Things to do in Jeddah

Culture · Old city, east of the Corniche

The UNESCO-listed coral-stone old town of tall merchant houses hung with carved wooden rawasheen, inscribed in 2014 and under a long PIF-backed restoration.

Local tip: Go after sunset when the coral façades are lit and the temperature drops. The restored houses — Nassif House, and the ones now being turned into small hotels — are the set pieces, but the lanes of Souq Al Alawi behind them are where the district still functions as a market rather than a museum.

Landmark · Waterfront, north and central

Thirty-odd kilometres of rebuilt Red Sea waterfront with open-air sculpture, swimming areas and the world's tallest fountain throwing seawater some 300 metres up.

Local tip: The northern stretch near the Fountain is the polished one; the older southern Corniche is where Jeddah families actually picnic on a Friday evening. The 1970s and 80s open-air sculpture collection along the road — Moore, Arp, Miró — is genuinely significant and almost entirely unlabelled.

Nature · Obhur Creek, north Jeddah

Fringing coral reef within half an hour of the city, reached from dive centres and beach clubs along the creek — some of the most intact reef anywhere.

Local tip: The reef wall starts close enough to shore that a good snorkel beats most people's diving elsewhere. Go on a weekday morning; on Fridays the creek turns into a boat park. Water is warm enough year-round that a shortie is plenty.

Culture · Al Faisaliyah, south-central

A privately built complex of Hejazi-style buildings holding a sprawling, idiosyncratic collection of manuscripts, coins, costume and regional architecture.

Local tip: Nothing about it is state-curated, which is precisely the point — it is one family's obsession, and the reconstructed room interiors tell you more about how Hejazi households actually lived than any official museum in the Kingdom. Call ahead; opening hours are erratic.

Food · Al-Balad

The old gate facing Mecca and the market street running from it — spices, perfume oils, textiles, and food stalls that have fed pilgrims for centuries.

Local tip: This is where to eat mutabbaq and drink sobia rather than in a mall. Prices are quoted with the expectation of a conversation. Evenings only, and it is at its most alive in the hour after Isha prayer.

Nightlife · Northern Corniche

The street circuit that hosts the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a night race — one of the fastest street tracks in Formula 1.

Local tip: Race weekend takes over the northern Corniche and the surrounding roads for the better part of a week, which is either the highlight of the Jeddah calendar or a reason to plan your commute very differently. Concerts run alongside it and are often the real draw.