Grand Tour of Saudi Arabia 2026-27
JEDDAH - MEDINA - AL ULA - JUBBAH - RIYADH
Grand Tour of Saudi Arabia 2026-27 is a Guiness Travel escorted group tour: 10 days by plane, with a tour leader from Italy. 6 departures scheduled, from 5 November 2026 to 15 April 2027. Participation fee from 4.100,00 € per person. Required document: Passport.
Grand Tour of Saudi Arabia 2026-27
JEDDAH - MEDINA - AL ULA - JUBBAH - RIYADH
10 days starting from
4.100,00 €
Departures
Legend
Plus Guiness
- 4-star hotels
- 7 lunches in restaurants
- jeep safari in the Garameel desert
- high-speed train journeys Jeddah/Medina and Ha’il/Riyadh
- all entrance fees included
- travel in exclusive style with a maximum of 25 participants
Why this tour?
- to visit Saudi Arabia, one of the last frontiers of tourism
- to explore a great country, the birthplace and spiritual home of Islam
- to discover the wonders of Mada’in Saleh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Description
Saudi Arabia, until recently one of the places on earth inaccessible to tourism, has now become a destination of great appeal. It is a vast country, the cradle of one of the three great confessional religions, perhaps the spiritual essence of the Middle East. Far from being the stereotyped image of an open-air oil reservoir, Saudi Arabia is in fact characterised by great natural and historical variety, expressed in diverse, wide-open landscapes and archaeological sites of great interest. The cities, too, are of great value: fascinating Riyadh is the country’s modern masterpiece, an embroidery on the face of the future; Jeddah blends past and present, while Mecca and Medina are the most sacred destinations imaginable. The interior is home to more than 2,000 petroglyphs and rock-art sites, which make Saudi Arabia one of the richest open-air museums in the world. It is also interesting to discover the rhythms and forms of community life among the local population: after a difficult past marked by social restrictions, Saudi Arabia is now sailing, through reforms shaped by a quiet liberality, towards a present of greater tolerance. Here the traveller runs no risk of any danger: the monarchy is firmly established and the country well protected. In Saudi Arabia the traveller feels like a kind of pioneer, one of those great explorers of the 1800s discovering a new territory, yet one ready to offer all the allure of a heartfelt and ceremonial welcome…
Mada’in Saleh, an extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage complex, consists of no fewer than 131 tombs, featuring inscriptions in late Aramaic and Nabataean. Interestingly, those who commissioned them were largely wealthy women. The iconography on display derives from Hellenistic Greco-Roman models, fused with oriental echoes of Assyrian-Babylonian art. The beauty of this site, beyond its great historical value, lies in the way it sits within and merges with the natural setting in which it developed: the ochre and rose tints, with the particular slant of the sun’s rays, create a dreamlike, almost unrepeatable atmosphere, very similar to the one visitors to Petra know so well.
Riyadh, like a dream or a mirage come true, was born in the middle of the empty desert. It is the country’s capital, with more than 6 million inhabitants. The word that designates the capital means “the garden” in Arabic: this area was once remarkably lush, and wild orchids grew here in particular abundance. Today, this fascinating city is marked by a breathtaking modernity, in which futuristic skylines and silhouettes follow one another seamlessly, able to rival those of Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The city also holds museums of the highest standard, such as the National Museum, which recounts the country’s proud march through history, as well as traditional markets full of colours and fragrances, not to mention a delightful historic centre that has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Itinerary
Day 1
ITALY – JEDDAH
Departure on scheduled Saudia flights to Jeddah – transfer to the hotel on arrival - overnight stay.
Day 2
JEDDAH “historic centre, UNESCO World Heritage Site”
Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to the guided visit of Jeddah (the historic centre of Al Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Al Tayebat Museum, exterior visit of the Floating Mosque, a stroll along the Jeddah Corniche, King Fahd’s Fountain) – lunch in a restaurant – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 3 · 340 km.
JEDDAH – MEDINA “the second holiest city of the Islamic world” – AL ULA
Breakfast at the hotel – departure by high-speed train for Medina – visit to the city (panoramic tour and exterior visit of the Prophet’s Mosque) - lunch in a restaurant – in the afternoon, transfer by coach to Al Ula – visit en route to the Jewish village of Khaybar - arrival in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 4
AL ULA “the land of the Nabataeans”
Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to the guided visit of Al Ula - in the morning, visit to the ruins of the ancient city of Dedan and to Jabal Ikmah, with its famous rock inscriptions carved into a rocky backdrop – in the afternoon, visit to the old village of Al Ula and the surrounding desert with the famous Elephant Rock – lunch in a restaurant – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 5
AL ULA “the white desert & Hegra, UNESCO World Heritage Site”
Breakfast at the hotel – excursion by SUV into the Garameel desert, also known as the white desert (an area with a spectacular alternation of sand dunes and rocky pinnacles) – lunch in a restaurant – in the afternoon, excursion to Mada‘in Saleh (the ancient city of Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which together with Petra was one of the two most important centres on the Incense Route, the caravan route that crossed the entire Arabian Peninsula – visit to the imposing archaeological area) - return to the camp in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 6 · 580 km.
