Time difference Saudi Arabia

There is a 2 hour time difference between France and Saudi Arabia. It is 2pm in Riyadh, when it is noon in Paris. The time difference is reduced by one hour during summer time, between the end of March and the end of October. Saudi Arabia is on a single time zone.

Opening hours Saudi Arabia

To see / To do Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a country that is still not very popular with tourists. You will have most of the sites to yourself or almost, even the important sites listed in the Unesco World Heritage such as Hegra, Jubbah or the old city of Jeddah. On the other hand, you will encounter many sites that are closed for renovation or for some unknown reason. Despite the often extended opening hours, some places are closed. Hours may be adjusted in the summer or during the hottest part of the day. Most points of interest open early in the morning, close mid-day and reopen shortly before sunset. Some museums close late in the evening. For Saudi government-run venues, they are usually open every day of the week, with a big break on Fridays or an afternoon opening only.

Enjoying yourself Saudi Arabia

The hours vary depending on the type of restaurant. Fast food restaurants serving falafel and restaurants specializing in breakfast dishes (foul madames, mutton liver, omelets...) open very early, between 5 and 6 am, and close at noon. Traditional restaurants open in the late morning, between 11am and 1pm, and close in the evening after 11pm. Fast-food restaurants such as shawarma, hamburger, chicken in all its forms are open continuously between 11am and midnight, sometimes 2am.

Please note that on Fridays, the day of the great prayer, most restaurants are closed in the morning and only open from 1pm or 2pm, or even later.

Take a break Saudi Arabia

You will find a coffee shop on every corner of almost every city in Saudi Arabia. Some are open during the day, from 9am to 7pm, some open very early in the morning and close at the end of the day, and some are open 24 hours a day. So the hours vary a lot, but you will never have trouble finding a café that is open whenever you feel like having a coffee.

(To) please yourself Saudi Arabia

Saudis get up early (for the first prayer at dawn), but stores open late. In the souks, they are sometimes open in the morning, between 8 and 10 am. They lower the curtain during the hot hours of the day, to reopen around 4pm and close at 10pm. Some do not open at all in the morning.

Traditional stores, with air-conditioned stores, are generally open between 10am and 10pm. Shopping centers have similar hours. The busiest malls or those with many restaurants and movie theaters close between midnight and 2am.