom sites before booking anything: openings have slipped repeatedly.
The area is not dangerous in itself, but it is a construction zone: sites are fenced and guarded, hotel beds are scarce, and summer heat is a genuine risk. Never arrive without a confirmed booking and a full tank.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Neom yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- The Line (under construction)
- Sindalah Island
- Trojena ski plan
- Sharma and the Gulf of Aqaba coast
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Neom (official): www.neom.com/en-us
- Sindalah (official): www.neom.com/en-us/regions/sindalah
- The Line (official): www.neom.com/en-us/regions/theline
- Hampton by Hilton Sharma: www.hilton.com/en/hotels/numsahx-hampton-sharma/
- Royal Tulip Sharma Resort: sharma.goldentulip.com/en-us/
- Wikivoyage: Neom, revision 5245738 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5245738
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Neomنيوم
إلى هذا العنوان، من فضلك
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies are in Riyadh; several countries keep consulates in Jeddah. Check your own embassy's site before travelling.
Print or save this card: mobile coverage is 5G from Mobily and STC and 4G from Zain along the coast and approach highways, but drops in the desert.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/neom). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.