Al Ula
The views as you wind your way up to this gem of a spot offer glimpses of what's to come. At the top, the road plateaus through a windswept, lunar…
Must-see attractions in Northern Saudi Arabia
Northern Saudi Arabia
The melancholy of Al Wajh's beautiful old Hejazi houses, as they stare wistfully out to sea, is apparent in every corner of the town's near-abandoned Al…
Hejaz Railway Station & Tabuk Museum
Tabuk
Tabuk's early-20th-century Hejaz Railway station is one of the best preserved in Saudi Arabia. There are 13 recently refurbished buildings spread over 80…
Tabuk
Dating to 1559, Tabuk Castle is now a museum, with several rooms housing some interesting historical artefacts from the Ottoman period and lots of signage…
Al Ula
There are plans to make this a formal tourist venue in the near future, but for now you can enjoy freely wandering among the beautiful mud ruins where…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Often dubbed the 'second Petra', Madain Saleh, for many, is on a par with – if not more impressive than – its famous cousin across the border in Jordan…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Jebel Al Lawz, rising 2580m above sea level, is one of the only accessible mountains in the Kingdom to experience snowfall in winter. This is what many…
Northern Saudi Arabia
The Haddaj Well is an outstanding example of ancient engineering. It reportedly dates back to the Babylonian presence during the 6th century BC, and at…
Northern Saudi Arabia
A lone rusting locomotive sits in the sun on its side, its funnel pointing downwards. Derailed and useless, this relic really evokes the impact TE…
Northern Saudi Arabia
This is one of the only surviving bridges of the Hejaz Railway left in Saudi Arabia. The beautiful 150m long red-and-grey-brick arches, stretching over a…
Northern Saudi Arabia
The haunting wreck of cargo ship Georgios G – ambitiously dubbed the 'Saudi Titanic' – sits half-submerged, rusting in the sun after becoming stranded on…
Al Buwayr Hejaz Railway Station & Fort
Northern Saudi Arabia
Sitting off the old Medina–Al Ula road is this refurbished black Hejaz Railway locomotive, almost complete with wagons in tow. There's also a crumbling…
Al Ula
The fortress and three peaks of Jebel Khuraibah once formed part of the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lihyan. Rock-cut tombs squat at the foot of the…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Al Sharim Beach feels delightfully remote. The beach is literally the desert arriving at the sea, complete with camels who wander freely in the area. The…
Northern Saudi Arabia
The 6km-long Hawaz Beach is dotted with shelters and barbecue pits, and has crystal-clear water that's ideal for swimming and snorkelling. It's popular…
Tabuk
This little market in the old quarter of Tabuk is where the local Bedouin come to get their black and white goat-hair tent covers and all the mod cons a…
Al Ula
To protect the ancient village, inhabitants in the 6th century used red-sandstone blocks to build this castle on a promontory that gives a 360-degree view…
Tabuk
The Prophet Muhammad prayed here when he arrived with 30,000 men in AD 630 for the Battle of Tabuk against the Byzantines. The battle never took place,…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Arabia's only 'elephant' is a huge red rock three storeys in height. The enormous 'body' connects to a slimmer 'trunk' that bulges in just the right areas…
Northern Saudi Arabia
This is one of the substations located just before the Hejaz Railway terminated at the holy city of Medina. Today this tiny station block and its fort –…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Tucked away in a sandy valley between a series of rocky, black mountains, this Hejaz Railway substation sits abandoned and alone in a barren and desolate…
King Abdul Aziz Heritage Castle
Northern Saudi Arabia
This little fort was built by the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz, early in the 20th century. It's square-shaped, with a central courtyard and a…
Northern Saudi Arabia
Built in 1875 towards the end of the Ottoman period as the headquarters of the municipality, this rectangular fort with its surveillance tower and small…
Tabuk
Although a bit sparse in amenities, Prince Fahd Bin Sultan's Park is a decent spot for families to relax in during the late afternoon and early evening…
Al Ula Antiquities & Heritage Museum
Al Ula
This small museum is attractively designed, with some intriguing and informative displays on the history, culture, flora and fauna of the area, as well as…
Al Ula
A few kilometres north of old Al Ula, Umm Al Daraj (Mother of Steps) is worth a detour. Climbing the hill reveals three red-sandstone religious structures…
Al Ula
This 300m-high mountain east of Al Ula features stone settlements and caves with pre-Islamic inscriptions and drawings, but there was no access to it at…
