Jeddah

Most people meet Jeddah as an airport. They land, they get in a car, and ninety minutes later they are in Makkah. That is a shame, because Jeddah is the most relaxed city in the Kingdom and it is open to everyone, which almost nothing else on the pilgrimage route is.

How long to give it

One evening is the minimum that is worth anything, and it should be spent in Al-Balad. A full day lets you add the Corniche and a museum. Two days is generous and still easy to fill, particularly with children or a boat trip.

Pilgrims often bolt a Jeddah night onto the end of a trip rather than the start, when the rites are done and nobody minds a late evening.

The city for a mixed group

This is the practical reason Jeddah matters. Makkah and Madinah are closed to non-Muslims. Jeddah is not. If part of your family cannot travel to the holy cities, this is where they can be, and it is genuinely a good place to be rather than a waiting room.

What is actually here

• Al-Balad, the UNESCO-listed old town of coral-stone houses and wooden lattice balconies. Go at dusk, not at noon.
• The Corniche, thirty-odd kilometres of waterfront with an open-air sculpture collection most visitors never realise is there.
• The Red Sea itself — snorkelling at Obhur or diving, both from marinas half an hour north.
• Indoor options for the heat: the aquarium for children and Tayebat for anyone interested in how the Hijaz used to build.

The humidity is the planning constraint

Jeddah is on the coast and humid all year. Not hot in the dry inland way; sticky. It changes what a day can hold. Plan indoor things for the middle of the day and outdoor things after four, and you will enjoy it. Do it the other way round and you will remember the sweat rather than the city.

December to March is the pleasant window. June to September is hard work outdoors at any hour.

Getting here, and onward

King Abdulaziz International is the main gateway for Umrah and the busiest airport in the country. The Hajj Terminal and the main terminal are a long way apart, so check which one your flight uses.

Onward to Makkah takes about ninety minutes by road and the fares by vehicle size are on the Jeddah Airport to Makkah page. The Haramain train also runs from a station near the airport, which is quicker but leaves you to sort out both ends.

Within Jeddah, the distances are longer than they look on a map and the Corniche is not walkable end to end. A car by the hour makes more sense here than in most Saudi cities.

Worth knowing

• Al-Balad is being restored, so expect scaffolding and the odd closed lane. Enough is open to fill an evening.
• Cars cannot enter most of the old town. You get dropped at the edge and walk in, so agree a pick-up point.
• King Fahd's Fountain does not run continuously. Ask before building an evening around it.
• Friday mornings are quiet almost everywhere. Plan around Jumu'ah.

Where it fits

Jeddah is the front door to the Hijaz. In, one night, then Makkah. Or the reverse at the end of a trip, which is the version we would recommend. Our Jeddah city guide has the detail on each of the sights.