Taxis remain the most convenient way to get from one place to the next but a monorail is planned for the near future in keeping the city’s modern approach to urban planning.

Taxi: most of the taxis in the city are white and are almost always driven by nationals of India and Pakistan that make up the large contingent of cheap migrant labour in the city. Many cannot speak English, however, so polish up your Hindi before leaving home.

Car: travellers to Riyadh are allowed to rent a car providing they are not women, meaning age-old sexist jokes about reverse parking are redundant here. The roads are well-maintained and fairly easy to navigate with a map as many places are marked with signs in English and Arabic.

Bus: the Saudi Public Transport Company runs the inner city buses here with modern, comfortable vehicles. Make sure to get hold of a bus route map if you plan to get around this way, which is by the most economical mode of transport in Riyadh.