Compare 576 Travel Destinations

Saudi Arabia's northwestern oasis valley and its first UNESCO site — Hegra (Madain Salih), 111 monumental Nabataean tombs carved into honeyed sandstone 2,000+ years ago, far better preserved than Petra. The mud-brick Old Town crumbles photogenically at the valley floor; Elephant Rock (Jabal AlFil) defines the night-sky photos; the mirrored Maraya hall hosts headline acts at the Winter at Tantora festival. Opened to tourism only in 2019 — luxury lodges (Habitas, Banyan Tree) lead the boom.

Amman is the gateway to Jordan's ancient wonders — Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea are all within reach. The city itself rewards exploration: the Citadel and Roman Theater anchor the historic core, while the Rainbow Street area buzzes with cafes and galleries. Jordanian hospitality is legendary, and the mansaf (lamb with yogurt sauce) is a must-try.

The Paris of the Middle East is a resilient Mediterranean city of ancient ruins, legendary cuisine, vibrant nightlife, and a creative spirit that persists through every challenge.

Qatar's capital glints across the Persian Gulf — futuristic skyscrapers along the Corniche, I.M. Pei's Museum of Islamic Art on its own peninsula, and Jean Nouvel's desert-rose National Museum. Souq Waqif preserves the old market vibe with falconry shops + Persian-style restaurants. The Pearl-Qatar artificial island and Katara Cultural Village extend the modern face; the Inland Sea desert at the Saudi border delivers dune-bashing day trips. World Cup 2022 host. Hamad International is Qatar Airways' superhub — many travelers arrive on the stopover program.

Saudi Arabia's Red Sea gateway and the historic embarkation port for the Mecca pilgrimage — 4.7 million people on a humid coast where the architecture is older, the food is more Levantine, and the pace is gentler than Riyadh. Al-Balad, the UNESCO-listed old town, is a labyrinth of coral-stone houses with carved-wood rawasheen balconies that sealed in shade and modesty for 500 years. The 30-kilometre Corniche promenade runs north along the Red Sea past the King Fahd Fountain (the world's tallest at 312 metres) and the white minaret of the Floating Mosque. Offshore, the Red Sea has some of the planet's least-visited coral reefs. Hotter and stickier than Riyadh; same November-to-March visiting window.

The most contested 0.9 km² on Earth — the Old City's four quarters hold the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock, and the Via Dolorosa in such proximity that the city's air itself feels charged with 3,000 years of prayer. Beyond the walls: Yad Vashem is the world's most important Holocaust memorial; the Israel Museum holds the Dead Sea Scrolls; Mahane Yehuda market is one of the Middle East's best food markets. Check current advisories.

Oman's elegant capital between mountains and sea — the stunning Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, historic Muttrah Souk, pristine wadis, and genuine Arabian hospitality in one of the Middle East's safest cities.

The cradle of Islam in Oman and the country's capital under the imamate from 1624, sitting in a date-palm oasis 1.5 hours inland from Muscat at the foot of the Hajar mountains. The town is dominated by Nizwa Fort, the giant 1668 round tower built to defend the falaj-irrigated oasis, and by its Friday goat market where Bedouin traders parade live animals around a circular auction floor while silversmiths hammer khanjar daggers in the adjoining souq. Half an hour up the switchbacks lies Jebel Akhdar, the green mountain whose terraced villages distil rosewater each April and May from the Damascene roses that bloom on the cliff edges.

One of the New Seven Wonders — the rose-red Nabataean city carved into desert cliffs. The Siq gorge narrows to 3m wide and 80m tall before revealing the Treasury's 40m facade. Only 15% of the ancient city has been excavated. The Monastery (Ad-Deir) is larger than the Treasury and requires 800 rock-cut steps — most visitors skip it, which is their loss. Petra by Night (Mon/Wed/Thu) is the most atmospheric experience in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia's capital is the most rapidly transforming city in the Gulf — a desert plateau metropolis of 14 million whose Vision 2030 reset has brought tourist eVisas (since 2019), women drivers, public concerts, and the city-scale Riyadh Season festival running each October to March. The skyline is dominated by the Kingdom Centre Tower with its 65th-floor Sky Bridge, the National Museum sits in the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre, and Diriyah — the mud-brick UNESCO seat of the original Saudi state — is being restored on the city's western edge. Ninety minutes northwest, the Edge of the World cliffs (Jebel Fihrayn) drop 300 metres into a pink desert. Summer is brutal at 45°C plus; visit November through March.

Oman's southern Dhofar capital, a tropical anomaly on the Arabian Peninsula where the Khareef monsoon turns 1,000 km of desert green between June and September. While the rest of the Gulf is hitting 45°C, Salalah sits under a cool 25-30°C drizzle, drawing Saudi and Emirati families to its banana plantations, frankincense-scented mountains and Indian-Ocean beaches. The Frankincense Trail UNESCO sites run through the suburbs — Sumhuram on the Khor Rori lagoon, Al Baleed in the city, and the desert outpost of Wubar — and the Hilton and Anantara Al Baleed beach resorts anchor a coastline lined with date palms and old fishing villages.

Israel's Mediterranean coastal city pulses with Bauhaus architecture, world-class beaches, a legendary food scene, thriving nightlife, and a startup culture rivaling Silicon Valley.

Jordan's Mars-like desert of towering sandstone cliffs, natural rock bridges, and Bedouin camps under some of the clearest night skies on Earth. Lawrence of Arabia's playground.

12,000 square kilometres of classic 1001 Nights desert east of Muscat, officially renamed the Sharqiya Sands but still known to most travellers as Wahiba after the Bedouin tribe whose herds still roam the dunes. Red-orange ridges line up in parallel north-south combs that reach 100 metres at their peak, broken by hardpan flats where camel caravans crossed for centuries. Most visitors arrive overland from the capital, stopping en route at Wadi Bani Khalid for an oasis swim before checking into a Bedouin-style desert camp for sunset 4WD dune-bashing, sandboarding and a stargazing dinner under skies free of light pollution. Peak season runs October to March; summer routinely tops 50°C.