Travelling to Saudi Arabia for the first time for leisure

Sarah Pickford on 22 November 2019
Saudia Arabia recently launched much easier access to visit the Kingdom for leisure and business travellers. So like many people I was intrigued to know more about this country and what it would have to offer me in terms of leisure. In November I took the opportunity to visit for an event.

The first step - the visa. Obtaining the visa on line was very quick and easy. The website is very clear, in English and user friendly. It is pretty expensive. But, the visa is valid for 12 months multiple entry. After my experience I will use mine again.

Then what to wear! It's well documented that the rules have relaxed so international, female travellers no longer need to wear an abaya. But just as the rules have changed I was anxious to understand the reality. So I called a number of friends and associates who had been travelling to the country to understand their experience. I was told not to worry. Just wear modest clothing but no need to wear an abaya or headscarf (although they all said they have one with them 'just in case.')

I should say that I was travelling with my husband, not as a solo female. I didn't feel that I was treated differently though due to this. It's really strange looking out of the window when coming in to land. This is clearly the desert! I know living in UAE I am in the desert but this really looked vast and baron. The journey from the airport to the city of Riyadh was similarly just desert. I had taken a jacket to wear on landing in the airport. But my short sleeves didn't even attract a sideways glance from anyone. In fact I felt completely anonymous despite the traffic in the airport being predominantly male.

Immigration was fairly slow. There was no big queue. Just an odd process. It was almost like I never had an e-visa and was doing the whole process all over again. This process was very friendly. Within the immigration area I must had heard 'welcome to Saudia Arabia' at least 5 times by each official I met with what seemed a genuine smile. Photo and fingerprint taken, I was allowed into The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The airport is pretty small and easy to navigate. There is an information desk with a good English speaker and various staff on hand to help confused looking tourists. Since we are used to it in UAE we opted to use Uber and the pick up zone is clearly marked near Careem and the taxis. Uber is more like in Europe and US in terms of the vehicles we found, being a bit hit and miss on the standard. And in the airport journey and others, we did find communication fairly hard as the drivers had very minimal English. They were all very friendly though and keen to help with luggage, so I won't hesitate to use again on the return.

Despite travelling with my husband, he hates hotel check in procedure. So it was me that dealt with all of this formality. As at the airport I didn't feel out of place as a woman, and the check in staff did communicate well and were welcoming. We were at an international big brand hotel. What was interesting though, as we have different names, they were looking for 2 rooms not just one as they assumed we aren't married. So that is worth bearing in mind.

On this occasion I just saw some of Riyadh. Like many parts of the middle east it is interesting to see huge malls with lots of big European and American brands sitting in some very traditional Saudi areas. It's a real blend of character. We visited an event in Al Diriyah a heritage area. What I can say is when Riyadh puts on an event, they really put on an event and we were blown away by the quality, size and scale. With thousands of people in attendance at all times I felt safe and comfortable. Never out of place and never judged for my attire. We saw groups of men and groups of woman alongside mixed groups all there to have fun. And everyone embraced the environment and performances.

Certainly Saudia Arabia from what I have seen so far is very different from what I am used to. But far from uncomfortable and in fact seemingly very open to change and to international visitors. Based on this experience, I will definitely go back.