Buraydah (بريدة) is a city in the Nejd region of Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of Qassim (Gassim) province, and the names are often used interchangeably on timetables and signage.

Traders at the date market

Understand

Buraydah has the unenviable reputation of being the most conservative town in all Saudi Arabia. Women are advised to dress conservatively, this means wearing an abayah and covering the face.

Get in

By plane

The region is served by an international airport, however most flights are domestic.

• 1 Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport (20 km west of city centre). Better known as Qassim International Airport. ELQ  ^IATA (updated Apr 2023)

By road

Riyadh, the kingdom's capital, is 320 km away. There is not much scenery between the two cities, but the road network is good for travel.

By rail

High-speed trains operated by Saudi Arabia Railways connects with Riyadh daily, with a journey time of about 2½ hours.

• 2 Al Qassim railway station (محطة القصيم) (20 km northeast of city centre). (updated Apr 2023)

See

• 1 Buraydah Museum (متحف بريدة). (updated Apr 2023)

Buy

For a different kind of commerce, you can go to this local shopping mall

The city is known for its high quality dates. The dates can be bought from the market near al-Khubaib.

Sleep

There are several hotels. Other than that, furnished apartments are available but generally not advised, and they are usually reserved for families and do not accept single men.

• 1 Mövenpick Hotel Qassim (موفنبيكْ القصيم) (On King Khaled Road), ☏ +966 16 316 9999. (updated Mar 2017)