Khobar

Khobar is where the Eastern Province goes in the evening. Of the three cities that run together along this coast, it is the one with the waterfront, the restaurants and the only real walking to be done, and it is where most visitors end up staying whatever brought them.

Why here rather than Dammam

Two reasons. The corniche, which is long, well kept and actually used, and the food, which is the best in the region by a clear margin. If your business is in Dammam or Dhahran, you are twenty minutes away and you will have a better evening here.

The exception is if your meetings start early at the port or at Aramco, in which case sleep nearer them and drive over for dinner.

How long

Most visits are work with a day attached. If you are giving it a weekend, two nights is right: an evening on the corniche, a full day at Ithra, and a morning at Half Moon Bay or across on the causeway.

What to do

• The corniche at sunset, and dinner on it afterwards. This is the thing.
• Ithra, in neighbouring Dhahran, which is a proper museum and cultural centre rather than a diversion.
• Half Moon Bay, a sheltered curve of beach south of the city.
• Tarout Island and Qatif to the north, where the region's much older history is.

The causeway

The King Fahd Causeway starts here and runs about 25 km across to Al Jasra in Bahrain. Plenty of people cross for a weekend.

Two practical warnings. Queues at the border posts vary from twenty minutes to hours, and they are worst on Thursday evening and Friday. And your visa position matters for both countries — check it before you drive, not at the barrier. See our land border crossing guide.

When to come

November to March, comfortably. The Gulf humidity makes summer evenings on the corniche sticky rather than pleasant, and daytime outdoors is out of the question from June to September.

Spring can bring shamal dust. It passes, but it can flatten a day.

Getting there and around

King Fahd International is the airport, and it is a long way out. Build in more time than you think, particularly for a morning departure.

You need a car. Nothing between the three cities is walkable and there is no metro. We quote the Eastern Province on request rather than from our fixed card, so send us your dates and pick-up point and we will come back with a fixed fare. Teams staying several days are usually better off with a corporate account than booking ride by ride.

Worth knowing

• The region is open to visitors of any faith.
• The working week is Sunday to Thursday, and Thursday evening is the busiest of the week on the corniche and the causeway alike.
• Restaurant bookings are worth making at weekends.
• Distances look shorter on a map than they drive.

Where it fits

As a business base with a good evening attached, or as the Saudi end of a Bahrain weekend. The Eastern Province guide covers Ithra, Tarout and the wider region in depth.