The Red Sea Gateway with a Merchant's Soul
Jeddah is a port city on the Red Sea coast of western Saudi Arabia, known for its historic old quarter, its waterfront Corniche and its role as the traditional gateway for pilgrims travelling to Mecca. For centuries it has been a trading hub, and that cosmopolitan history still shapes the city's food, architecture and welcome. Today it is the kingdom's most relaxed big city, with a sea breeze, open waterfront and a creative, outward-looking culture that makes it a natural starting point for any Saudi itinerary.
The jewel is Al-Balad, the historic quarter, inscribed by UNESCO as Historic Jeddah in 2014. Its tall merchant houses, built of coral stone and fitted with carved wooden balconies called roshan, line narrow lanes and old souks. Nassif House, the former home of a prominent merchant family, is among the best-known buildings, and restoration work has brought galleries, cafes and craft studios into the quarter. For a visitor who wants a sense of old Arabia by the sea, nothing in Saudi Arabia is quite like it.
Corniche, Fountain and Seafood on the Sea
The Jeddah Corniche runs for many kilometres along the shore, with promenades, public sculpture, cafes and beach clubs, and it comes alive in the evening. King Fahd's Fountain, among the tallest in the world, shoots a jet of seawater high above the Red Sea, and the floating mosque of Al-Rahma, also called the Floating Mosque, is one of the city's most photographed landmarks, appearing to sit on the water at high tide.
Food is a major draw. Seafood restaurants grill fresh Red Sea fish and prawns over charcoal, while Hejazi specialities such as mutabbaq, a stuffed folded pancake, and sayadiyah, fish with spiced rice, are local classics. The Jeddah Art Promenade and contemporary galleries show a growing creative scene, and the city's diving and snorkelling clubs open up the reefs offshore. A hotel group can combine the old town, waterfront and reef in one stay, and the Red Sea guide shows how far the coast extends.
Read the full Jeddah guide on Visit Travel Group, or see VisitJeddah.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.