24 Hours In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

One of the fastest growing cities in the world, Riyadh, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia and mostly considered a destination for business tourists or passengers taking a connecting flight or a stopover. But Riyadh, a conservative city with a fascinating history and culture, attracts many tourists from around the world. Although a mere 24 hours might not be enough to fully explore this intriguing city but it is enough to experience few of its many charms. Here is a list of few things you could do in Riyadh, in 24 hours.

Kingdom Tower

For a fantastic panoramic view of the city, a visit to the Sky Bridge at the Kingdom Centre is a must. The Kingdom Centre, also called the Al Mamlaka Tower is a skyscraper which has well and truly transformed Riyadh’s skyline. Try and visit the place just before dusk and enjoy the breathtaking view at sunset. The Kingdom Centre also houses a shopping mall, luxurious residential apartments and a number of fine restaurants.

Masmak Fortress

Masmak Fortress is a mud-brick fort located in the old quarters of Riyadh and is a highly significant part of the kingdom’s history. The palace gate, also known as the palm tree gate, is made of palm and tamarisk trunks with an opening at the center called the skylight. Each of the four corners of the Al Masmak Castle has a cylindrical watch tower and a square watch tower at the centre which overlooks the palace through the upper gallery. Traditional costumes and handicrafts are also displayed in the fort for visitors to see. A visit to the Masmak Fort is definitely worth it and gives a glimpse into the fascinating history of the kingdom.

National Museum

One of the best museums in the middle-east, the National Museum is a definite must-visit when in Riyadh. The museum showcases religious, geological, archaeological and architectural exhibits and gives an insight into the heritage and culture of the city. There are eight main galleries in the museum depicting different ages like the pre-historic era, the arrival of Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic civilization.

Shopping

From plush shopping malls to quaint souks, Riyadh is a shopper’s paradise with a number of options to suit all types of tastes and budgets. If shopping is all that’s on your mind, check in to a hotel close to one of the main shopping districts. Al Faisaliah, Al Mamlaka and Sahara Mall are some of the swankiest malls of Riyadh. Souk al-Thumairi in Riyadh’s old quarter is a must-visit and you can shop for all kinds of traditional goods like carpets, coffee pots, daggers, jewelry, and more. Don’t forget to haggle while you shop here!

Eating Out

There are a number of restaurants to choose from, both cheap and fancy. Head to the Najd Village for traditional Arabic cuisine and try out dishes like lamb and chicken kabsa, moqalqal, goursan and marqooq. Mataziz, which is boneless lamb cooked with vegetables and small round bread is a must-have. There are also a number of Indian restaurants in the city and fast food chains in the shopping malls if you are not in the mood to experiment.

Entertainment

There are several theme parks in Riyadh offering a range of activities and entertainment options. The Al-Thumama Entertainment Village offers a number of activities like bumping cars, bikes and electronic games. The Al-Hokair Land Theme Park and the Al-Hamrah Entertainment Village are also worth a visit.

Tania Seth

Comments

Tanay Srivastava | on 13 February 2012

I have a very sad experience from make my trip.. they shud better change there name to spoil my trip...... my incidence is i booked a cab for 1000 km and a pik up was arranged from my place at 2 pm 4th januray ...the car was tata-indiago also in a poor condition where they have charged 10 rs per km 10*1000= 10000/+ 3210 /- TAXES AND ALL STUFF Which i paid online to a guy Vicky Chaudhry(toll free no.180010225509 , i told the driver to take a route via hathras -aligarh to delhi and then to moradabad as i had booked the cab for 4 days , now when i reached hathras i met my old pals in the way towards delhi we had some light drinks with permission from driver some pandit ji , as a matter of humanit i also gave this guy a ver good dinner " desi ghee key paranthey " famous from pandit ji's kitchen ... and after that told him to move towards delhi now the comes the real true story of "spoil my trip " freinds i was taking rest on back seat and was wishing to reach delhi by early morning as i had some urgent commitments , at a around 2 .00 am early morning this guy driver name Vimal Sharma told me to vacate the cab " sahab gadee aagey nayee jayegee aap apna saaman uthar ley " i asked yeh jagah kaun see hai .. and he told me it was agra . i told him god hell u took a u- turn back to agra .. he put all my baggage in hotel zee in agra and said kee sir aap helpline sey baat karoy woh dusree gadee behejengey ...now from 2 ap to 2 pm i kept on talking to these guys but they were unable to make any cab available then again i arranged a local indica as i had to go urgent in a meeting to moradabad... till date the funds are not been transffered back into my account and today the guy who took online payment is saying 6000/ are been deducted and rest wud be refunded in next 48 hrs .. I want to ask "spoil my trip" people for 12 hrs and 100 km they are charging 6000/- and wht abt mental harasment of spoiling my trip... i am taking this matter to cyber crime & fraud against make my trip... i want my entire amount back in my a/c with relevant interest from 4 ajnuray till date ... this comes to around 17700/- ..Good luck to "Spoil my trip"