FlyZafy
Sign in
Dammam

Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Dammam

The capital of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, on the Arabian Gulf: a modern port city of long seafront parks, island gardens and family promenades, next door to Al Khobar and Dhahran, where the kingdom's oil story began.

Favourite places

Historical places

Local food

  • Hamour (grouper)

    Dammam, 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

    Dammam, 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.

  • Al-Ahsa dates

    Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    The oasis of Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province is one of the largest date-growing areas in the world. Its khalas dates, soft and caramel-sweet, are sold in every market and served with coffee.

Where to eat

  • Dammam Corniche cafés and kiosks

    Along the seafront, north Dammam

    Coffee shops, juice bars and snack kiosks line the Corniche; in the evenings families picnic on the lawns and the whole seafront fills up.

    Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

  • 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.

    Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

  • 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.

    Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Where to stay

  • Dammam Corniche and Al Shatea

    Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    Hotels and apartments along the seafront on the north side of Dammam, close to Marjan Island, the Corniche parks and seafront cafés.

    Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

  • Central Dammam

    Dammam, Saudi Arabia

    Business hotels in the older centre and along King Saud and King Fahd roads, near the markets, the railway station and the main roads to Al Khobar and the airport.

    Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

  • Al Khobar Corniche and Prince Turki Street

    Dammam, 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.

    Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Culture

The Eastern Province mixes Gulf coastal traditions — fishing, pearling and seafaring — with the international community that grew up around the oil industry. Family life centres on the seafront: on weekend evenings the Corniche lawns fill with picnics, barbecues and coffee. The region's dates, seafood and Gulf-style rice dishes are a point of pride.

History

Before oil, the coast here was a land of small fishing and pearling settlements. In 1923 members of the Al Dawasir tribe, arriving from Bahrain, settled the area that became Dammam, and the town grew slowly around fishing and trade.

Everything changed in 1938, when oil was struck in commercial quantities at Dammam Well No. 7 in nearby Dhahran. The discovery turned the region into the heart of the Saudi oil industry; Dammam gained a deep-water port, a railway to Riyadh and became the provincial capital.

Today Dammam forms one metropolitan area with Al Khobar and Dhahran. It is a busy commercial city and a gateway to Bahrain across the King Fahd Causeway, with a long Corniche that comes alive every evening.

Tour plans

Dammam and the Eastern Province

3 days, 2 nights

  1. Step 1: Day 1 — Dammam seafront

    Walk the Dammam Corniche, cross to Marjan Island for the gardens, and have dinner at the Heritage Village or a seafood restaurant.

  2. Step 2: Day 2 — Ithra and the oil story

    Spend the morning at Ithra in Dhahran, including the Prosperity Well where the oil was found, then the King Abdullah Waterfront and Takyt Bahar in the evening.

  3. Step 3: Day 3 — Al Khobar

    Drive to Al Khobar for SCITECH and the Corniche, lunch on Prince Turki Street and an afternoon at the beach in Half Moon Bay.

Map

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Travel information

Best time to visit

November to March, when days are warm and evenings pleasant for the Corniche. Summer (June to September) is very hot and humid; plan for indoor sights then.

How to get there

By air: King Fahd International Airport (DMM) is north-west of the city, roughly 30–45 minutes by car from central Dammam. It has domestic flights from across the kingdom and international routes, especially to the Gulf, Asia and Europe.

By rail: Saudi Arabia Railways runs passenger trains between Dammam and Riyadh, stopping at Al-Ahsa (Hofuf) — a comfortable alternative to the highway.

By road: Riyadh is about 400 km west by highway. From Bahrain, the King Fahd Causeway (about 25 km of bridges and embankments, opened in 1986) lands near Al Khobar, a short drive from Dammam; border formalities are done on the island in the middle.

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.

The airport is far from the city: arrange a taxi or ride-hailing car, or a hotel transfer.

Travel tips

  • Summer heat and humidity are intense: plan outdoor time for early morning or after sunset.
  • Evenings are the busiest time on the Corniche and in the malls, especially on Thursday and Friday nights.
  • Bahrain day trips across the causeway need a passport and, depending on your nationality, a Bahrain visa; traffic can be heavy at weekends.
  • 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.

All destinations