Riyadh Airport is best reached by car, either by rental car or taxi. There is also a yellow metro line to the airport, but you will need to change once on your way to the city centre.
There are no regular bus services to King Khalid Airport in Riyadh.
Taxi, Uber, Careem and more
By far the most straightforward and easiest option for getting to central Riyadh are taxis.
You can get a car at all terminals at any hour of the day or night without any problems.
There are regular taxis running strictly with a meter, as well as alternative apps where you can order a car via your mobile and know the price upfront. You pay directly from the mobile app, where you enter your credit card details.
How to book a taxi?
In Riyadh and Saudi Arabia in general, mobile apps for taxis are very popular.
Most people in Riyadh use the Careem mobile app (available at: careem.com), but the world-famous Uber app (available at: uber.com) or Bolt (available at: bolt.eu) also work well here.
The Jeeny app also works in Riyadh.
Taxis can be hailed via the mobile app to terminals 2, 3 and 5.
You should ideally book your car after exiting the airport concourse. Waiting time is usually 5-10 minutes. If you don't want to spend time buying a local sim card upon arrival, purchase an electronic sim card online before you fly to Saudi Arabia without worrying. airalo.com.
Taxi prices
Prices on the Uber and Careem apps are dynamic and depend on demand. Here are examples of average prices to specific locations from the airport.
- Kingdom Center: 105 sar
- Al Rahji Mosque: 110 sar
- Masmak Fortress: 137 sar
- Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University: 67 sar
Taxi prices are calculated strictly according to the taxi meter:
- Starting rate: 20 sar
- 1 km ride: 2,10 sar
- 1 minute wait (if the car speed is below 20 km/h): 0,90 sar
Metro 4 - Yellow Line
Riyadh Metro's Yellow Line runs to the airport and stops at all terminals.
The operating hours of all Riyadh metro lines are 6:00-0:00, which are the departure times of the first and last trains from the origin stations.
Find connections and official information here: rpt.sa/lines.
The Yellow Line goes to the financial district in the north of the city ( KAFD station), where it transfers to the Blue Line towards the centre.
At Ar Rabi station you can change to the T1 express bus line to the eastern part of the city centre, and at SABIC station you can change to the purple metro line which goes to the eastern suburbs of Riyadh.
- Frequency - 10 minutes
- Journey time - 25 minutes to KAFD station + approx. 15 more minutes to the city centre
Fares
Tickets are always valid on all DARB metro and bus lines and are valid for the full duration of their validity. You can therefore make any number of transfers between metro and bus lines.
There are 1st class carriages on the metro, but for general tourists it is worth buying tickets for regular standard carriages.
- 4 sar - 2 hours
- 20 sar - 3 days
There are three ways to pay for your tickets:
- With your own contactless card or Apple Pay - just attach the card to the turnstile in the metro or to the reader inside the bus.
- Via the DARB mobile app - Google Play / App Store
- By DARB card for 10 sar, on which you can upload as many tickets as you like - available from the vending machine in the station
For a complete list of tickets and payment methods, visit the official website: rpt.sa/tickets.
Rent a car
If you're not just spending time in Riyadh, but heading out to explore the natural beauty of Saudi Arabia, hiring a car is the most convenient option.
Foreigners can rent a car without restrictions. All you need is an international driving license and a credit card.
Prices for a weekly rental at Riyadh Airport start at 260 eur.
