Hi All,

New poster here looking for some info on Riyadh.

I am a 30 year old male and work in construction. I am coming over next Saturday for 4 weeks to work on the Riyadh Metro. I am travelling alone and my company has put me up in what looks a nice hotel on King Abdullah Road.

During the day I will be based in the offices, but at night it will be just me and I was wondering what sort of things can I do safely?

· Is it OK to walk around the city and visit places such as the Kingdom Tower, restaurants, shopping malls, etc? Or shall I get a taxi everywhere (Taxi's cheap?)


· Am I allowed to wear shorts & t shirt (I have a religious cross tattoo on my lower arm)?


· I will have a company credit card for food so I am not bothered about prices of eating out, but is it cheap to shop for designer goods, aftershaves, watches, gifts to take home, etc?


· Can I stream English TV through the wifi?


· I take it sunbathing is a no no on my days off?


· Are the locals welcoming to English people?


· Is English spoken?

And any other information you may think I will need, or any tips.

Many thanks in advance
Chris.

1) Walking around is fine but things are spread out so expect to be using taxis.Taxis are fairly cheap and reliable. Go for Pakistani drivers over Saudi as they are more likely to speak English and put the meter on.
2)Shorts are fine below the knee, I would invest in some long sleeved shirts to cover that tattoo just to avoid attention.
3)Shopping is cheap IMO. Don't know about designer goods though as I'm a tightass.
4)You can but depends on the strength of the WiFi.
5) Sunbathing is fine by the pool, expect to be the only one doing it though.
6)I find Saudis quite friendly.
7)English is widely spoken to varying degrees.

Taxis between locations. Bring factor 50 and a light sunhat or buy an Adidas climalite baseball cap. Drink water, check water for sodium content (Arwa is 3mg, aquafina is 16 and poisonous, some reach 23)

Doubt you'll be buying anything to go home with. Thin go cost the same or more here in most cases. Gold products can be attractive but careful of the carats. More likely stories of the real Riyadh to show contrast with Western media.

Eat out at good places. Anything below that is a H&S risk. I tend to find the Bangladeshi type canteens (curry and bread) are reasonably safe.

Don't show any religious icons from any other religion than Islam. Don't swear, stick fingers at people. Don't tell people your life story, don't trust anyone (meaning expats here really) Saudi's are generally fine though, be friendly with them and you'll have happy times.

Dates make a good present, get some chocolate covered ones in a box with a camel on it and it looks quite exotic. Also, try the Souk near Chop-Chop Square for some other stuff like rugs, knick-knacks etc. Friend of mine got a lovely, folding, patterned chess board with backgammon board inside.

· Is it OK to walk around the city? Yeah, for about 4 months of the year! Not now unless you like heat exhaustion.
· Am I allowed to wear shorts & t shirt (I have a religious cross tattoo on my lower arm)? Cover your tattoo - they're a 'no no' and so are crosses! Double Jeopardy.
· I will have a company credit card for food so I am not bothered about prices of eating out, but is it cheap to shop for designer goods? IMO the shopping here's crap.
· Can I stream English TV through the wifi? Only if it's fast enough - sport isn't blocked.
· I take it sunbathing is a no no on my days off? It's not the Costa del Sol, here. More like Death Valley!
· Are the locals welcoming to English people? Just like anywhere you get good'uns and bad'uns.
· Is English spoken? Yes, badly.

In four weeks you can do a 'tour' of the malls and Kingdom Tower. Get taxis between them and always insist on the meter being used. Be prepared for pretty bad driving - not from the taxi drivers, they're usually pretty skilled (they have to be on Riyadh's roads).

"I am a 30 year old male and work in construction. I am coming over next Saturday for 4 weeks to work on the Riyadh Metro. I am travelling alone and my company has put me up in what looks a nice hotel on King Abdullah Road."

This has all the hallmarks of a five year secondment to Saudi...

Don't know about designer gear but the sales here are excellent. 50% off everything really does mean that. Clothes are quite good quality. We must shop in different stores.

Is it OK to walk around the city? Yeah, no problems at all
· Am I allowed to wear shorts & t shirt (I have a religious cross tattoo on my lower arm) depends what you mean in shorts...... i wear knee lenght shorts all the time with no issues and i also have two tattoos on my lower legs which no one has ever said anything, but i think the cross my be going a bit to far so id cover that.
· I will have a company credit card for food so I am not bothered about prices of eating out, but is it cheap to shop for designer goods? depends where you go and a lot of place don't take cards so always have some cash in your pockets
· Can I stream English TV through the wifi? yeah i use filmon.tv and its always worked ok for me
· I take it sunbathing is a no no on my days off? I thought you were here to work haha
· Are the locals welcoming to English people? Just like anywhere you get good'uns and bad'uns.
· Is English spoken? Yes, badly.

taxi drivers are mental they really are... in all honesty youll either enjoy you visit here or hate it.... eith way drop me a line if you wanna coffee haha im a english guy in riyadh also on me todd.

Taxis are OK (bargain with them; don't pay on the meter as its much more expensive that way). Airport to centre of Riyadh is about 60-70 SAR if you bargain well or 100 SAR if you can't be bothered with the hassle.

Outside of the airport taxis are extremely cheap, you can agree a price like 10 SAR for medium journeys (15 mins or so) or 20 SAR for long (30 mins+) journeys.

But I would still rent a car. You can pay 2,000 SAR a month at the airport for a Nissan Sunny or Hyundai Accent from Best Rent a car or 2,500 a month for one of the international firms like Budget or Avis. Much nicer to have freedom to go where you want and less hassle (once you get the hang of the roads which takes a while as they really are crazy here!!!)

Make sure to bring an international driving license and always carry your UK license also. You will almost certainly have a minor crash at some point if driving yourself and these documents are essential to avoid arrest. If you're getting an iqama then it's safer to get a full Saudi license before you drive.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Well I have been here for 11 days now and it has been OK. I haven't done much as it has mainly been 8am till 6pm in the office working.

I have been to the Kingdom Tower and went to the top for the view. I would like to do more though before I go home in 2 and a bit weeks. I have heard about the souqs (markets) to get a few bargains, so does anyone have any suggestions for me please, good ones with their address?

I am based in a hotel on the junction of Olaya Street and King Abdullah Road, so anywhere easy to get to would be great.

Cheers.

Well batha is the place to go if you bargains and that but mind there is a lot of tosh too.... And never pay the 1st price ....a good old barter can make a diffrence and its fun too....

Word of warning tho it's quiet intimidating for westerners well I find it that way but I'm sure you'll have a good day out haha...

Giz a shout if you want some company it would be nice to speak to a westerner for a change

Since you are new to KSA, I would strongly recommend that you have a friend to accompany you before venturing out alone, someone who could show you the ropes.

I haven't had the privilege to visit KSA, but as in all places in the Middle East, it is best to do it that way, it is safe and you save a lot of time trying to figure out things on your own, plus you avoid the possibility of a blunder which could be messy.