24h Shopping Trip to Jeddah

I recently returned from a 24-hour shopping trip to Jeddah. Despite the joys of living in Addis, we all know that imported goods can be very expensive here (or not available at all), and so my wife and I decided to send me on a shopping run.  

Why Jeddah?

Jeddah is the cheapest international destination that you can fly to from Addis Ababa and it has lots of shopping malls. I paid 47,266 Birr for my return flight even though I booked last minute (389 USD at the XE rate). For comparison, flights to Nairobi in two weeks from now are available for 81,854 Birr (674 USD). Kenya Airways have an offer for 479 at the end of October but still Jeddah is cheaper.

The flight

The flight out was great because I had an emergency exit row to myself. I left Addis at a very comfortable 11.20 am and arrived in Jeddah (which is on the same time zone), 2.5 hours later. I then had exactly 24 hours in Jeddah as I arrived back at the airport at 13.45 for my flight back at 15.20 (I was cutting it fine but made it).

Unfortunately, for those who have been following Boeing’s recent demise, both legs were on a Boeing 737 MAX 8, which is the plane that crashed twice in 2018/2019 killing 346 people. Sadly, there was no other decent flight options and so I accepted the death trap, telling myself that it would at least be an experience.

Where to stay?

There are hundreds of hotels to choose from in Jeddah. After long deliberation I settled on the Holiday Inn Jeddah Corniche, which was fine. It’s a city hotel, the rooms were large, and the staff friendly, but it was not very well located and I had to take a taxi to get anywhere.

If you are going for a shopping trip, I would recommend the Joudyan Hotel, which is connected to the Red Sea Mall and also working distance from the sea. If you are going to Jeddah for more of a beach holiday then I would suggest a bit more research to find a place where men and women are allowed to sunbathe together (they do exist due to the King’s recent efforts to boost tourism as part of its Vision 2030 national transformation strategy.

Getting Around

There are plenty of taxi apps in Jeddah. I used Uber and Bolt. Bolt was cheaper but Uber was quicker in some circumstances. Some friends recommended Careem, a local app, but I didn’t bother to download and register since I was only there for one day.

The Shopping

There are lots of glitzy malls in Jeddah but the biggest is Red Sea Mall so I decided to start there. This mall has everything you could possibly imagine. Any brand you can think of probably has a shop there; I saw Claires, Birkenstock, Ecco, Adidas, Pottery Barn, Hugo Boss, Versace, Mothercare, Virgin Megastore (I didn’t know these still existed), Lush, Columbia, etc, etc. The food options are no less extensive, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Juice Time, Charley’s Philley Steaks, Hardee’s Burgers, Five Guys, Subway, etc, etc etc. You name it, they have it, plus about 100 middle eastern chains that I wasn’t familiar with. What also impressed me about the Red Sea Mall is that it wasn’t just the expensive, high ends brands, they also have discount clothing stores and a Danube supermarket. It has everything you need.

However, I also went to a Danube supermarket, which is one of the big ones in Saudi Arabia, outside the mall and it was just like a regular European supermarket (except no pork and alcohol). I spent a good 600 usd at the supermarket and found almost everything I needed. Some things were super cheap, others more than you’d pay in Europe, but most things were reasonable.

In the evening I went to the old town – Al Balad – which is full of local shops and traders. It’s a picturesque area which I spent a good couple of hours exploring. The shops get a bit samey after a while and they mostly focus on local products, which was not the main focus of my trip. However, I found some bargains including some gold from the ancient Gold Souk and I really enjoyed exploring the area. When I came to leave, however, I realise that I had massively underestimated the size of the place. I couldn’t get an Uber or Bolt to come into the area even though there were lots of cars in there so eventually I had to walk out to meet the taxi. I think I spent almost an hour trying to get out of Al Balad, so do plan well before you go there.

I am told that another good shopping area is Tahlia St, but the shops there are spread so a car would be needed to hop between them, so not ideal for a short trip.

What Did I Buy?

Aside from Pork and alcohol, you can find anything you want in Jeddah. I bought a computer screen, a bike, other children’s toys, pasta, pesto, milk powder, clothes, shoes, medicines, a smart watch, bags, creams, shampoo, a mini keyboard, cheese, pans, batteries, etc, etc, etc.

Was it worth it?

The entire shopping trip cost me 2,493 USD. I spent 1,707 on shopping and 785 on flights, visa, hotel, food, and taxis. Essentially, I spent 2,493 USD on 1,707 USD of shopping, so I paid about 45% more for everything than the shop price. However, it’s not such a simple calculation since I didn’t go to Jeddah only to save money, I also went to buy the things that you just cannot find here, and to get better quality. I bought medicines, for example, that are available here but are just better quality in Saudi. Overall, my wife and I are pleased with our purchases and will probably plan another shopping trip to Jeddah at some point in the future.

Final notes

• Jeddah is massive. Things look close together on a map but in reality they are far apart. For example, it took over 20 minutes to get from the hotel to the mall, and about 40 minutes to get to the airport, all on highways.
• All taxi drivers like to text and drive. If you are partial to drivers looking at the road, best not to ask them too many questions.
• Jeddah is super safe. Everyone told me that you can walk around in any area at any time and you’ll be fine. I don’t know if that’s an exaggeration but indeed I found myself alone at night on small streets trying to find my way out of the old town and I felt very comfortable at all times.