Riyadh

Worth seeing in and around Riyadh

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Kingdom Centre

   Kingdom Centre, formerly Kingdom Tower, is a 99-story, 302.3 m skyscraper in the al-Olaya district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When completed in 2002, it overtook the 267-meter Faisaliah Tower as the tallest tower in Saudi Arabia.

   9.7 km · Skyscraper in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Al Faisaliah Centre

   Al-Faisaliah Tower is a 267-metre-high commercial skyscraper and mixed-use complex located in the Al-Olaya district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower is the centerpiece of the Al-Faisaliah Center development.

   7.1 km · skyscraper and shopping complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Masmak Fort

   Al Masmak Palace, also called the Masmak Fortress or Masmak Fort, is a historic clay and mudbrick fort in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in close proximity to the al-Hukm Palace in the Qasr al-Hukm District. Commissioned in 1865 by Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud, it was completed in 1895 following the takeover of the town by the Rashidi dynasty.

   400 m · clay and mud-brick fort in the center of Riyadh · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City

   Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is set to be a venue for the 2034 FIFA World Cup and has a proposed capacity of 46,865 people following refurbishments, where it will host fixtures in the group stage and round of 32.

   4 km · stadium in Riyadh · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Al Oud cemetery

   Al Oud Cemetery is a public cemetery in the al-Owd neighbourhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, known for being the resting place of several members of the Saudi royal family. The word "al-ʿŪud", in Peninsular Arabic means "elder ", likely referring to King Abdulaziz, who was buried in the cemetery.

   1.6 km · cemetery in Saudi Arabia · Wikipedia
6. 06
   King Fahd National Library

   The King Fahad National Library is the legal deposit and copyright library for Saudi Arabia. The project was announced in 1983 in response to an initiative made by the people of Riyadh when King Fahd ascended the throne, and the implementation started in 1986.

   6.8 km · national library located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Wikipedia
7. 07
   Murabba Palace

   Murabba Palace is a historic palace in the al-Murabba neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. One of the first buildings erected outside the walls of the old city, it served as the official workplace and main residence of King Abdulaziz ibn Saud from 1938 until his death in 1953.

   1.6 km · historic building in Riyadh · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Riyadh TV Tower

   The Riyadh TV Tower is a 170-metre-high television tower in the Al-Wisham neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Construction began in 1975 and was completed in 1982.

   2.4 km · tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Wikipedia
9. 09
   Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque

   The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Grand Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Riyadh, is a Sunni Islam Friday mosque in the ad-Dirah neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located adjacent to al-Hukm Palace compound, in Deera Square. It was established in the period c. 1830, during the reign of Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud.

   700 m · Mosque in Riyadh · Wikipedia
10. 10
    King Khalid Grand Mosque

    The King Khalid Grand Mosque is a Sunni Islam Friday mosque and an active place of worship in the Umm al-Hammam al-Gharbi neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Built in 1987 and opened in 1988, it incorporates some elements of Turkish architecture and is one of the most prominent landmarks of Riyadh.

    9.9 km · mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

Sightseeing in Riyadh requires a lot of transportation across long distances, and it can be unbearably hot to visit outside locations during the daytime. However, most sites stay open late at night and are often lit to be enjoyed mainly at night. Diriyah. Riyadh's top sight is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah, the ancestral home of the Saudi royal family, which has been renovated to an inch of its life.

1. 01
   Masmak Fortress

   The heart of old Riyadh, this was the fortress stormed by King Abdul Aziz and his men in their daring reconquest of Riyadh in 1902.

2. 02
   Murabba Palace
3. 03
   National Museum

   Sat Mon Wed Thu 8AM-8PM Fri 4PM-8PM Sun 8AM-2PM.

4. 04
   As-Sufaat

   Next to the Great Mosque and the mutawwa headquarters, this nondescript expanse of cement is known by expats as Chop-Chop Square as convicts are publicly beheaded with a scimitar here.

5. 05
   Kingdom Centre

   Undoubtedly Riyadh's most stunning piece of modern architecture, at 305 m the Kingdom Centre is the second tallest building in Saudi Arabia and quite a sight, especially when lit up at night.

From Wikivoyage: Riyadh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

West of Riyadh lies the edge of the Tuwaig Escarpment, also known as The Edge of the World. This is the main attraction around Riyadh, and should not be missed if you have the time for a half-day trip out of the city. The ideal way to visit the Edge is with a tour operator that takes you out to the Edge for the sunset. Often you will also get semi-traditional Saudi cooking served Arab picnic-style by the Edge.

1. 01
   Dirab Golf & Country Club

   Nice layout with green and inviting grass, and the last 9 holes are even floodlit.

2. 02
   King Fadh Sports City

   This stadium has closed for reconstruction.

3. 03
   KSU Stadium

   Opened in 2015, this is the home ground of Al Nassr FC, who play soccer in Pro League the top tier.

4. 04
   Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sport City

   With a capacity of 22,500, this is the home ground of Al Hilal and Al Shabab, who both play soccer in Pro League.

From Wikivoyage: Riyadh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Eating out is one of the few pleasures of Riyadh — there's a pretty good selection of restaurants for various cuisines, ranging from cheap and hearty to fancy and expensive. Your best bet for cheap, filling meals are Riyadh's countless small Pakistani/Indian restaurants, which can fill you up with curry and rice for about SR11.

1. 01
   Paragon Family Restaurant
2. 02
   Al Shaya Persian Restaurant

   A chain of Iranian restaurants available at several locations in the city.

3. 03
   Goodah Soos Restaurant

   2861 Abu Bakr Alrazi St.

4. 04
   Tasters House Pinoy Restaurant

   Abu Bakr Alrazi St.

5. 05
   Lapaz Batchoy - Sulaymaniyah Br

   Near Prince Sultan، Military Medical City Center.

From Wikivoyage: Riyadh, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Riyadh

Airports

King Khalid (RUH), 36 km · Al-Ahsa (HOF), 288 km

Stations

Riyadh Air Base, 8.5 km · Riyadh railway station, 3.1 km

• Hofuf → Riyadh

  303 km · quickest by road, 4h 59m · SAR90–125
  GuideToday
• Qassim → Riyadh

  Train, bus, flight, ferry and road, side by side
  GuideToday
• Ad Dammam → Riyadh

  391 km · quickest by road, 4h 56m · SAR110–145
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Riyadh

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Riyadh. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Riyadh – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.