The Jeddah Corniche waterfront with the Island Mosque Photo of the city, not of the venue. Photo: Maher Helmi on UnsplashAn aquarium tunnel with fish swimming around the visitors Illustration only: another country, not this venue. Photo: Nico Smit on Unsplash
Jeddah
1Fakieh Aquarium
Fakieh Aquarium stands on the Jeddah Corniche, facing the Red Sea. Its own site calls it the only aquarium for the public in Saudi Arabia and lists more than 200 species, among them sharks, stingrays, Napoleon wrasse and seahorses, with Red Sea life and animals from other seas and oceans. A Wasalt guide adds a coral reef display, a penguin encounter and a touch pool.
Why go
It is the one place in this guide where the Red Sea is explained by the animals themselves. A dolphin and sea lion show runs daily for families, and the site announces more, among them a Sea Dragon and swimming with dolphins, without giving a date. Treat those as plans, not as things to book.
Time to plan
2 to 3 hours with a show (our estimate; no source gives a time)
Tickets
The aquarium's page gives no hours or prices, so check there on the day.
Getting there
On the Jeddah Corniche (Visit Saudi, Wasalt), so a walk along the water is the natural addition. Al-Balad and the Red Sea Museum are in the old city; allow a taxi between them.
In one line. Jeddah has a real aquarium: more than 200 species, Red Sea life, and a daily dolphin and sea lion show.
A cafe with a wooden facade in Al-Balad, Jeddah Photo of the city, not of the venue. Photo: Faisal Almalki on Unsplash
Jeddah
2Red Sea Museum
The museum opened on 6 December 2025 in Al-Balad, in the restored Bab al-Bunt building, once the main entry point to Jeddah for pilgrims, merchants and travellers. Wikipedia counts more than 1,000 objects and over 100 contemporary artworks in seven thematic sections across 23 halls, with about four temporary exhibitions a year.
Why go
The sea explains Jeddah, and this museum stands inside the gate where people arrived. It covers navigation, trade, geology and pilgrimage, and Al-Balad around it, a UNESCO site since 2014 with wooden roshan windows, is the best walk in the city.
Time to plan
1 to 2 hours (per House of Saud)
Tickets
House of Saud lists the price as still to be confirmed, so check the museum's own page.
Getting there
Inside Al-Balad, the historic centre of Jeddah. Come on foot through the old streets from the Al-Bahr side, which faces the sea in the south-west of the quarter (Wikipedia).
In one line. A museum about the sea, inside the gate where Jeddah's pilgrims and merchants once arrived.
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