Jeddah in 3 days

Obhur Creek (شرم أبحر — 30km north of Jeddah city centre; a Red Sea inlet with clear water (visibility 20–30m in calm conditions), coral reefs with live coral (the Red Sea has the healthiest remaining coral reefs in the world due to the naturally high salinity and lack of river runoff that clouds other tropical seas), and a fish population that includes parrotfish, surgeonfish, Moorish idol, and occasional reef sharks (blacktip and whitetip reef sharks are common at the northern Red Sea reefs — they are not aggressive toward snorkellers but require respectful distance)). Day trips and snorkelling tours from Jeddah to Obhur Creek or Farasan Islands (the Farasan Islands (farther south, near the Yemen border) have the finest coral diving in Saudi Arabia but require advance permission; the Obhur Creek area is accessible without permission). Tour prices: SAR 150–250 (~€36–60) for a half-day snorkelling trip including equipment.

Fakieh Aquarium (حديقة الحيوانات المائية — Corniche Road North; the largest aquarium in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East; opened 1994, expanded multiple times; notable exhibits: the Red Sea reef hall (a 10m-long tunnel aquarium through a simulated Red Sea coral reef, with rays, blacktip sharks, and thousands of reef fish swimming above and around visitors), the dolphin show (controversial for animal welfare reasons — the standard Saudi tourist attraction but increasingly scrutinised), and the Sea World-style performances. For those uninterested in the shows: the standalone aquarium tanks of Red Sea endemics (the Crown of Thorns starfish, the Titan triggerfish, and the Dugong (dugong dugon — the marine mammal related to the manatee, critically endangered; the Red Sea has one of the last viable dugong populations)). Adults SAR 80 (€19).

Al-Shallal Entertainment Center (الشلال — North Corniche; the largest entertainment complex in Jeddah, with an outdoor amusement park (roller coasters, water rides), an indoor ice rink, a bowling alley, and a multiplex cinema; a large outdoor area (the Shallal waterfront (shallal = waterfall (the park has an artificial waterfall feature))) on the Red Sea shore with food stalls and the best Corniche sunset view. For those not interested in amusement parks: the Al-Shallal area has the most concentrated restaurant strip on the North Corniche, with options from local Saudi restaurants (mandi and kabsa) to international chains. The waterfront promenade here is less crowded than the central Corniche and has the fullest view of the King Fahd Fountain.

Tahlia Street (شارع التحلية — the most upscale commercial street in Jeddah, running through the Al-Andalus district; lined with luxury brand shops (the full European luxury brand presence: Hermès, Chanel, Cartier, Tiffany), upscale restaurants, and the perfume establishments that are the Saudi equivalent of a duty-free luxury shop). Saudi perfumery: Arabian Oud (the largest chain of oud and perfume shops in the Middle East, founded in Jeddah in 1982 — the best place for a first oud purchase: the staff guide customers through the range from light, approachable oud blends (Arabian Breeze, SAR 150–300) to the raw oud chips and pure oud oil (SAR 500–5,000+)); mukhallat (custom blended perfumes, created on request by a perfumer who mixes oud, musk, ambergris, and rose water to the customer's preference).

Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum (متحف عبد الرؤوف خليل — Al-Hamra district; the most comprehensive history museum in Jeddah, founded by the businessman and collector Abdul Raouf Khalil to document the city's history from the pre-Islamic era to the modern period; the collection (20,000+ objects) includes: Islamic manuscript collection, Hejazi coins (the monetary history of western Arabia from the Ottoman period to the Saudi Riyal), Islamic ceramics and glassware from the medieval period, and an extensive display on the Hajj (pilgrimage) trade — the historical foundation of Jeddah's wealth as the landing port for millions of Hajj pilgrims annually for 1,400 years). The museum also has a section documenting the Jeddah old city (Al-Balad) as it was before the 1970s oil boom removed much of its urban fabric. Adults SAR 10 (~€2.40).

Hejazi cuisine (the food of the Hejaz region — the western coast of Saudi Arabia, historically distinct from the Nejdi (central Arabian) cuisine (which is drier and less spiced)): Samboosa (سمبوسة — the Hejazi fried pastry (triangular, similar to the Indian samosa; the word 'samosa' and 'samboosa' share the same Persian root, sanbūsaj); filled with spiced minced meat and onion or with cheese and parsley; ₩5–10 from street vendors, SAR 1–2 each in the Al-Balad food stalls). Zurbian rice (زربيان — a celebratory Hejazi rice dish (for weddings and Eid celebrations): lamb marinated in spices and yogurt, slow-cooked, then layered with rice in the mandi style; the Jeddawi zurbian has a distinctive addition of dried fruit (raisins, apricot) that distinguishes it from the inland kabsa). Al-Nakheel Restaurant (Al-Balad — a traditional Hejazi restaurant in the historic district, SAR 60–100/person for a full meal).

Jeddah Corniche Sculpture Museum (the 30km Corniche is home to 400+ outdoor sculptures installed from the 1980s onwards in a Saudi state programme to bring public art to the city — one of the earliest large-scale public art programmes in the Arabian Peninsula): the sculptures include works by Henry Moore, Joan Miró (a large Miró sculpture in the northern Corniche section), Julio Le Parc, and many Saudi and Arab artists; the most discussed pieces: the Open Quran sculpture (a large bronze book with Quranic verse), the giant coffee pot (Saudi cultural symbol), and the abstract geometric works in the central Corniche section. The Saudi Art District (Al-Balad Art Centre — new galleries in renovated coral-stone buildings of Al-Balad, showing contemporary Saudi and Arab art; part of the Vision 2030 cultural transformation initiative).

Red Sea fish: the Jeddah waterfront fish restaurants serve the day's catch from the Red Sea fishing boats (which dock at the King Abdul Aziz Port, the main commercial port of Jeddah); specialities include: Hamour (grouper — هامور; the most prized food fish of the Red Sea, firm white flesh, usually grilled whole or filleted and baked with spices and lemon; SAR 80–150/kg at the restaurant), Safi (rabbitfish — صافي; smaller, cheaper, with a mild and slightly sweet flavour), and Shaari (emperor fish — شعري; the largest of the common Red Sea food fish, usually grilled whole on charcoal). Restaurant recommendation: Al-Nakheel Fish Restaurant (North Corniche — a seafront restaurant where fish are displayed on ice in a counter (point at your choice and specify the preparation: grilled (mashwi), fried (maqliy), or steamed (matboukh bel-bukhar)); the grilled hamour with the Jeddawi fish spice (a blend of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and dried lime) is the definitive Jeddah dinner.