I will be working in Riyadh for a few weeks in May. On previous trips I was returned to my hotel each afternoon and remained there until collected the next morning, and all day on Friday. I was not allowed to use the pool, sit in area around the pool, eat in the hotel dining room (all meals in my room). As a woman on my own is there anywhere I can go when not working? I'm in my late 50s so not looking for a hectic social life, just something aside from sitting in my hotel room. Thanks
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If you are interested in the outdoors, you can join one of the local Hash House Harrier (HHH) groups. The HHH is an ex-pat hiking/walking group that has chapters all across the world. In Saudi Arabia, they go to various places in the desert for ex-pat socializing and site seeing on the weekends. Please note that these groups are only for foreign passport holders. Another option is going to the Diplomatic Quarter or DQ (often times it is called Al Safarat, which translates to embassy). There are many beautiful walking paths and women do walk alone there. While some women do not cover inside the DQ (meaning no abaya or head scarf), as a woman walking alone you may feel more comfortable dressing as you normally do inside Saudi Arabia. Additionally, there are restaurants, cafes, and a women’s only spa/gym inside the DQ.
These are just a few examples of activities. You may also want to contact your local embassy to see if they have outings or events that you can participate in.