Saudi Arabia » Getting to Mecca

An approximate flight time to Jeddah (from Jeddah you can travel to Mecca by road and it will take about 40 minutes) from London is 5 hours and 50 minutes.

By Air

Saudi Arabia has 3 international airports at Riyadh, Jeddah and Ad Dammam. The airport at Dhahran is now closed to civil traffic, so passengers to the Eastern Region now fly into Dammam. Saudi Arabia is served by the national airline, Saudia as well as Gulf Air, Alitalia, Air France, Lufthansa, Pakistan International Airlines, Air India, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), Qatar Airways and Philippine Airlines. British Airways stopped service to the kingdom in March, 2005. During the Hajj, numerous charter flights supplement the scheduled airlines. A popular option is to fly into nearby Bahrain and then cross into Saudi Arabia by car.

Two new airline companies are starting to offer air service in the kingdom, in addition to the Saudia airlines. Sama will be offering low-rate flights, and Al-Khayala has started to offer executive flights. 

By Train

There are no railroads connecting Saudi Arabia with other countries.

By Road

Automobile crossings exist on all the borders, although those into Iraq are currently closed. The Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) operates intra- and inter-city buses as well as international buses between the kingdom and Bahrain and the UAE.

By Sea

A passenger ferry runs between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.