Saudi Arabia in 7 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
Saudi Arabia in 7 Days: The Full Riyadh, Jeddah and AlUla Triangle
Seven days is enough to do Saudi Arabia’s headline triangle properly: two days in the capital Riyadh (Jeddah is the second city, not the capital), two in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, and three in AlUla, the country’s best archaeological draw, linked by short domestic flights rather than a multi-day drive. The riyal (SAR) is pegged at 3.75 to the US dollar, a stable rate that makes budgeting simple. The tourist eVisa, live since September 2019, takes minutes online at visa.visitsaudi.com . Expect alcohol-free dining, modest dress, a Friday-Saturday weekend and prayer-time pauses; this is not Dubai, and Mecca stays off this route entirely, since non-Muslims cannot enter the city at all. Go November to March if your dates allow it.
The 7-day route: Riyadh, then Jeddah, then AlUla by air
Days 1 and 2 cover the same Riyadh ground as the 2-day itinerary and the 3-day itinerary . Day 3 flies to Jeddah (roughly 1h45) for two days built around Al-Balad and the Corniche, the hub the 5-day itinerary reaches by road-free logic too. Days 5 to 7 fly on to AlUla (roughly 2 hours from Jeddah) for a full three days including Hegra, the same site the 4-day and 6-day itineraries reach with less time on the ground. Budget roughly SAR 200-700 a day on this route, before hotels and the three domestic flight legs (commonly SAR 200-500 each, one-way).
Book these before you go:
- Edge of the World and Diriyah day tour on GetYourGuide : a guided 4x4 tour is the practical way to reach the escarpment, roughly 1.5-2 hours each way from Riyadh.
- Hegra and AlUla day tour on Viator : Hegra can only be visited on an official guided tour, so book ahead for your AlUla dates.
- Riyadh and Jeddah hotels on Booking.com : book Riyadh first since it opens and closes this route.
- AlUla hotels on Booking.com : AlUla’s hotel supply is thinner than Riyadh’s or Jeddah’s, so lock in your three nights early.
Day 1: Riyadh Arrival, Masmak Citadel and the Kingdom Centre Sky Bridge
Land at King Khalid International Airport and take Careem or Uber into central Riyadh, roughly SAR 60-100 depending on traffic. Spend the afternoon at Masmak Citadel, the mud-brick fort central to the Kingdom’s 1902 founding, and the National Museum of Saudi Arabia next door, which covers the peninsula’s history from prehistory to today (entry commonly a modest fee, confirm at the gate). End the day at the Kingdom Centre Tower’s Sky Bridge, a 302m glass walkway over Olaya district, adult entry roughly SAR 69, open until 23:00 most nights (16:00-22:30 Friday). Rough day total: SAR 250-450.
Day 2: Edge of the World and Diriyah at Sunset
Book a morning Edge of the World (Jabal Fihrayn) 4x4 tour, a dramatic desert escarpment roughly 1.5-2 hours from Riyadh; choose a tour that returns by early afternoon so you still have daylight for the second stop. Spend the evening at Diriyah’s At-Turaif District , the honey-coloured Najdi mud-brick birthplace of the Saudi state and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, then dinner at the Bujairi Terrace overlooking it, lit and lively after dark. Rough day total: SAR 400-700 including the desert tour.
Day 3: Fly to Jeddah and Al-Balad’s Old Town
Fly Riyadh to Jeddah, roughly 1h45 on Saudia, flynas or flyadeal, one of around 38 daily flights on this route so schedule flexibility is not a problem. Check in, then spend the afternoon and evening in Al-Balad, Historic Jeddah’s UNESCO-listed old town (inscribed 2014), wandering coral-stone merchant houses with carved wooden balconies (rawashin) and the surrounding souks. Rough day total: SAR 350-600 including the flight.
Day 4: The Corniche and Jeddah’s Red Sea Waterfront
Walk or cycle a stretch of the Corniche, Jeddah’s roughly 30km Red Sea waterfront and the city’s best free attraction, taking in the King Fahd Fountain, one of the tallest in the world, and the seafront gardens. Lunch on Red Sea seafood, then an easy afternoon shopping or at the aquarium. If you’d rather trade this day for a mountain drive, Taif is roughly 1.5-2 hours from Jeddah for rose farms and cooler air, though it eats the whole day. Rough day total: SAR 150-350.
Day 5: Fly to AlUla and Elephant Rock at Sunset
Fly Jeddah to AlUla, roughly 2 hours, landing at AlUla International Airport; this route runs thinner than Riyadh-Jeddah, so confirm your flight time well ahead. Settle in, then head to Elephant Rock, a free, naturally sculpted sandstone formation and the region’s best sunset spot, followed by an evening wander through AlUla Old Town. Rough day total: SAR 400-650 including the flight.
