Saudi Arabia

Deeply conservative and closed to tourists until just a few years ago, Saudi Arabia is undergoing breakneck change as it banks its post-oil fortunes on tourism, investing billions on resorts, airports and infrastructure. While its reforms are not without critics, today's visitors will see a modernizing society living alongside the traditional Saudi values that have preserved it as a prime Islamic pilgrimage destination. Its treasures are many -- from the ancient Nabataean city of Hegra near Al-Ula to the UNESCO-protected town of At-Turaif and mountain village of Rijal Almaa. On the Red Sea coast, the rising sci-fi city of Neom is already opening luxury resorts, with plenty more coming soon.

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The art of Arabic calligraphy: revitalizing an ancient tradition

In the aerial view, sun plays on the historic ruins as six tourists in Western dress cross the broad shadowed plaza and approach the historic facade and entrance of At Turaif, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Celebs, scientists and sports stars give their tips for Saudi Arabia

This place was inhabited for centuries -- but has only recently had tourists

Saudi Arabia tourism basics

Souk al-Zal: Riyadh's historic marketplace

A photo tour of Saudi Arabia's new Red Sea coastal developments

Saudi Arabia's Haramain high speed train connects the two Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

The high-speed train that zooms across the Saudi desert

A view shows the Maraya concert hall, the world's largest mirrored building, in the ruins of Al-Ula, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Saudi Arabia, on February 19, 2023, where an exhibition showing works by the late US artist Andy Warhol is taking place until May 16 of this year. - The first exhibition in Saudi Arabia for the Pop Art giant is a tribute to the late artist's obsession with celebrity, and his seeming ability to predict the rise of contemporary influencer culture. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Maraya: The world's largest mirrored building

Walk through the ancient alleyways of this historic Jeddah neighborhood

Destination Saudi Arabia

Spotlight on Saudi Arabia's music scene

Exploring the underwater wonders of the Red Sea

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New York

It’s the most happening of cities, a place where over 200 languages are spoken and millions flock each year to see its world-famous sights. New York draws visitors in like nowhere else. The crowded streets of Manhattan are the stuff of legend. First timers will want to head to the top of the Empire State Building and stand beneath the glare of the lights of Times Square. But there’s so much more to see and do, whether it’s catching an Off-Broadway play, checking out world class art at MoMA or shopping the streets of SoHo. Brooklyn’s hip neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Fort Greene offer a more relaxed vibe, while the food in Queens’ Chinatown is worth the long subway ride.