The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has opened its borders for (non-Muslim) tourists just in 2019. Due to many reforms the country is changing very quickly and e.g. women do not need to cover anymore. As tourist you can roam around the country freely. In the beginning of 2024 we spent almost two months in Saudi Arabia on our trip from Germany to Australia by public transport.
This list provides you with 3 helpful and practical tips about traveling and taking the public transport in Saudi Arabia. All infos based on our personal experience. 😉
1. 63 nationalities can apply for a tourist/religious e-visa in Saudi Arabia
No need for an agency anymore. 63 countries are eligible to apply for an Saudi Arabia e-visa for touristic purposes, including religious activities such as Umrah (not Hajj) through an e-visa portal.
The visa includes mandatory health insurance and costs ~120€. We needed to create an account, and once we entered our data and made the payment, we received the confirmation mail within minutes. By the way, the visa is multi-entry and valid for 1 year for a duration of 90 days.
2. Many VoIP service providers are blocked and a VPN is necessary in Saudi Arabia
WhatsApp, in general, is not blocked in Saudi Arabia. However, voice or video calls are not possible. The same is the case with e.g. Telegram, Viber and Facetime. We recommend to get a VPN to make sure to access the internet.
3. Two bus companies connect most cities in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is heavily investing in public transport connecting cities, and things seem to change step by step. When we were in Saudi in January 2024, most bus connections in the West were covered by the company Northwestbus while Saptco operated mostly in the East. Make sure to check both websites.
There are other bus companies as well but at the time of our visit it seemed that those two connected the major places in the country.
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