A Kingdom of Deserts, Coasts and Heritage
Saudi Arabia is a country occupying most of the Arabian Peninsula, known for its desert landscapes, Red Sea coastline, the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and a fast-growing tourism offer. Riyadh is the capital, and the country stretches from the Red Sea in the west to the Arabian Gulf in the east. Its scale is the first thing that strikes visitors: mountains, lava fields, dunes, oases and island archipelagos all sit within a single kingdom, and each region carries its own architecture, food and character.
Heritage is a major strand. Diriyah, near Riyadh, holds the mud-brick quarter of At-Turaif, inscribed by UNESCO in 2010 and associated with the founding of the first Saudi state, while Hegra at AlUla became the country's first UNESCO site in 2008. Historic Jeddah, the old coastal quarter known as Al-Balad, was added in 2014. Across these places, visitors find a country that is proud of its past and increasingly open to sharing it, a story that suits tourist boards and cultural partners alike.
AlUla, the Red Sea and Riyadh
AlUla is the best-known heritage region, a valley of sandstone cliffs, desert canyons and Nabataean rock tombs, with a growing programme of concerts, arts and desert festivals. On the west coast, the Red Sea offers some of the clearest water and healthiest coral in the region, and new island developments bring resort stays to this shoreline. See the dedicated guides to AlUla, Jeddah and the Red Sea for the detail behind each of these regions.
Riyadh gives the contemporary counterpoint, with museums, restaurants and entertainment districts growing around the capital, while the Asir mountains in the south-west offer cooler air, terraced villages and greener hills. The Edge of the World cliffs near Riyadh are a popular desert excursion. Nearby, the Gulf neighbours of Qatar and the Dubai emirate make natural companions for a wider Arabian journey, with short regional flights linking each of them.
Read the full Saudi Arabia guide on Visit Travel Group, or see SaudiHolidays.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.