The best time to visit Saudi Arabia, month by month

Saudi Arabia spans about 2,000 kilometres north to south and rises from sea level to over 3,000 metres. Asking when to visit “Saudi Arabia” is a bit like asking when to visit Europe: it depends entirely on where you are going.

The short answer

November to March is the right window for most of the country — AlUla, Riyadh, Jeddah, the Eastern Province and the north-west. Days are warm and clear, evenings are cool, and the desert is comfortable to walk in.

June to September is the exception: this is the season for Abha and the Asir highlands in the south-west, which are cool and green when the rest of the country is at its hottest.

Region by region

AlUla and the north-west

October to April. The formal AlUla season runs roughly through those months, and some experiences and venues only operate then. December and January nights are genuinely cold in the desert — bring a jacket. Summer daytime temperatures make the open archaeological sites unpleasant and, at midday, unsafe.

Riyadh and the centre

November to March. Dry heat rather than humid, so it is bearable earlier and later than the coast, but summer regularly passes 45°C. Riyadh Season events typically run through the cooler months, which is also when hotel rates peak.

Jeddah and the Red Sea

November to April. Jeddah is humid, so summer feels hotter than the number suggests. Diving on the Red Sea is good year-round; the water is warmest in late summer.

Abha and Asir

June to September, which is the opposite of everywhere else. At around 2,200 metres Abha stays mild, and the summer monsoon brings mist and green terraces. Winter here can drop close to freezing at night.

The Eastern Province

November to March. Alkhobar, Dammam and Dhahran are humid in summer. The winter corniche evenings are the local highlight.

A practical rule

If you have one week and want the classic sights — AlUla, Riyadh, Jeddah — travel between late November and early March and you will not go wrong. If you are coming in summer, go south to the mountains instead of trying to do the desert badly. Our ten-day grand tour exists partly to make that combination work.

Common questions