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Saudi Arabia · Riyadh Region

Riyadh: how to get there and around

Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh Region), 612 m (2,008 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is King Khalid International Airport (RUH), 30 km (19 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Riyadh North railway station. Our booking partner lists 2,250+ places to stay.

Key facts

Population4.2 million
Elevation612 m (2,008 ft)
Area1,798 km²
Time zoneAsia/Riyadh (UTC+3 now)
CurrencyRial (SAR)
Dialling code+966
Driving sideRight
Plug typesBS 1363
UN/LOCODESARUH
People are calledRiyadhi
Coordinates24.688, 46.722
Riyadh

Open Riyadh in Google Maps

Daylight in Riyadh runs from about 10 h 39 min a day in late December to 13 h 43 min in late June (computed for 24.69° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.

Getting there

Riyadh is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is King Khalid International Airport (RUH), 30 km (19 mi) from the centre, whose 13,796-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.

Flights to Riyadh: every airport, routes and times

By rail: stations on record include Riyadh North railway station. Trains to Riyadh

Buses to Riyadh · Driving and car hire

Where to stay

Our booking partner lists 2,250+ places to stay in Riyadh (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 383 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (206), and 29 are five-star. Across 325 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8 out of 10. Guests have left 369,870 reviews in total.

Hotels in Riyadh: the full picture, and book

Nearby cities, and how to get between them

Twin towns and sister cities: Acapulco de Juárez, Hermosillo.

Common questions

Which airport serves Riyadh?

King Khalid International Airport (RUH), 30 km (19 mi) from the centre.

How big is Riyadh?

About 4.2 million people live in Riyadh, across 1,798 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).

What time zone is Riyadh in?

Asia/Riyadh, currently UTC+3.

What currency is used in Riyadh?

The Rial (SAR). Traffic drives on the right.

How many hotels are there in Riyadh?

Our booking partner lists 2,250 or more places to stay in Riyadh, bookable on this site.

Which cities are near Riyadh?

Dammam (391 km), Buraydah (330 km), Al Kharj (86 km), Al Hufūf (298 km), Al Mubarraz (300 km).

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.