Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bookstore, usually within three days of publication. Don't expect your foreign newspaper
to include all of its pages - censors routinely extract articles about Saudi Arabia and any
photographs considered vaguely risqué or controversial.
Radio
Jeddah Radio (96.2FM) broadcasts in English and French, while the
BBC World Service
(
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice
/
)
is available online and on short-wave frequency (11.760khz or
15.575khz).
TV
Satellite TV is widely available. NBC2 (
www.nbc-2.com
)
broadcasts films in English 24
hours, and Saudi Arabia TV Channel 2 (
www.sauditv2.tv
)
broadcasts in English
(everything from Australian soap operas to
Islam Q&A
).
MONEY
Credit Cards
Many establishments accept credit cards, including most medium- to large-sized hotels,
restaurants, airline offices and shops. Surprisingly some tour operators don't - check first.
Currency
The unit of currency is the Saudi riyal (SR) and one riyal (SR1) is divided into 100
halalas. Coins come in 25 and 50 halala denominations. Notes come in SR1, SR5, SR10,
SR20, SR50, SR100, SR200 and SR500 denominations. The Saudi riyal is a hard currency
and there are no restrictions on its import or export.
Exchanging Money
Banks and ATMs that accept international cards are ubiquitous throughout Saudi. For ex-
changing cash, you'll get a much better rate at a money exchange bureaux. All major hard
currencies are exchanged and commission is not usually charged, but check this first. Ex-
change desks at hotels offer poor rates.
OPENING HOURS
Opening hours vary according to the season and province. In general:
Banks
8.30am to noon and 4.30pm to 8pm Saturday to Wednesday. At airports, banks are
open 24 hours.
Offices
7.30am to 2.30pm or 3.30pm Saturday to Wednesday
Post offices
7.30am to 10pm Saturday to Wednesday, 4.30pm to 10pm Friday
Restaurants
7am to 10.30am, noon to 3pm and 6pm or 7pm to midnight (to 1am or 2am
at weekends)
