Ok.. I'm paraphrasing the great Ian Brown there & he was on about Manchester, not Riyadh. But I did find myself saying that to a friend back in Qatar after my latest trip to the Saudi capital.
Riyadh is the one city that constantly surprises & changes every time you visit. So for this trip I thought it was only right to get out there to document & share some of the good stuff.
Enjoy!
Don't expect to see any beach photos though...
History, Life, Art.
One thing that hits you on arrival in Riyadh is the life, people everywhere & a real sense of excitement & opportunity. The past 2 visits I have had time to really explore the city from exploring Diriyah & witnessing the surreal madness of the Fury v Usyk fight to an impromptu walking tour of the city with my Riyadh partner in crime Shaima.
Over the weekend I had a very bougie (not boozy, you are still in KSA) brunch & the best Mexican food in the Diplomatic Quarter, passed the time people watching over a red tea at Justice Square (google it), experienced a crazy pop up market near the Souq and visited some amazingly creative bustling spaces from the National Gallery Park to live sculptures at Tuwaiq.
The thing I love most about Riyadh is there are people everywhere, in the cafes, strolling the city, filling art galleries, events & brilliantly having picnics in any available space, Saudis would totally understand the extreme picnicking that gen X kids were subjected to on family holidays.
A few practical notes,
The city itself is massive. You need to pick a spot & commit to that area for a while then jump in an uber or on the shiny new metro to your next destination, be prepared to embrace the traffic & be squished on the metro. Also you will need to visit a few times to see even half of what you want to, which is great because the visa is 12 month multi entry so you can come & go loads!
Saudi is open & really welcoming to visitors, just consider it's changing RAPIDLY & while you don't have to cover your hair or wear an abaya it's worth considering where you plan to visit in the city & pack accordingly. I usually take an abaya instead of a coat, because i have a really cool green one & also then if I do wander off into an older neighbourhood or want to pop in somewhere where it's respectful to dress conservative then it's all good.
If you like a chill by the pool or sweat in the gym it's worth checking with your hotel what the schedule is for use, generally the 5 star hotel will have a more open timetable for gender mixed & segregated facilities where the lower star/business hotels tend to be quite restrictive, I do love a swim & a sweat especially when on a work trip but I have stayed in a number of business hotels they make up for the restrictions by always have a cracking breakfast!
That's enough chat, check out the gallery below & links so you can plan your Riyadh Adventure.
Yalla!
