International cuisine is on offer in five and four star hotels that have restaurants attached and other up market restaurants, but no pork and alcohol. For the budget tourist, the areas around the bus stations have hoards of small coffee shops, shwarma (middle eastern snack) stands and restaurants. A meal consisting of half a chicken and a huge pile of rice costs SR 7 to SR 10. All types of fast foods and snacks are available also such as pizzas and burgers (though no pork products). You can also get good Filipino, Lebanese, Turkish and continental food in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah has many restaurants to suit every taste and budget because the people there love to eat out. International fast food chains have set up shop in the oil producing areas of Eastern Province and Jeddah.

Almost every type of public entertainment such as cinema, theatre, and even lounge singers in hotel restaurants, are banned in Saudi Arabia. Apart from hotels and restaurants there is no nightlife in the country.

Silver Bedouin jewellery, which is really from Yemen, but you can get it in the souqs of Riyadh and Jeddah. Woven Bedouin bags from Hofuf souq or the weekly Bedouin market at Nairiyah. Gold jewellery is a good buy. Other souvenirs such as incense burners come from Pakistan. But the small pottery incense burners sold in Jizan are locally made.

The only cultural and folk festival in the country is the Janadriyah National Festival, which takes place every February, lasting about two weeks, at a special site about 45 km north east of central Riyadh. It includes traditional dancing, camel races, lectures and poetry readings as well as traditional arts and crafts shows.