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Al Khobar

Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Al Khobar

The Eastern Province's liveliest seaside city: a long Corniche, cafés and restaurants on Prince Turki Street, big malls, a science centre and the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain — with beaches at Half Moon Bay just to the south.

Favourite places

Historical places

Local food

  • Hamour (grouper)

    Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

    The favourite fish of the Gulf coast, served grilled, fried or cooked with spiced rice (machboos). Eastern Province fish restaurants usually let you pick the fish and the way it is cooked.

  • Machboos

    Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

    The Gulf cousin of kabsa: rice cooked with dried black lime (loomi), spices and chicken, lamb or fish. Common across the Eastern Province and the other Gulf states.

  • Mutabbaq

    Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

    Thin dough folded around minced meat, egg, leek and spices and fried on a hot griddle — a favourite evening street snack, sweet versions are filled with banana or cheese.

Where to eat

  • Prince Turki Street

    Facing the Al Khobar Corniche

    Al Khobar's best-known restaurant and café street, running parallel to the Corniche, with Saudi, Gulf, Middle Eastern and international food and outdoor seating in the cooler months.

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  • Seafood restaurants

    Dammam and Al Khobar

    Fish restaurants across the two cities serve the catch of the Gulf — hamour, shrimp and other local fish — grilled, fried or with machboos rice. Many let you choose your fish from the counter.

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  • Mall food courts

    Al Khobar and Dhahran

    The big shopping malls have food courts and family restaurants — the easiest choice in the hot summer months, when eating outdoors is hard.

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Where to stay

  • Al Khobar Corniche and Prince Turki Street

    Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

    The liveliest place to stay in the Eastern Province: hotels facing the sea, with the Corniche, cafés and restaurants on the doorstep and the King Fahd Causeway a short drive away.

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  • Downtown Al Khobar and Al Olaya

    Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

    Mid-range and business hotels around the older downtown streets and the Al Olaya district, close to the malls and King Fahd Road towards Dhahran.

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  • Half Moon Bay resorts

    Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

    Beach resorts and chalet compounds on the bay south of Al Khobar — a weekend escape with private beaches, about 40 minutes from the city.

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Culture

Al Khobar has a cosmopolitan feel, shaped by decades of oil-industry workers from around the world, but family life and Gulf traditions are at its core. Seafront picnics, coffee with dates and big shared seafood meals are part of every weekend.

History

Al Khobar began as a small fishing and pearling village on the Gulf, settled in the 1920s by families of the Al Dawasir tribe. When oil was found in neighbouring Dhahran in 1938, the village became the port and supply town for the oil camp, and grew quickly into a commercial centre.

Over the following decades Al Khobar developed into a modern city of shops, restaurants and seafront parks, joined to Dammam and Dhahran as one metropolitan area. The opening of the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain in 1986, which starts on the edge of the city, made it a crossroads between Saudi Arabia and its island neighbour.

Tour plans

Al Khobar city and coast

2 days, 1 night

  1. Step 1: Day 1 — City and Corniche

    Morning at SCITECH, lunch on Prince Turki Street, the Taybeen Museum in the afternoon, and a sunset walk on the Corniche past the Khobar Water Tower.

  2. Step 2: Day 2 — Beach and shopping

    Drive south to Half Moon Bay for a morning on the beach, then return for Al Rashid Mall and a seafood dinner.

Map

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Travel information

Best time to visit

November to March for warm, sunny days and pleasant evenings on the Corniche. Summer is very hot and humid — keep outdoor plans for early morning and night.

How to get there

By air: fly into King Fahd International Airport (DMM), the airport for Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran; allow roughly 45–60 minutes by car to Al Khobar.

By rail: take the Saudi Arabia Railways train from Riyadh to Dammam, then a taxi to Al Khobar (about 20–30 minutes).

By road from Bahrain: the King Fahd Causeway lands on the edge of Al Khobar; border formalities for both countries are done on the island in the middle. Expect queues on weekends and holidays.

From Riyadh: about 400 km by highway, roughly four hours.

Getting around

Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran run into one another along wide highways — King Fahd Road, the Dammam–Khobar Highway and the coast road. Most visitors use Uber, Careem or taxis, or hire a car; distances are short but walking between areas is rarely practical, especially in summer. City buses run on some main roads.

Along the Corniche and Prince Turki Street you can walk in the cooler months.

Travel tips

  • Evenings are the main time out, especially on Thursday and Friday nights.
  • Summer: plan for malls, SCITECH and indoor dining in the daytime.
  • Crossing to Bahrain: carry your passport and check visa rules for your nationality.
  • Dress modestly in public: for men and women, clothes that cover the shoulders and knees; women are not required to wear an abaya or cover their hair, but loose clothing is expected. Some shops and small businesses close briefly at each of the five daily prayer times, and on Friday many open only after the midday prayer. The weekend is Friday and Saturday.

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