Limited time in Riyadh; advice?
 

I have been invited to a meeting in Riyadh next month and will have a very limited amount of free time (perhaps 4 hours or so on a Monday afternoon/early evening) after getting to the hotel. Having not experienced the Middle East culture before, it seems like too good an oportunity to pass up to get out and explore a little bit.

I hoped to wander the half a mile or so up to the Kingdom Tower and visit the Observation Deck, then grab a taxi up to the Masmak fortress which as far as I can tell, is open for male visitors from 4-9pm, then grab a taxi back tot he hotel before dinner.

Anyone know if this seems a reasonable plan, or have any advice to offer?

Other than wearing long sleeves/trousers and not photographing much other than buildings, are there any other cultural issues I should be aware of, so as not to cause any insult or upset?

Thx in advance

That seems like a good plan. The main streets between the Kingdom Tower and the Faisal Tower are the best places to experience Riyadh in such limited time.

The main cultural experience to be aware of is prayer time. It occurs five times per day, including dusk, and is signified by imams singing the call to prayer over loudspeakers from mosques. A Westerner shouldn't be out in public during that time. The response will range from dirty looks to getting shoo-ed by the religious police. Just keep a low profile -- leave a retail establishment if you're in one and camp out somewhere nondescript. (I was in the mall in the Kingdom Tower once, and just sat on some chairs in the corner outside of Starbucks.) Most restaurants don't open until after the evening prayer, but one good option is to be seated before then, and then when the time comes they just close the doors to the restaurant and you can continue.

Not a huge deal, just something to be aware of, and an interesting cultural experience for the visitor.

To be (rather brutally) honest.. When I go to Riyadh all I do is work/eat/sleep and forget about doing anything else. You'll have plenty of time waiting in line at the airport to experience being in KSA.

Be careful walking more than a block.. it is not a common habit in central Riyadh, and crossing the main roads is not an easy task. Going up either of the two towers is interesting I suppose, but frankly, there's not much to actually look at.

Anyhow, enjoy your trip, and do let us know how it went, and what you thought of it all.

There is this place called waterfalls (it’s the translation into English from Arabic) It's outside Riyadh a bit, not far....outdoors, they sell sheesha and have a very good Lebanese restaurant attached. Have your sponsor or a local contact take you. It's excellent at night.

Regards,


Billman

Well, I'm back from Saudi and as requested, I thought I''d post my thoughts for the benefit of anyone else searching the forums, and say thanks to all who replied.

Taking things in order:

Airport: Sailed through security both getting in and getting out; the terminal was almost empty both times, so good first impression.

Riyadh: my sponsors were very keen to take the group I was with out and about, so we saw many of the "tourist" bits, e.g. the Al Masmak fortress, Historical Centre, the old Souk etc. All very interesting and educational, especially for a first-time visitor to the Middle East. We visited teh Kinddom Tower and the Al Faisaliah towers at night and the Al Fasailiah Tower again during the day. Stunning viewpoint, but I can see the point made about there not being a great deal to see. Definitley a worthwhile experience though. Tried walking between the two towers one afternoon (estimated it was about 0.5 mile, but actually nearer two); decided a taxi would have been a better bet, given the heat, the "interesting" nature of the driving at intersections and the distance between the two. Ran out of time, so exploring the Kingdom Tower will have to wait for another time....

Food: Had dinner both at the Globe and the restauraunt up the Kingdom Tower. Both very pleasant.

Culture: Though I thought I was going open-minded and culturally aware, the degree of gender segregation still took me a little aback. However, I was impressed by the warmth of welcome, the openness and generosity of everyone I met was a pleasant contrast to the increasingly cynical western outlook on things. Given the legal system in KSA. I exepcted to feel pretty safe wandering around and this was certainly the case.

Any comments about the hotel you stayed at?

I had a relaxing round of golf at the IC Riyadh recently. Not quite ME culture, but still fun. :D

Not really over-qualified to give a fair comparison, as our usual travel policy stipulates 3 stars, so I don't really have any other 5-star hotels to make a fair comparison to the Al Faisalaih.

However, it was certialny very pleasant; room was bigger the the upper floor of my house, marble bathroom with large bath and big walk-in shower, big TV/entertainmetn centre, 24 hour butler service on call, pleasant breakfast, all the facilities you'd expect and very courteous, helpful staff.

Certianly be happy to stay there again.....