Has anyone been to Saudi Arabia?

I lived there from 1981 until 1985 working for the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Since then the country has grown quite a lot in infrastructure and population. The people were friendly and crime is extremely low.

When I lived there we lived and worked in secure compounds with guards, however, we had automobiles and could go out to restaurants or visit any site we wished, except the city of Mecca which is only for Muslims.

There were strict restrictions requiring conservative dress, especially for women. The most dangerous thing we did was drive, the Saudi drivers were wild.

I had read that Saudi was open to tourism, but still not sure, since there aren't many places that would appeal to tourists. I have also visited the UAE and found it a bit more liberal than Saudi.

I have been to Turkey and loved Istanbul and would recommend it before Saudi Arabia.

Thank you for your input. It is definitely early days in Saudi's toursim.
P.S. I absolutely loved Turkey. We went in March and at most archaeological sites we visited, we were the only tourist there. It really spoiled us. :)

I was there as an army contractor as part of desert storm/desert farewell-- long time ago.

I left Germany where I had been for months and where it was in the 40s and landed in Daran/Damman where it was 110 degrees and my escort took us immediately to get some ice cream at Baskins-Robbins. Great idea!

There on the cash register was the silhouette of a woman with a big X threw it. I say "What's with that?"

"No women allowed."

Hmm.

I also worked there: 82-86.
No tourism then of course.
I belong to a fb page for ex employees of the place I worked at, and now and again
I see postings from people who have gone back there to have a look in the past couple of years.
None of them reported any problems and they were all just visiting the big cities.
Their photos showed enormous growth and much commercialism.
I would think you need an organised tour to get out into the desert and see some ancient sites.
I certainly would not go out into the desert on my own…..even back in the day we were told to always take two or more vehicles in case of incidents, breakdowns etc.
And yes…..the driving skills there are appalling!
I believe it’s quite easy to get a visa now.
Would I go back?
Hmmm…not sure…. I think I’d just like to remember it how it was then.

from a recent (June 5) NY Times travel article -
Surprising, Unsettling, Surreal: Roaming Through Saudi Arabia

Surprising, Unsettling, Surreal: Roaming Through Saudi Arabia
To witness the kingdom’s profound transformation and assess its ambitious tourism projects, a Times journalist spent a month on the road there. Here’s what he saw.

Thanks for that great article……..I wouldn’t even recognize the place now!

I spent considerable time there 2005 thru 2011, both Riyadh and Jeddah on business. Plus UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and a brief stint in Yemen. Contractors were all housed on compounds, restaurants were separated for family (women, but NOT alone) and men. Shopping was also separated as the mall we designed had a completely isolated upper floor for women shoppers.

I met and worked with many highly educated, professional, polite and kind individuals that were very interested in western design ideas. With that said, my head was always on a swivel, and one of my associates was Lebanese and spoke Arabic well, this was our guide/man Friday/interpreter and was extremely reassuring. Thoroughly enjoyed my time there in business, not sure I saw anything I would want to visit or tour as a tourist.

Entry required a visa (at that time) and I would assume it still does. For business we had to have a sponsored “invitation” to apply. Thinking back on It, I can’t imagine being there as a tourist.

You mentioned you have been to Israel. If that visa stamp is in your current passport book, you will likely be denied entry. Back then, there were NO Israeli citizens, Jews or travelers showing any connection to Israel allowed. That may, or course, been relaxed since then, but I doubt it.

It was as much “behind the curtain” as I have ever experienced. If you go, be aware at all times, dress modestly, do not plan to travel alone as a woman, and follow all rules explicitly. Stay safe.

I know there's lots of places all over the world with poor human rights records and involved in armed conflict of dubious legitimacy, but Saudi Arabia is one place I'd be asking myself "How much do I really want to see it?" Is your tourism dollar tacit support?

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/saudi-arabia-human-rights-raif-badawi-king-salman

https://caat.org.uk/homepage/stop-arming-saudi-arabia/the-war-on-yemens-civilians/

You pays your money, you takes your choice.

I am planning a trip there this November. I’ll only have about 8-9 days. It looks like the visa for tourists is now straight forward (assuming travel on a US passport). I’m planning on splitting my time between Riyadh area, Alula (the other side of Petra - I.e also built/carved by the Nabeateans) and Abha and Jeddah. Just going to fly between the places and rent a car in Alula and Abha. Internal flights seem to be <$100 from my research. Hotels don’t seem to be exorbitant though you can always go high end and spend >$1000/night if that is your preference