Set aside a day to explore centuries of Arabian prehistory, history, culture and art at the kingdom’s biggest and most entertaining museum.

Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh is a modern-day metropolis, complete with towering skyscrapers and a 99-floor sky bridge. But intertwined within this city is a deep-rooted sense of tradition and history that’s just waiting to be discovered.

Welcome to Ad Dir’iyah, birthplace of the first Saudi state, historical crossroads of pilgrims and traders, and home to one of the Kingdom’s most ambitious heritage developments.

As the former home and court of King Abdul Aziz, Riyadh's Al Murabba Palace is a monument to the city’s captivating past.

Hidden in the heart of the Najd, an oasis-dotted region 200km northwest of Riyadh, Ushaiger Heritage Village provides a glimpse of a slow-paced Saudi society of old.

When the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as ‘Ithra’ (‘enrichment’ in Arabic), opened in 2017, it became an instant icon; not only because of its jaw-dropping design, which represents a throng of oil-bearing rocks smoothed by desert winds, all wrapped in a 350km-long steel pipe; but also its ambitious vision as Saudi Arabia’s first all-cultural destination. Quite simply, it’s a structure that must be seen to be believed.

A desert oasis of shady palm groves and crystal clear springs, Al Ahsa Oasis stands as a dazzling haven against the harsh and untamed plains of the Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter). For millennia, this region’s fertile land made it a hub for traders and caravans crossing the region’s ancient trade routes, forging links across the Arabian Peninsula and beyond, and providing a stopping place for early pilgrims en route to Makkah.

With its long stretches of sandy beach and cool walkways, Jeddah’s Corniche has always been one of the city’s main draws. Following a major revamp in 2017, which added three new swimming bays, a pier and lush parklands, the area is now a must-see destination, blending seamlessly with Jeddah’s cosmopolitan appeal.