What Should Women Tourists Wear in Saudi Arabia?

When I had a flight booked from NYC to Riyadh, I was not only concerned with how I should dress on the plane, but how I should dress once I planned to exit the airport. I found conflicting information online; some sites saying to dress in the traditional hijab and abaya, while others saying women can dress in modern everyday clothes, so long as they are modest. Here’s what I learned about women’s attire in my short-time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Do Women Have To Wear An Abaya?

Women should definitely not be walking around in short-shorts and tank-tops, but do we have to wear an abaya? Nope. I bought this piece for my trip to Saudi Arabia, and my guide told me I didn’t need to wear it.

Though not a traditional abaya, I wore a Kaftan instead. I knew I could get future use of it as a beach cover-up. Plus, it was so comfortable to wear on the plane, and while walking around Riyadh!

You can purchase the Kaftan pictured above here.

What was even more convenient about this piece was I kept my fanny pack with all of my most valuables (travel credit card, headphones, passport, phone charger) underneath, and no one could see it, though it did make for an awkward encounter when I was randomly asked to show my passport at one point.

Do Women Have To Wear a Hijab?

As you can see, I kept a blue scarf around my neck in case I was to visit any holy sites that required my hair to be covered. For the most part, however, I was able to just wear it as is. Underneath my kaftan, I wore black leggings and a light pink t-shirt that went up to my neck, as I did not want any of the skin on my chest/cleavage to be showing.

Even in this photo, you can see that I had my hair covered, but not fully in the proper way. That is because there were no rigid rules for tourists to dress the way local women do. I had hired a guide for the day, and he told me it was not necessary to keep an abaya on, and that I could wear more casual clothing if I so desired. I chose not to, because I think it adds to the experience to dress respectfully based on the local culture, and because I was traveling alone, I wanted to minimize my standing out.

Buy some colorful scarves for your trip to Saudi Arabia here.

What Should Women NOT Wear?

• Short shorts
• Tank tops
• Shirts showing cleavage
• Anything that exposes your shoulders
• Dresses/skirts that are above the knee
• Bikinis on public beaches

So… What Can Women Wear?

In short… women can wear almost anything they want, with the exception of those listed above.

If I had seen this photo of myself even a few months ago, I would never guess it would be taken in Saudi Arabia. I always assumed the dress-code would be strict, that my hair must be covered at all times, and that there’s no fashion freedom. How very wrong I was! I saw women, mainly locals, with fabulous smoky makeup and designs on their abayas. Even in wearing their traditional clothing, they all found ways to make it fabulous. Inspired by them, I did a blue eyeshadow pop to go with my blue scarf.

Have you ever traveled to somewhere with a rigid dress-code? Did you enjoy dressing like the locals? How did it add to your experience? Leave a comment and let me know!

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