Where to stay in Jeddah

See

Jeddah's top sight is al-Balad, or the old town, which is a. The city wall has long since been torn down, but the old gates still mark where it once stood. Within you'll find a warren of ancient buildings and traditional souqs (markets), and the teetering, multi-story coral houses that Jeddah is famous for. Unfortunately, coral is not a very durable building material, and most of the buildings are in disrepair. As part of Vision 2030, significant investment is being put into rebuilding old Jeddah and you can see building everywhere, as of January 2026. Spend hours wandering around the old city and get lost in the seemingly endless souks.

• Souq al-Alawi
• Naseef House
• Jeddah Regional Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography
• Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum
• House of Islamic Arts
• teamLab Borderless Jeddah
• King Fahd's Fountain
• Asfan Castle
• Jaffali Mosque

Do

• Grand Prix
• King Abdullah Sports City
• Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City
• Al-Shalal Theme Park
• La Plage beach club

Eat

Jeddah is full of restaurants with almost every cuisine imaginable and eating out is part of the city's culture. Some of the restaurants have separate sections for single men and for families. Dating is theoretically forbidden but widely practiced, and most restaurants will allow a couple into the family section without question. All businesses close for prayer for about half an hour at noon and at sunset. They close again an hour after sunset for about 45 minutes. If you like to eat early, you can often stay in a restaurant during prayer time. Saudis tend to eat late, well after the evening prayer.

Drink

Like all Saudi Arabian cities, you aren't going to find much nightlife revolving around alcohol in Jeddah, as the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol are illegal throughout the kingdom. What you should be able to find are shisha cafes and a large variety of coffee shops such as: Barncafe, Javana Lounge, Starbucks and Costa Coffee. Non-alcoholic beer is available in restaurants as are non-alcoholic cocktails and other drinks. Alcoholic drinks are usually served in private compounds and beaches for Westerners, where Saudis are usually not allowed in.

Stay safe

While Jeddah is not as conservative as Riyadh, it is recommended that you follow the various safety tips in Saudi Arabia article to stay out of trouble. Perhaps the biggest danger you'll face is the extreme, scorching heat. Temperatures can reach as high as 52°C in the summers. Be sure to hydrate often and wear appropriate clothing to deal with the heat. Floods are not unusual in Jeddah, and they can be both violent and destructive, mainly because the city lacks the necessary infrastructure to protect itself against floods. Refer to the various tips in the Flash floods article if the city experiences flooding.