AL ULA – JUBBAH “written in the rock” – HA’IL
Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Jubbah – lunch in a restaurant - in the afternoon, guided visit of Saudi Arabia’s most famous rock-art site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the carvings found on Jibal Umm Sinman cover a vast range of subjects and a long span of time, some of them possibly 10,000 years old) – continue to Ha’il – arrival in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 7
HA’IL – RIYADH
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Ha’il (Arif Fort, Qashla Fort, the souq) - lunch in a restaurant - departure by high-speed train for Riyadh – arrival in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 8
RIYADH “the capital of Saudi Arabia”
Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to the guided visit of Riyadh (the Al Rajhi Mosque, the Deerah Souq -a traditional Saudi market-, excursion to Ad Diriyah and visit to the historic centre of Al-Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 9
RIYADH – ITALY
Breakfast at the hotel – day at leisure - tour leader on hand – lunch at leisure – buffet dinner at the hotel - transfer to the airport.
Day 10
RIYADH – ITALY
Departure on scheduled Saudia flights back to Italy.
Prices
- return journey Italy/Jeddah/Riyadh/Italy on scheduled Saudia flights
- airport/hotel transfers and vice versa
- high-speed train transfers Jeddah/Medina and Ha’il/Riyadh
- tour of Saudi Arabia by GT coach/minibus
- accommodation in 4-star hotels on a half-board basis as per the itinerary (excluding dinner on day 1)
- buffet breakfasts
- 7 lunches in restaurants
- jeep safari in the Garameel desert
- guided visits as indicated
- taxes and VAT
- city tax
- entrance fees to all the sites listed
- tour leader from Italy, departing from Rome
- tour leader Jeddah/Riyadh for those departing from other airports
tips (in Saudi Arabia tipping is a very important custom: on arrival, the tour leader collects a single amount of approximately €40.00, from which tips are given to all the service providers during the tour), drinks with meals and anything not expressly mentioned.
Our hotels
JEDDAH
HOTEL BEST WESTERN PLUS JEDDAH or similar, 4-star
AL ULA
HOTEL SAHARY RESORT CAMP or similar
HA’IL
HOTEL GOLDEN TULIP HAIL or similar, 4-star
RIYADH
HOTEL GRAND PLAZA GULF or similar, 4-star
Info and schedule
N.B. The scheduled visits may be swapped between days according to the opening hours of the sites and museums to be visited or for technical reasons, but the programme remains unchanged.
- Required document: Passport
Flight times
Frequently asked questions
How long is the tour?
The tour lasts 10 days by plane, with a Guiness tour leader from Italy.
When does it depart?
6 departures scheduled, from 5 November 2026 to 15 April 2027.
How much does it cost?
The individual participation fee starts from 4.100,00 € by plane.
What does the price include?
return journey Italy/Jeddah/Riyadh/Italy on scheduled Saudia flights; airport/hotel transfers and vice versa; high-speed train transfers Jeddah/Medina and Ha’il/Riyadh; tour of Saudi Arabia by GT coach/minibus; accommodation in 4-star hotels on a half-board basis as per the itinerary ( excluding dinner on day 1 ); buffet breakfasts; 7 lunches in restaurants; jeep safari in the Garameel desert; guided visits as indicated; taxes and VAT; city tax; entrance fees to all the sites listed; tour leader from Italy, departing from Rome; tour leader Jeddah/Riyadh for those departing from other airports
What is not included in the price?
tips (in Saudi Arabia tipping is a very important custom: on arrival, the tour leader collects a single amount of approximately €40.00, from which tips are given to all the service providers during the tour), drinks with meals and anything not expressly mentioned.
Which documents are required?
Passport
Can I cancel?
Cancel without penalty up to 45 days in advance
How do I book a Guiness tour?
You can request a quote directly from each tour page with the “Get your quote” button, save it and send the booking request: we will get back to you. How to book
How do I pay for the tour (deposit and balance)?
Payment terms (deposit and balance) are set out in the quote; we accept the main payment methods. Terms and conditions
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