Getting there
Fly. Jeddah has the country's second international airport and is the standard arrival point for the west coast and for AlUla, so arriving in the air rather than on the road is the normal route.
There are three other ways in, and each suits a particular trip.
| Route in | What it is | Works for |
|---|---|---|
| Air | The country's second international airport | Almost everyone; the default |
| Haramain high-speed rail | The line linking Jeddah with Makkah and Madinah | Arriving from Madinah without a car |
| Road | Yanbu north on the coast, Taif in the Sarawat mountains, AlUla in the north-west | Trips built around a driving route |
| Sea | The marina at Jeddah Yacht Club, a recognised port of entry for international yachts | Arriving under your own sail |
The rail option, and its limits
Madinah sits on the Haramain high-speed line to Jeddah and Makkah, so the Jeddah–Madinah leg can be done without driving at all. The line links those three cities. For the Red Sea coast, the mountains and everywhere else on a typical itinerary, the answer is a vehicle. Driving from Jeddah to Madinah compares the two for that particular leg.
Arriving by road
Yanbu is a straightforward drive north of Jeddah, and it is the other main hub on this coast for reef diving. Taif is up in the Sarawat mountains, east of Makkah, and the climb is much of the appeal: Al Hada Mountain runs in a curved line of about 87 km between Taif and Makkah, its road following what was once a camel caravan route, and the temperature drops steadily as you gain height. The road to AlUla, in the north-west of the country, is the other one worth planning properly. See Driving from Jeddah to Taif and Driving from Jeddah to AlUla for what each of those legs involves.
Arriving by sea
The marina at Jeddah Yacht Club sits on the waterfront beside the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, covers roughly 122,000 square metres, and is officially recognised as a port of entry for international yachts. The tourism authority describes the marina as among the first of its kind on the Red Sea coast, so arriving under your own sail is a genuine option here.
Getting around the city
Jeddah works on two settings. Al-Balad is walked, and there is no substitute for that: Al-Balad is a dense grid of coral-stone tower houses and roshan bay windows, much of it propped and under restoration, and it only makes sense on foot. Everywhere else is driven, because the corniche alone stretches more than 30 kilometres along the western edge of the city.
In practice that means picking stretches rather than sweeping the whole waterfront. King Fahd's Fountain, at 312 metres, is visible from across the city, so it works as an orientation point rather than a destination; the Art Promenade, a quiet residential strip by the sea that runs down to the marina, is at the opposite end of the mood from the busiest sections. The corniche and the Floating Mosque handles that side of the city in one outing, and Jeddah in one day strings the old town and the water together for people with a single day.
We put a driver and a private guide with every trip, so on our trips the driving is not yours to solve. If you are self-driving, plan on going back and forth across the city rather than in a neat loop.
Onward from Jeddah
Jeddah is a starting point more often than a finishing one. The Red Sea coast is served from here in the south, from Yanbu further north, and from Umluj, depending on which stretch you are after. AlUla is in the north-west, and Jeddah, AlUla & Tabuk continues from there to Tabuk. Madinah is the other common pairing, and Jeddah & Madinah builds a trip around the two cities. For how many days to hold back for the city itself before you move on, see How many days do you need in Jeddah?.
Makkah, Madinah and who can go where
This is the point most often got backwards. Makkah is closed to non-Muslims entirely. Madinah is not: the Saudi Tourism Authority's own guidance is that it welcomes visitors from around the world, with access restricted only to certain sacred areas, Al Masjid an Nabawi among them. Muslim visitors need a permit for Al Rawdah Al Sharifah, booked in advance through Nusuk.
The visa, before any of this
Saudi Arabia's tourist eVisa is open to nationals of 66 eligible countries through an online portal. It is a one-year, multiple-entry visa allowing stays of up to 90 days, covering tourism activities including events, visiting family and relatives, leisure and Umrah, but not Hajj. Apply through the official government portal; we are not a visa service and cannot obtain one for you.
Once you know how you are arriving, the next decision is which part of the city to sleep in, which changes the shape of every day: Where to base yourself in Jeddah.