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Voykit pocket guide · Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
الرياض
Riyadh is a car city: choose three anchors (old centre, Diriyah at dusk, one mall day), ride between them, and do it October–March.
Riyadh is spread over a plateau with little walking between sights. The trips that go wrong are the ones that plan eight stops, walk in the sun, or forget that shops close at prayer times. Four clusters cover a first visit; the ride between them is the cost, and the desk at your hotel is the arrival risk.
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Local name
- الرياض
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Oct · Nov · Dec
- Time zone
- Asia/Riyadh
- Stay
- 2 days: Old centre morning + Diriyah at dusk
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- SAR
- Money
- Keep SAR 200 in small notes; use bank ATMs in malls or hotels.
- Daily spend
- Budget SAR 150–300 excl. bed · Mid SAR 300–700 excl. bed · High SAR 700+ 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 (Red Crescent) 997 · Civil defence (fire) 998 · Traffic accidents 993
- 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.
Get in
By air
- King Khalid International Airport (RUH)
- RUH to Olaya: one ride-hailing car or registered airport taxi, 45–80 minutes for 35 km — the risk is not the ride but a hotel that will not check you in without registration papers or a desk that sleeps.
Get around
Ride-hailing car between clusters; walk only inside a cluster and only in the cool hours.
- Passes
- No pass. Rides are cheap by Western standards; confirm the app fare before you start.
- Late at night
- Ride-hailing runs all night; the metro has fixed hours and limited lines, so do not plan an arrival on it.
See and do
01At-Turaif District, Diriyahحي الطريف
Book a timed slot for late afternoon and stay to dusk; 90 minutes; check that entry is open and ticketed for your date.
02Masmak Fortressقصر المصمك
Go at opening for 45 minutes; combine with Souq Al Zal before the shops close for the midday break.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Eat
- Al Baik (Olaya)
- Walk-in fried chicken, fast and cheap, a good fit for a rushed lunch before the airport; avoid prayer times.
Sleep
- Batha & Old Centre
- Cheaper and close to Masmak and the old souqs, but older hotels: confirm a 24h desk and the room's noise before you book.
- Olaya
- First-timers: a staffed 24h hotel near Kingdom Centre; malls and restaurants are a short ride, and every sight is a car ride away.
Language
Arabic is the only official language, written right to left. English is widely used in airports, hotels, malls and among younger Saudis; many service workers speak Hindi/Urdu, Tagalog or Bengali. A few Arabic greetings go a long way.
- Hello: as-salamu alaykum; reply wa alaykum as-salam. Thank you: shukran.
- Street addresses use the National Address short code; a map pin is the reliable way.
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
Red lines
- No alcohol; do not bring it into the country.
- Dress modestly in public: loose clothing covering shoulders and knees; women are not required to wear an abaya but cover up.
- Do not photograph people, government buildings or military sites; drones are restricted.
Scams (Saudi Arabia page)
- Lookalike visa sites: Apply only at visa.visitsaudi.com (or your embassy); third-party sites add large fees or sell nothing.
- Unlicensed airport taxis: Use the official taxi rank or an app pickup point; agree nothing with drivers who approach you.
- Fake 'Hajj/Umrah package' agents: Book only through Nusuk or agents licensed on it; there is no legal Hajj trip outside the quota system.
- Desert tour without permits: Use licensed operators; access roads change and rangers turn cars back.
- Card skimming and 'wrong change': Tap to pay; count change; keep your card in sight.
- Phishing SMS (fines, parcels, bank): Saher fines and Absher never ask for card details by SMS link; ignore and delete.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Masmak, Souq Al Zal, National Museum, lunch table
- 08:30Masmak Fortress
- souq al zal (optional)
- National Museum & Murabba
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (near Murabba)
- Hotel or mall 14:00–16:00; plan Diriyah for the afternoon.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Masmak, Souq Al Zal, National Museum, lunch table
- 08:30Masmak Fortress
- souq al zal (optional)
- National Museum & Murabba
- 13:00Lunch table 13:00 (near Murabba)
- Hotel or mall 14:00–16:00; plan Diriyah for the afternoon.
Day 2 — Diriyah in the last light
- 15:30At-Turaif District, Diriyah
- bujairi terrace (optional)
- Dinner at Bujairi Terrace; book ahead on weekends and in the season.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Saudi: www.visitsaudi.com/
- Riyadh Airports: www.riyadhairports.com/
- Wikivoyage — Riyadh: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Riyadh
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/riyadh). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.