Blog article
Driving from Jeddah to Madinah
Road or high-speed rail, who can enter what once you arrive, and how to time a visit around prayer times and religious seasons.
Journal
Driving from Riyadh to Diriyah
Diriyah is about twenty minutes from central Riyadh, which makes At-Turaif a half day rather than a trip out of the city. Read More…
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Driving from Abha to Jeddah
Off the Asir escarpment down to the Red Sea: what the road is worth stopping for, and when flying is the better call.
Blog article
Driving from Abha to Najran
Out of the Asir mountains to the Yemeni border: what Najran holds, why so few travellers reach it, and how to shape the run.
Blog article
Hegra: what to expect and how to visit
Hegra holds more than 110 Nabataean rock-cut tombs in AlUla and is entered only on a capped guided tour. Here is how a visit works.
Blog article
Dadan: what to expect and how to visit
Dadan was the capital of the Dadanite and Lihyanite kingdoms, and its tombs are cut almost 50 metres up an AlUla cliff face.
Blog article
Jabal Ikmah: what to expect and how to visit
Jabal Ikmah is a canyon near AlUla carrying more than 300 ancient inscriptions. There is no ticket and the path is short and level.
Blog article
At-Turaif: what to expect and how to visit
At-Turaif is the mud-brick capital of the first Saudi state at Diriyah, a World Heritage Site since 2010, about 20 minutes from Riyadh.
Blog article
The National Museum: what to expect and how to visit
Riyadh's National Museum runs from prehistory to the modern state in one sequence of halls, and there is no ticket for entry.
Blog article
Masmak Fort: what to expect and how to visit
Masmak is the clay fort in central Riyadh where the 1902 capture of the city began; here is what is inside and how to fit it in.
Blog article
Al-Balad: what to expect and how to visit
Al-Balad is Jeddah's coral-stone merchant quarter, a World Heritage Site since 2014 and still half under restoration.
Blog article
The best time of year to visit AlUla
October to March is the workable window in AlUla; summer in the valley is severe. Here is how to time the months and the hours.
Blog article
The best time of year to visit Riyadh
The cooler months decide what you can do outdoors in Riyadh; the museums in the old centre hold up all year.
Blog article
AlUla: a first-timer's guide
What AlUla is, the four sites that matter, when to go and how many days to give it on a first visit.
Blog article
Things to do in AlUla
The four ancient sites, Elephant Rock, Maraya and the nature reserve - what each one is and how to get in.
Blog article
Riyadh: a first-timer's guide
The capital in two or three days: the founding sites, Diriyah, the escarpment, and how to move around a city built for driving.
Blog article
Things to do in Riyadh
The National Museum, Al Masmak, At-Turaif at Diriyah, Wadi Hanifa and the Tuwaiq escarpment - what each takes and where it sits.
Blog article
Jeddah: a first-timer's guide
Al-Balad, the corniche and the Red Sea: what Jeddah is for, how long to stay and where the city leads next.
Blog article
The best time of year to visit Jeddah
The cool months. Jeddah is walked outdoors, from Al-Balad to the corniche, and the heat decides how long a day lasts.
Blog article
The best time of year to visit Abha
Summer. Abha sits high in the Asir mountains and its high season is the reverse of the rest of Saudi Arabia's.
Blog article
The best time of year to visit Taif
Late winter into early spring, for the rose crop; and summer, when Taif's mountain air is mild while the lowland is hardest.
Blog article
Driving from Riyadh to Al Ahsa
The road east from Riyadh ends at the largest oasis in the world - 2.5 million palms, a UNESCO landscape and a hill full of cool caverns.
You've reached the end.