Jeddah Travel: Al-Balad, the Corniche and Luxury Hotels

For centuries Jeddah has been the kingdom's front door, the port where traders and pilgrims arrived on their way to Makkah. That long history of welcome shows: the city is relaxed, outward-looking and proud of its food, art and seafront. Its historic core, Al-Balad, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2014 as "Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah" and is being restored house by house.

Modern Jeddah stretches north along the Red Sea. The Corniche and the Jeddah Waterfront offer miles of promenades, beaches, sculptures and cafes, and King Fahd's Fountain shoots water higher than any other fountain in the world. The city also hosts the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit; see Formula 1 and motorsport.

Jeddah is a natural base for the west coast: drive up to the cool mountains of Taif, fly north to AlUla or the Red Sea resorts, and for Muslim travelers take the high-speed train to Makkah and Madinah.

Spend a morning or a late afternoon in Al-Balad, wandering between tall coral-stone houses with carved wooden rawasheen balconies, the restored Nasseef House and the old souks scented with spices and oud. Evenings are livelier, when cafes fill and the lanes are lit. A local guide brings the merchant families' stories to life.

On the coast, walk the Corniche at sunset, visit the open-air sculpture museum along the seafront, or take a boat out to snorkel the reefs north of the city at Obhur. Jeddah's annual season and its film and arts festivals bring concerts and exhibitions in the cooler months; see the events calendar. For yacht days, see superyacht charter.

Jeddah's prime market centers on the North Corniche and Obhur, with new waterfront districts in the Jeddah Central project and the planned Jeddah Tower. Foreign ownership rules and Premium Residency are covered on Saudi Arabia Luxury Real Estate.