Jeddah Old Town Tour (Al Balad)
Description
During this tour you will pass by many shops where they offer different merchandise such as perfumes, cloth, jewellery , antiques and souvenirs where you can buy and bargain ! we will also introduce you to some local shops to see some crafts being made such as the local sandals , perfumes and gold jewellery crafts. You will pass by different local communities within Al Balad which each community gather for tea and chat , kids playing around and street cats strolling for food ! the Balad spirit Business Registration No: 4030231022
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is half day experience to tour Al Balad as local call it which means “ the town” as reference to the base of Jeddah. Al-Balad was founded in the 7th century and historically served as the centre of Jeddah. Al-Balad's defensive walls were torn down in the 1940s. In the 1970s and 1980s, when Jeddah began to become wealthier due to the oil boom, many Jeddawis moved north, away from Al-Balad Al Balad is registered as a world heritage UNISCO site and since then the old buildings with its unique window designs and doors are being preserved along with its unique buildings which some have been built using seashells and stones !. The old buildings once housed the famous Jeddah families and hosted the founder the late King Abdulaziz when first entered Jeddah. Our tour will go through the history of these building including going inside one of the buildings to see the interior designs , furniture and life back then
The old Mosques is another tourist attraction where some were founded over 300 years ago and still functional as a mosque. The main attraction in this tour is the food and snacks of Al Balad where we will pass by some famous vendors known to offer the best local snacks such as the local drink made of bread “ Sobia” and the old bakery which its famous for its fresh bread. Another local snack that consists of Bean and pickles “ Balilah”. We will stop for rest in one of the local coffee open air places and try famous local tea mixed with milk and herbs We will move to visit the center of Al Balad to see the first hotel built in Jeddah influenced by Italian architecture then pass by the first school built in Saudi. We will also visit one of the art houses and museum offering its unique local art collection and antiques.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(19)
Visiting the old town Al-Balad is an absolute must if your in Jeddah. Al-Balad has a calm and vibrant atmosphere, and exploring it feels cinematic. My tour guide, Ahmed, was knowledgeable and explained the history of the different areas in Old Jeddah so well. The people were kind and welcoming. The tour is on the pricier side, but it’s worth it, especially if you’re travelling solo.
good vibes in albalad with the amazing buildings and wonderful storys for every meter in jeddah alabal (old town) with the tradional drinks such as karak and homr homr is sour dates
Sara took me on a tour of Al Balad. I learned so much about the old town itself but also about Saudi Arabia and its culture. It was fantastic to be shown round by such a dynamic, knowledgeable Saudi woman
It was an absolute pleasure meeting you, your beautiful spirit was an absolute delight Thank you for your kind words and hoping to see you once again in Jeddah which I'm sure I will :)
This was an excellent tour by Sara and a great introduction to Jeddah's history. Al Balad is a fascinating area and after this tour I ended up going there every evening. Sara took me around and, because she knew many of the people there, managed to get me inside many old houses there to see how they look on the inside. After the tour and during her free time, Sara accompanied me to a number of food outlets to taste local food. The Saudi people are genuinely friendly and helpful. I fully recommend this tour, and for people to visit Jeddah.
Dear Silvano, thank you very much for the great feedback and honestly i enjoyed that day with you, i truly wish to see you again and next time with your son as well :) looking forward for you to explore all Saudi with us and feel free to reach out anytime for anything about Saudi !
Amazing experience in incredible city! Thank you Sara for the tour and adventure! That was excellent also to have a chance to talk to local people, to taste local food.... to feel a bit local ;)) I highly recommend Sara if you're interested in history and culture of Jeddah and KSA being guided by professional and pretty woman ;)
It was an absolute pleasure having you and I had a great time as well Thank you for your super kind words :) Looking forward to having you discover more of Saudi ;)
We organised a trip with Viator and so glad we did. We’d walked around the day before, which was great, but after the formal trip, we’d realised that we’d missed so much. There’s so much to see/experience. The narrow streets, the new builds, the hidden shops, the hidden cafes, the fragrant environment…so much. The mosque welcomed us warmly and couldn’t have been more accommodating. Loved our time here
Im so happy you had a great time and we are looking forward to seeing you in Saudi again and discover other cities with us ;)
What a wonderful tour. Marwa greeted us with a beaming smile (as did most people we met in Jeddah during our week’s stay!) and off we went around Al Balad. Marwa brought the area to life with her knowledge of all the historic buildings - even getting us access to many buildings I’m sure we would have missed exploring independently. 3.5 hours on foot flew by. Thank you so much for showing us such an amazing place. Highly recommended.
You are most welcome, i had a wonderful time myself with you ! it was a fun tour that time passed really fast :) Hope to see you again ! Marwa
An abandoned space that is now undergoing a re-qualification with quite relevant tourist objectives. Despite the ruined buildings, the charm and beauty remain alive.
Sara our guide seemed to know everything and everyone in Jeddah. So friendly and open. Answered all our questions including the ones we did not think to ask.
My brother and I did this tour as an add on to to our Umrah (pilgrimage), and I'm so glad we did. This was an amazing tour and the history of old Jeddah is so interesting. Sara was a brilliant guide- she was very engaging, informative and flexible to our needs and interests. I would highly recommend this tour!
