Walking Tour: Al Masmak Fortress, Souq Al Zal, and Saudi coffee

Overview

Available languages

Arabic

English

3 hours

Mobile ticket

In this tour we will visit the Murabba Historical Palace, which was the official workplace and residence of King Abdulaziz, designed according to the prevalent traditional designs. Then, we will head to Souq Al Zal and see the different traditional goods and learn about their usage and meaning in the culture. After that, we will visit Al Masmak Fortress which witnessed the scene of the battle to restore Riyadh by His Majesty King Abdulaziz, which was the beginning of his journey to unite Saudi Arabia.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Souk Al Zal

We will walk around in the Souk and see the different traditional goods.

30 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Al Masmak Fortress

Al Masmak Fortress which witnessed the scene of the battle to restore Riyadh by His Majesty King Abdulaziz, which was the beginning of his journey to unite Saudi Arabia

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

What‘s Included

Bottled water

Coffee and/or Tea

Options

Fortress+Market+Saudi coffee

Duration: 2 hours
Saudi Coffee
Short Walking Tour: This is a walking tour that will cover Almasmak fortress, Souq Alzal. In addition to having Saudi Coffee and dates.

Reviews

5.00

24 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Story telling at it’s finest
RanjanM S,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
A must do with the most professional and passionate guide, Aziz. It was a good start to our trip with beautifully woven story telling to understand the history of Riyadh and Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh tour
77vitalyv,,Nov 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Aziz, thank you very much for the tour. It was the best and the most enjoyable tour in a long time. You have a very good personality.
Excellent tour - Aziz is very passionate about his work
GSTgst,,Nov 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Aziz was an excellent tour guide! Excellent, excellent, excellent! He has such enthusiasm for his work. And he is very knowledgeable about Saudi history and life too. I like how he was telling us the story of the beginning of Saudi Arabia and the three kingdoms, and instead of it sounding like a boring history book, he made it sound intriguing like a soap opera. I love the mid tour stop off for Arabic coffee and dates (with sesame ). And the walk-through the nearby Souq/marketplace was fascinating too – he explained a lot of the background of the items being sold. I would absolutely recommend him and this tour!
Excellent tour!
Greg T,,Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Aziz was an excellent tour guide! Excellent, excellent, excellent! He has such enthusiasm for his work. And he is very knowledgeable about Saudi history and life too. I like how he was telling us the story of the beginning of Saudi Arabia and the three kingdoms, and instead of it sounding like a boring history book, he made it sound intriguing like a soap opera. I love the mid tour stop off for Arabic coffee and dates (with sesame ). And the walk-through the nearby Souq/marketplace was fascinating too – he explained a lot of the background of the items being sold. I would absolutely recommend him and this tour!
Souq tour
Marilyn Y,,Oct 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
It was paced very well, and our guide, I don't remember his name Sorry. The tour was at 5 pm. He was very personable, conscience, and considerate to show us the best insight into the culture and the sites. This was very much worth while and enjoyable.
If you're in Riyadh, do this tour. Aziz is amazing!
Frederick N,,Oct 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
The sites shown on the tour are some of the best things to see in Riyadh, and this is an excellent way to see them. Aziz was simply one of the best tour guides I've ever experienced. He was hugely knowledgable, knew what to highlight and what to skip, and would answer any question to the best of his ability. He was very engaging, conversational and friendly, and passionate about Saudi Arabia's opening to tourism. Unfortunately, on our visit, the Murabba palace was closed for unscheduled maintenance due to a problem the previous day, so we couldn't visit. Aziz very kindly treated us all to Arabian coffee and dates as compensation, even though the situation was out of his control. He also outright refused to take tips. What a guy! 5/5. If you're in Riyadh, do this. Go to the National Museum before, too - arrive there at 2pm to allow a few hours for that.
One of our best...
Bart M,,Oct 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
One of our best experiences yet, we loved Aziz’s passion. A real experience and so informative, Aziz made Riyadh’s history come alive.
Aziz was such a great...
Addie C,,Oct 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Aziz was such a great guide and showed us a side of Riyadh we wouldn’t have seen without him! He was so friendly and super knowledgeable. The tour was great, we enjoyed getting to see the Palace and the Souk!
Book with Aziz, an Extraordinary Guide!
Rhys F,,Sep 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Aziz gets my highest endorsement and recommendation! His was one of the best city walking tours I’ve ever taken, anywhere. Aziz communicated clearly before the tour, was prompt, and on the tour provided a rich detailed, interesting narrative of Riyadh, its fascinating history, and the features of the various sites we visited. He invited questions — about anything. We accepted that invitation and asked about everything! We engaged in a lively discussion about Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a wide range of topics from dress and wardrobe customs, the government, driving, trends, living in KSA, wedding traditions, laws, and a host of other topics. I got more out of the 3+ hours (he went overtime) with Aziz than I had the prior week I was in Riyadh. He has an engaging personality and is easy to get to know. He offered dining recommendations and said we could contact him during our stay if we had any questions. Who does that? Amazing tour guides like Aziz!
Top class!
Albin F,,Sep 14, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
This was a great tour that I can highly recommend to anyone who is visiting the city. Aziz is a very knowledgeable guide and I learned so much about both the history and culture of Riyadh and Saudi.