Jeddah in 6 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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Before you book: Saudi Arabia is under a US State Department Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” advisory tied to the regional conflict involving Iran that began in February 2026, plus a separate Houthi front from Yemen that resumed in July. Jeddah itself has not been struck, but UK authorities name its airport and port among possible targets “at short notice” if things escalate. Check travel.state.gov or gov.uk before booking, and again before you fly.
Six days is enough time to do Jeddah properly and still fly onward for a couple of nights in Al-Ula, genuinely one of Saudi Arabia’s best sights and not reachable as a day trip. Here’s the full plan with real budget ranges.
Book these before you go
- eVisa: apply online, roughly SAR 480-535 (about $130-145), before you fly.
- A Jeddah hotel: search options on Booking.com (check the current official travel advisory before booking).
- A Taif day trip: browse tours on Viator (check the current official travel advisory before booking).
- Your Jeddah-Al-Ula flight: only a handful run each week, so book this leg early rather than assuming daily availability.
Day 1: Al-Balad and the Corniche
Morning: Al-Balad, the UNESCO old town (inscribed 2014), the coral-stone tower houses, the Bab Makkah gate, Souq Al-Alawi, and Naseef House (free, limited hours, call ahead).
Lunch: Budget SAR 30-50 for mutabbaq.
Evening: The Corniche at sunset, King Fahd’s Fountain (free), the Al-Rahma Floating Mosque exterior (free), and the open-air sculpture walk. Dinner budget SAR 80-130 per person.
Day 1 rough cost: SAR 0-50 in entry fees, SAR 110-180 in food.
Day 2: The Red Sea and a museum
Morning: A half-day snorkel or dive boat trip from Sharm Obhur, budget roughly SAR 200-400 (about $55-110).
Afternoon: The Tayebat Museum, officially the Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum, closed Fridays, verify hours before you go.
Evening: Red Sea Mall or Mall of Arabia (free), dinner budget SAR 80-150 per person.
Day 2 rough cost: SAR 200-400 for the boat trip, SAR 120-210 in food.
Day 3: Taif, up in the mountains
A full day trip to Taif, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours up the escarpment, with rose farms, a cable car, Shubra Palace, and its own souq. Book a private driver or group tour, prices vary by operator.
Day 3 rough cost: varies by tour operator, plus SAR 60-100 for meals in Taif.
Day 4: North Obhur and the arts scene
Morning: North Obhur’s public beach (free entry, chair rental around SAR 10), roughly 30km north, or a paid private beach club further along the same stretch if you’d rather have loungers and food service.
Afternoon: Hayy Jameel and the flagship Athr Gallery, Jeddah’s contemporary arts scene.
Evening: The Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina boardwalk, free to wander, dinner budget SAR 80-130 per person.
Day 4 rough cost: SAR 10-80 for beach access, SAR 100-160 in food.
Day 5: Fly to Al-Ula
Fly from Jeddah (JED) to Al-Ula, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes, only a few flights run each week so this is the leg you book earliest, not the day you improvise. Check in and spend the afternoon at Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nabataean rock-cut tombs often compared to Jordan’s Petra.
Day 6: Al-Ula and departure
A last morning exploring the Al-Ula valley before flying back to Jeddah or on to your next stop, depending on how your route home is set up. Build in slack around this flight too, given the limited weekly schedule.
Total ballpark for 6 days
Excluding hotel, flights (including the Al-Ula leg), and the Taif tour, budget roughly SAR 850-1,400 per person for entry fees, the Red Sea trip, beach access, and food across the four Jeddah days. If Al-Ula isn’t in the cards for this trip, our 5 day Jeddah itinerary covers the same city plan without the fly-onward leg. Our full guide has more on why Al-Ula is worth flying to rather than trying to squeeze into a single day.