Saudi Arabia has been progressively relaxing its entry and exit regulations
to make the country more accessible to visitors and tourists, though freedom
to travel is not yet universal.
Religious tourism, particularly the Hajj pilgrimage and Umrah devotions, is
the biggest attraction for Muslims. The number of pilgrims each year is controlled
by the Saudi Government, mainly for safely reasons but also to ensure that
all pilgrims have the opportunity to make their devotions.
The capital of the Kingdom, Riyadh, is a spectacular modern city built on
the original old settlement of the Wahhabi tribe. 'Old Riyadh' has been preserved
as a special district characterised by narrow streets of clay-brick houses.
The city, when it was a walled fortress, was re-captured by Abdul Aziz ibn
Saud in 1902 and became his operational capital when he was named King in 1932.
Jeddah is the major commercial port serving the Western Region of the Kingdom
and providing the main gateway to the Holy Cities of Makkah and Al-Madinah.
The Red Sea coast offers many leisure attractions including diving holidays
and other watersports. South of Jeddah are the Taif mountains, a popular resort
area.
Dammam on the East coast is the 'oil capital' of the Kingdom, headquarters
of Saudi Aramco and very much of an American oil town in character. It is linked
to Riyadh by rail and to the nearby island of Bahrain by the King Fahad Causeway.
Infants are not provided with a seat. If your baby is more than 6 months old, you may book a seat for him/her listing him/her as a “child”. More information is available at carriage of infants.
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