Khobar

Khobar (Al-Khobar, Al-Khubar) is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Understand
The newest of the Dammam-Dhahran-Khobar trio, Khobar is generally considered the most pleasant of the bunch, thanks to its seaside location and beachside Corniche. Besides, Khobar is most organised and has the best pedestrian friendly walk ways, and women have fewer restrictions (in terms of wearing a hijab) compared to other eastern cities.

By plane
The nearest airport is in Dammam. Even though Dammam Airport hosts flights from places such as Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dubai, Doha, Cairo and Istanbul, many travellers choose to enter the country via the Bahrain Airport and drive across the King Fahd Causeway to Khobar. Flying into Manama, Bahrain can be pleasant for some travellers from Western countries. Companies commonly book business flights into Manama instead of Dammam solely because the Bahrain International Airport has bars and airport lounges where drinks are served - usually a nice way for foreigners to spend their last few hours outside of a country where alcohol is illegal. Also, Bahrain International Airport is one of the best connected in the region, while most flights out of DMM would require a connection in Riyadh or Jeddah.

By train
Dammam's train station is 15 min away by taxi.

By bus
The Saudi-Bahraini Transport Company (SABTCO) has five buses daily to Bahrain, see that article for details. The SABTCO office is in the center of the city, just ask any taxi driver.

The nearest main bus station is in Dammam, but SAPTCO also offers direct VIP services from Riyadh to Khobar.

Get around
Khobar is vast and sprawling, and taxis are quite limited unless you are near town. You really need your own car to get around here, but just remember that lanes don't really mean all that much here.

However, near town, you can pretty much catch a cab anywhere. At a hotel/compound, you will get a cab within 5-10 minutes of a call.

See
The causeway connecting Saudi Arabia to Bahrain is worth looking at.

Do
One popular activity in Khobar is riding ATVs on the coast of the Arabian Gulf south of town. It's a lot of fun to run up and down the sand dunes or just along the beach in an ATV at 40 miles per hour. Most of the places where you can rent ATVs are managed by locals who do not speak English. While it is ideal to be accompanied by an Arabic-speaking companion, a visitor with a minimal level of cross-cultural communications skills will usually have no problem reaching an agreement. Prices vary depending on the operator and the size and quality of the ATVs. 80 to 120 Riyal an hour is usually considered a fair rate.

The coast south of Khobar along "Half-Moon Bay" also has numerous beaches. Many of these have shaded sitting areas, trash cans and showers. Closer to town most of the beaches are family only, but approximately 40 km south there are a number which are open to singles. Camping and campfires are permitted (or at least tolerated). The water throughout this area is incredibly shallow and warm and there is little to no tide or wave action. That said, most of the beaches have decent sand, are large enough to get away from the crowds and are relatively clean.

The Rashid Mall and Mall of Dhahran are Khobar's 2 biggest malls and are comparable to those found in western countries. Both offer many stores you would find there, and both offer large food halls with well-known outlets as well as Middle Eastern versions and specialists. For those with families, both of these malls have amusement parks.

For those unfamiliar with the Middle East, central Khobar, with its traffic and crowded streets, may feel a bit intimidating. Generally speaking, the visitor will not feel unsafe but may feel somewhat alone on the streets. The downtown area, especially near the waterfront, is highly-developed and gentrified, with many name-brand and Western eateries, coffee-shops and retailers. It is a bustling area with magnificent local food and good buys on merchandise (though quality may vary). Restaurant workers downtown will cater specially to Westerners. Prices vary, but tend to be reasonable - it is often possible to have a wonderful dinner downtown at a cafe of lamb, beef liver, chicken, rice, bread, falafel, veggies, and more for only the equivalent of $10 USD total for 4 people.

Another fun place in Khobar is Golf World, which has 4 screen golf rooms and a 3-cushion billiard table. The place is in Makkah St. Olaya Center- Olaya area (Aqrrubiah Before) Make reservations by calling 889-7078.

Buy
Mall of Dhahran - over 1,000,000 sq. feet of retail space. koko centre point

Eat
If you enjoy fast food, local vendors such as Baba Habbas offer delicious and cheap hamburgers, fries and drinks that closely remind to the food in other parts of the world. One of the most traditional meals here is Chicken Shawaya with Rice which is basically chicken and rice - which is also a popular combination worldwide.

Never try to ask for pork in Saudi Arabia as in most Islamic countries this is a prohibited food considered sinful. Stick to chicken, beef, seafood (Khobar is near to the seaside) and veg food.

Drink
Alcoholic beverages are illegal, as they are in the rest of the kingdom. There are a lot of cafeterias in the city that serve a really tasty tea, known as "shay" by locals, which is sometimes served with milk or mint. Coffee and breakfast franchises such as Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and IHOP exist all around the city and they’re usually in malls and the Corniche.