Jeddah has clearly learned how to do a big event and after coming back from the 2024 #SaudiGP and knowing is only their 4th edition this city knows how to make sure tourist come back for more. Not only the event was A++ but getting to know more about the city history and talking with the local people made it even better. Their Saudi 2030 vision is into full throttle, go to Visit Saudi and see more info on what they offer, plus requirements to enter the country.
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Jeddah a port city in the Makkah province in Saudi Arabia was established in the 6th century BC along the Red Sea coast; there are some experts that say it was settled more than 2500 years. It is the 2nd biggest city in terms of population and serves as arrival point to millions of Muslims that visit Mecca, a place where they go for pilgrimage especially for Hajj a sacred Muslim pilgrimage that ever-able bodied Muslim who has financial means should do after Prophet Muhammad farewell pilgrimage.
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Getting to Jeddah from Dubai by air is a quick 2:30 hours flight, landing at the King Abdulaziz International Airport. Immigration and Customs were a breeze and the people there were very welcoming. Airport is big with good signage in both Arabic and English; for transportation we arrange a paid transport that was waiting for us to take us to the hotel. The hotel offer is huge and you have many recognizable brands and also local hotels to choose, we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel were the room and location was excellent.
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If you are a fan to F1, you will know that each race is a fun filled weekend of activities leading to the big race that marks the end of that week Grand Prix; if you are not a fan of F1 but like entertainment the event is like a stop of a big festival where you get to spend a weekend doing outdoor activities like games, concerts, and in this case an auto race with some of the fastest car in the world with speeds of more than 250 km/hr and 4.5 G´s in the curves (crazy stuff when seen live)
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The event is identified as the fastest street circuit in Formula One and is done at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit a 6.174 km motor racing street-circuit built in a beautiful setting by the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. The circuit staged the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5 December 2021, it looks that the race will be here until 2027 before moving to Qiddiya a planned entertainment and tourism megaproject in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia being built under the Saudi Vision 2030 program.
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Don’t think of the F1 race as just the race; during the 3 day weekend you have multiple races of different categories like F1 Academy, F2, Porsche Carrera and of course F1, also many entertainment activities like F1 simulators, games, airplane shows plus live concerts in our case artists like Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Martin Garrix were playing during the weekend. The weekend is filled with so many activities that time literally flies, important to download the even calendar so you don’t miss all the action. Expect to spend 10-12 hours doing GP related activities and also, I encourage you to add some sightseeing to explore the city and get to know the local vibe.
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I do not consider myself a hardcore fan of F1, but having the opportunity to see some of the best drivers in some of the best cars in the world racing one of the toughest tracks of the calendar was exhilarating. You see on tv these cars and look fast, but when you see them live in the track at the end of a DRS zone it looks like they are flying, simply amazing. We bought Grandstand B tickets and found a nice place to see some of the best live action (end of a DRS straight) plus a big monitor in front to follow the race. In my view you need to find a place where you can see good live action but also access to monitors, so you can follow all of what happens in the race.
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It was a hectic 3 days in Jeddah but had the opportunity to do some activities outside the GP and one of them was spending half a day in one of the local Beach Clubs (La Plage), arranged by one of my co-workers that lives in Jeddah. What a great place to relax, enjoy the Red Sea and chillax. If you are a Scuba diver, there is a station there where you can enjoy some diving and from what I read the Red Sea offers lots to see underwater. There are many great people in Saudi and my friend Farid clearly is an example of how welcoming people are and how they really want you to spend the best time in their country. Shukran my friend.
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The other activity before flying back to Dubai was an Old Jeddah (Known as Al-Balad) walking tour. Here in Old Jeddah, you will find many traditional buildings that dates back to the era before oil was found, it has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014 and the crown prince has issued a royal decree to restore many of the buildings. I know that this area will be an iconic place to visit soon with many restaurants, hotels, and museums based on all the refurbishing they are doing; here you will see some photos of the very nice architecture the city has to offer.
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We finish our tour eating fresh seafood from Jeddah at a local restaurant, it was a unique experience, the recommendation was done by our tour guide Muhammad that showed us the city in a very detailed way, truly recommend him for the tour. It was a great way to finish our 3 days in Jeddah before flying back.
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Jeddah is transforming and becoming an even greater city; their history and architecture; their food, and more important the people will make Jeddah a great tourism destination in the years to come. Thanks for reading the post, please share it with your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, and Facebook search for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….