In short
Saudi Arabia only issued its first tourist visas in 2019. Riyadh, the administrative and economic capital, is a city of offices and motorways in the middle of a transformation.
Diriyah, birthplace of the Saudi dynasty and a World Heritage site, is undergoing a vast redevelopment on the city's edge.
What it really costs
Life is expensive for the region: housing, private schooling and the car all weigh, and there is no income tax.
The Riyadh metro, recently opened, finally serves the city. Before it, everything was done by car, and largely still is.
What nobody tells you
Alcohol is entirely banned and possession heavily punished. There is no exception, foreigners and hotels included.
Rules on dress and behaviour have relaxed but remain real: covered clothing, no public displays of affection, and respect for prayer times, which close shops temporarily.
Summer passes forty-five degrees and the city is lived indoors. November to February is the only season workable outside.