Riyadh
A desert capital opening up, with an old mud-brick city at its edge.
Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia, a city of wide highways and new towers on a plateau in the centre of the peninsula. Around it are the things that make it worth the journey: the restored mud-brick town of Diriyah where the Saudi state began, the escarpment called the Edge of the World, and a cultural calendar that has grown fast since the country opened to visitors.
Why go
For a first look at a country that was closed to tourism until recently. The National Museum, the Masmak fortress and the old souk tell the story of the kingdom; Diriyah's At-Turaif quarter, rebuilt in its original mud, is where it starts.
And for the desert at the door: the sheer cliffs of the Tuwaiq escarpment an hour out of the city, red dunes for the evening, and the historic oases and rock art of the wider region for those with more days.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01Diriyah and At-Turaif
The birthplace of the first Saudi state, a mud-brick citadel above the Wadi Hanifah, restored with museums, walkways and restaurants along the Bujairi terrace opposite.
02The Kingdom Centre and Al Faisaliah
The two towers that define the skyline, one with a sky bridge across its opening and the other with a sphere at its top, both with viewing levels over the city.
03The National Museum and Masmak
The museum in the King Abdulaziz historical centre covers Arabia from the geology up; the Masmak fortress nearby is where Abdulaziz Al Saud retook Riyadh in 1902, the first step towards the modern kingdom.
04The Edge of the World
The Jebel Fihrayn escarpment north-west of the city, where the plateau ends in cliffs dropping to a plain that runs to the horizon. A guided drive, ideally in the late afternoon.
05The souks
Souq Al Zal beside Masmak for carpets, brass and old daggers, and the Al Dirah souqs for dates, spices and gold. Friday afternoons bring the auctions.
06Riyadh Season and the new districts
A winter programme of concerts, exhibitions and pop-up districts, and the year-round restaurants and galleries of the JAX and Boulevard developments.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Olaya and Al Sulimaniyah
The central business districts around the two great towers, with hotels, malls and restaurants. Well connected by the new metro.
Diplomatic Quarter
Green, planned and quiet, with parks along the wadi and a calmer pace, west of the centre.
Diriyah and the north-west
Near the historic citadel and the road to the escarpment, with newer hotels around Bujairi.
When to go: Riyadh
- WinterNovember – February
- Mild, sunny days and cool nights: the season for the desert, the outdoor festivals and Riyadh Season's events.
- Shoulder monthsMarch, April and October
- Warm and comfortable in the mornings and evenings, with the heat building by April and easing through October.
- SummerMay – September
- Very hot and dry. Life moves indoors and after dark; the museums, malls and restaurants are air-conditioned and open late.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Riyadh. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- RUHKing Khalid International
Distance from
- DXBDubai880 km
- BOMMumbai2,770 km
- CDGParis4,670 km
- LHRLondon4,960 km
- JNBJohannesburg5,990 km
- SINSingapore6,670 km
- JFKNew York10,500 km
- SYDSydney12,780 km
Getting around: Riyadh
The city is built for the car: ride-hailing and taxis are the practical way between districts, and distances are long. The metro, with six lines, now links the airport, the centre and the business districts.
The Edge of the World and the desert need a four-wheel drive and a guide; hotels and local operators arrange them. Diriyah is a short drive from the centre.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Currency
- SAR · Saudi Riyal
- Languages
- Arabic
- Time zone
- Arabian Standard Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +966
The atlas
Riyadh in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Riyadh, month by month
- Jan21°
- Feb24°
- Mar29°
- Apr34°
- May40°
- Jun43°
- Jul44°
- Aug44°
- Sept40°
- Oct35°
- Nov27°
- Dec22°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: November to March.
Mean highs run from 21°C in January to 44°C in July, with about 31 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for RiyadhModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBRiyadh
878 km
1 hr 45 mins · Estimate
From AUHRiyadh
807 km
1 hr 40 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Riyadh
Plan this trip: Riyadh
Open the trip builder with Riyadh already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
