Is Saudi Arabia expensive for foreign tourists?
 

How expensive is Saudi Arabia for foreign tourists?

I spent a two-week vacation in Saudi Arabia earlier this year. My experience is that SA can be quite affordable or as expensive as you want it to be depending on the level of comfort, service and your taste.

The visa on arrival is 480 SAR (135 $). A night in a budget accomodation in Jeddah 50 to 100 $ or less. A night at the Marriot, Hilton, Mövenpick or Ritz Carlton in Jeddah 250 to 300 $. A luxury resort in Al Ula 300 to 500 $.

A short cab ride in Jeddah is 7 to 10 $ and a cab from the airport to the citycenter in Riyadh about 35 $.

Thx, a lot.

Since I cannot drive by myself, I asked some local agencies and got prices ranging from over $10,000 (breakfast only) to $23,278 (full board) for a 2-week private tour for 1 person in 4-star hotels with breakfast!

The cheapest offer was $9360 in 3* hotels with breakfast.

I definitely don't want to know how much a tour in 5-star hotels with breakfast only costs. :-)

That's a lot of money to visit a place like Saudi. I lived there for three years and wouldn't pay a riyal to go back, but that's just me.

Jonah, did you happen to post a trip report or a blog or anything like that for your KSA vacation?

Sorry, no trip report or blog, but please feel free to ask me any questions.

I heard that they are opening up a lot for tourism. How was your trip?

Yes, they started to open up for tourism in 2019 with tourist visas but shut down quite hard during Covid 19. They opened up again last year without any remaining restrictions and introduced tourist visa on arrival. They are in process of restoring many old buildings and all sights of interest to tourists.

I very much enjoyed my trip and felt very welcomed. It was quite easy to get around with a combination of domestic flights, cabs and by walking around. I only visited Jeddah, AlUla Tayma, and Riyadh.

AlUla is an amazing desert oasis with ancient burial chambers and rock carvings close to the town. All sights around AlUla can be vistied by guided tours in English. For more information about the sights in AlUla visit the web site experiencealula.com.

The food in KSA was good and could be quite affordable.

How dod you travel from Jeddah to AlUla? And would you recommend any of the places you stayed?

I flew with Saudia Airlines from Jeddah to AlUla. A one way ticket was about 130 US $.

There is a shortage of budget and mid-range accommodations in AlUla.The best option is to stay in a private apartment or small hotel in the city center. The apartment where I stayed in AlUla was dirty and not a good option. The number of accomodations is increasing. Booking.com is the best option to book accomodations in AlUla.

In Jeddah I can recommend the Abela Hotel located next to the Flamingo Boutique Hotel on Palestine Street. Their name is in arabic on Google Maps but if you search for Flamingo Boutique you will find it.

In Riyadh I can recommend the Hayat Al Riyadh Hotel.

Hello Jodah,

Is it possible to go see the sights in AlUla using your own car and a map? Is a 4x4 required? Or is it mandatory to pay for the guided tours?

I am considering renting a car in Jeddah and driving to AlUla to see the rock carvings and burial chambers with y wife and two kids. I am hoping we can find a farm to stay on at night and drive around to all the sights during the day.

Thanks for any info.

Hello Petermu,
I did not have a car when I visited AlUla but the main roads in and around town are paved and in good condition. The road to Tayma was also in good condition. A 4x4 is not necessary.

You can visit the old town, Elephant rock, AlUla oasis and the old railroad station without guide using your own car. You can drive to the entrance but you need to join a guided tour to enter the sites with the burial chambers and the rock carvings. Buy the tickets in advance on Experience AlUla. I used their shuttle bus from Winter park to the sites included in the entrance fees.