I lived in Riyadh for 9 years, as the son of a member of the RAF. So I have quite a developed opinion of the place! The first thing that hits you if you visit anytime other than winter, is the temperature. 50+ degrees Celsius in the shade. Luckily every house and shop has air conditioning meaning you won’t spend too much time in the searing sun.
I am not sure if in the year I’ve been away from Riyadh rules have become more slack, but it was impossible to simply go and visit Riyadh. You needed to have blood relatives living in Riyadh to pull the relevant strings.
When you land at the international airport (the largest in the world, believe it or not) don’t hang about! Get to customs as quickly as you can, because it is possible to be waiting in the queue for upwards of two hours.
The best way to get around is to hire a car. Hiring is cheap, but petrol prices are even cheaper. We could fill up our Discovery for about £20. A word of warning, Saudi road laws are less than impressive. Saudi nationals are able to drive when their father says they are old enough, so don’t be shocked if you see someone who looks like a 10 year old, they probably are 10…
Shopping in Saudi is as good as anywhere in the world. Harvey Nichols has a store, as do countless other internationally known shops. But you can’t visit Riyadh without seeing the souks where you can pick up cheap jewellery! Cheap doesn’t mean low quality though. My mum brought a £1000 diamond ring in Saudi, which was valued at £15000 back in the UK, enough said really!
Rates of crime are low, as you’d expect in a country with capitol punishment. If you so wish, every Friday at the homely-named ‘chop chop square,’ (no, really) you can watch public executions. Don’t ask me what it’s like, I never went…
Females can’t drive, alcohol is illegal everywhere except in the western embassies. Clubs are non-existent although there are some pretty good parties on some of the western compounds.
Sport wise, the Saudi International football stadium is world class and you can get a ticket for about £2 at the gates. The camel-racing stadium is huge, and good entertainment! Some of the American compounds have golf courses, stables, ice rinks and such like. All compounds have squash courts, tennis courts, swimming pools etc.
More details
Sightseeing
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