Day 6: Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s First UNESCO Site
Spend the day at Hegra (Mada’in Salih), Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2008), a Nabataean city of monumental tombs cut into sandstone outcrops, the same civilisation behind Jordan’s Petra with far fewer visitors. Entry is guided-tour only, commonly cited around SAR 255, booked through the official experiencealula.com portal; hours are commonly Wednesday to Saturday, 9:00-17:00, last entry 14:00, so confirm your day falls on an open slot before you book anything else. Rough day total: SAR 300-450.
Day 7: Jabal Ikmah, Maraya and Departure
Spend the morning at Jabal Ikmah, an open-air library of ancient inscriptions, and Dadan, an earlier Lihyanite archaeological site, both a short drive from AlUla town. Stop by Maraya, the world’s largest mirrored building, before heading to AlUla International Airport for your onward or homebound flight. Rough day total: SAR 200-400.
Daily costs for 7 days in Saudi Arabia
| Day | Focus | Hub / flight | Rough daily spend (SAR/USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masmak Citadel, National Museum, Kingdom Centre Sky Bridge | Riyadh | SAR 250-450 (~$67-120) |
| 2 | Edge of the World 4x4 tour, Diriyah at sunset | Riyadh | SAR 400-700 (~$107-187) |
| 3 | Fly Riyadh-Jeddah (~1h45), Al-Balad old town | Riyadh to Jeddah | SAR 350-600 (~$93-160) |
| 4 | The Corniche, King Fahd Fountain, seafood lunch | Jeddah | SAR 150-350 (~$40-93) |
| 5 | Fly Jeddah-AlUla (~2h), Elephant Rock at sunset | Jeddah to AlUla | SAR 400-650 (~$107-173) |
| 6 | Hegra (Mada’in Salih) guided day tour | AlUla | SAR 300-450 (~$80-120) |
| 7 | Jabal Ikmah, Dadan, Maraya, departure | AlUla | SAR 200-400 (~$53-107) |
Seven days totals roughly SAR 2,050-3,600 (~USD 545-960 at 3.75 SAR per USD), not including hotels; budget mid-range rooms in Riyadh and Jeddah commonly run SAR 250-500 a night, AlUla somewhat more given its thinner hotel supply.
Getting around Saudi Arabia on this budget
Domestic flights are the backbone of this route, not a road trip: there is no passenger rail between Riyadh and Jeddah, so Saudia, flynas and flyadeal cover both the Riyadh-Jeddah and Jeddah-AlUla legs. Careem and Uber operate in all three cities for short hops (Careem is the more widely used locally); SAPTCO coaches are a cheaper but much slower option between Riyadh and Jeddah if you have extra days to spare. Cards, including Apple Pay, work at nearly every hotel, restaurant and attraction; carry some cash for souks and tipping, commonly around 10% at restaurants if no service charge is added. Women rent cars and drive on identical terms to men, a settled reform since 24 June 2018, though flying still beats the roughly 850km drive between Riyadh and Jeddah on time alone.
Do you need a visa for Saudi Arabia?
Yes, but it is genuinely easy: the tourist eVisa, live since 27 September 2019, takes roughly 5-30 minutes online at visa.visitsaudi.com for citizens of around 66 eligible countries, including the US, UK, most of the EU and Australia. It is valid one year, multiple entry, for stays commonly cited up to 90 days, and costs roughly SAR 480-535 including mandatory health insurance. Confirm the current fee and eligible-country list before you book flights.
Can tourists visit Mecca?
No. Mecca is closed to non-Muslims entirely, not just the Grand Mosque but the whole city, with highway checkpoints enforcing the restriction. This itinerary keeps Jeddah’s Al-Balad and Corniche as the Red Sea stop instead, with Mecca visible on the map but never on the route. Medina’s wider city is open to all visitors, but the Prophet’s Mosque’s interior and courtyard remain Muslims-only.
Should you add an eighth day for Abha or the Red Sea?
Only if you have it to spare. Abha and the Asir highlands sit further southwest, best reached by their own thin domestic flight leg, and reward travellers specifically drawn to cooler mountain air (Najran and Jazan, further south toward the Yemen border, are the region to actually avoid, not Abha itself). A Red Sea resort night on Shura Island is the pricier alternative swap. Both work better as an eighth day added to this route than as a replacement for AlUla.
Book your Hegra guided tour and AlUla hotel first: AlUla sells out faster than either Riyadh or Jeddah on this route, especially during the November-to-March high season.