Can you get around Riyadh by metro? Yes — and it’s cheap. All six lines of the Riyadh metro are running (opened Dec 2024 — Jan 2025), covering 176 km and 83 stations, driverless, from SAR 4 per ride. But the metro is a corridor system, not a door-to-door one: it shines on a handful of core routes (Olaya, KAFD, the airport branch) and doesn’t come within tens of kilometres of the desert trips or the heritage quarters. This guide is the honest pairing answer — metro where it works, a fixed-price taxi where it genuinely ends — so you know exactly when to tap the Darb card and when to hire a ride.
Can you get around Riyadh by metro?
Yes, for a set of core routes. All 6 lines (Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Purple) are in service — the last section (Line 3 Orange) opened on 5 January 2025, so the entire network is live. Realistically it covers the north–south spine through the city centre, KAFD, and the airport branch(T1–2). For day trips (Edge of the World, the red sand dunes, Huraymila) there is no metro at all — that’s where a private taxi takes over. Plan it as a hybrid: metro for the in-town legs, private taxi for anything door-to-door or beyond the lines.
First service detail: trains run from roughly 5:30 am to midnight (Sat–Thu) and from ~10 am on Fridays; hours can shift for Ramadan and holidays.
Which Riyadh metro lines exist and where do they go?
Six lines, all operating (opened 1 Dec 2024; Line 3 followed on 5 Jan 2025):
| Line | Colour | Route (key stops) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | Blue | SAB Bank (Al Hizam Al Akhdar) – Ad Dar Al Baida | 25 stations, 38 km — the main north–south spine along the Olaya corridor; serves KAFD |
| Line 2 | Red | King Saud University – King Fahad Sport City | King Fahd Rd corridor |
| Line 3 | Orange | Jeddah Road – Khashm Al An | Al Madinah Rd corridor |
| Line 4 | Yellow | KAFD – Airport (T1–2) | The airport branch |
| Line 5 | Green | Ministry of Education – National Museum | 12 stations, 12.9 km — the tourist-intersection line (National Museum, Murabba area) |
| Line 6 | Purple | KAFD – An Naseem | East–south link from the KAFD hub |
Key interchange — KAFD: Lines 1, 4 and 6 meet at the King Abdullah Financial District, which is the hub you’ll route through for the airport run and for moving between the north-south and east-south corridors.
Riyadh metro map (PDF & app)
The official map and the live planner live in the Darb app (iOS/Android) and on the Riyadh Metro / RCRC official pages — use the app’s planner rather than third-party map screenshots, which quickly go stale.
- Official map: Riyadh Metro official site
- App: search “Darb” in the App Store / Play Store — it’s the network’s ticketing + route planner.
- Offline tip: download the line map on your phone before you ride; station signage is clear, but planning ahead saves a baking walk.
Riyadh metro fares, hours & the Darb card
| Pass | Regular | First class |
|---|---|---|
| Single ride (2-hour window) | SAR 4 | SAR 10 |
| 3-day | ~SAR 20 | ~SAR 50 |
| 7-day | ~SAR 40 | ~SAR 100 |
| 30-day | SAR 140 | SAR 350 |
- Payment runs through the Darb card (tap card; ~SAR 10 to buy) or the Darb app.
- Children under 6 travel free; students, seniors 60+, and people with disabilities get ~50% off with the right Darb category card.
- Hours: ~5:30 am – midnight (Sat–Thu), late morning on Fridays; extends around Ramadan.
The cost reality: SAR 4 for a 2-hour window beats any car on price — but only if the station is at both your door and your destination door.
Where does the metro work well for tourists?
- Hotel districts on the Blue spine (Olaya area): the Olaya corridor is the metro’s backbone, so many mid-city hotels sit close to a Line 1 station — genuinely useful.
- KAFD: Lines 1, 4 and 6 put the financial district within reach from most of the centre.
- National Museum / Murabba (Line 5 Green): the tourist-intersection line — Museum, Murabba historical area get a station.
- Airport run (Line 4 Yellow): from KAFD to Airport T1–2 (about 35–40 minutes). The catch: you must first get to KAFD (often a transfer), and the airport station serves T1–2 — arriving at T3+ still means a short taxi from the airport station. Two transfers + a walk with luggage in the heat beats a straight door-to-door fare, so for airport door-to-airport-door with bags, a fixed-price private taxi is usually the simpler call.
Where does the metro NOT get you? (book a taxi instead)
This is the part most metro guides skip. The Riyadh metro is a city-corridor system, and the destinations people actually book from Riyadh are not on it:
- Edge of the World (~90–120 km out) — no metro, and the last stretch needs a 4WD. → Private 4WD day trip.
- Red sand dunes (Dirab / Thumamah) — 40–80 km out; no metro; dunes access needs a 4WD or parked car. → Covered in Riyadh day trips.
- Diriyah (the heritage quarter / At-Turaif) — the metro’s northern lines get you to the area, but the historic district is a door-to-door ride, and a midday walk between a station and the gate is brutal in summer.
- Huraymila & other intercity half-days — beyond the network entirely.
- The heat factor: on a 45 °C day, a 15-minute walk from a station to a hotel is a bad trade against a fixed-fare taxi that stops at your door. Season matters.
→ Skip the two-transfer shuffle: book a private Riyadh taxi — one fixed price, door to door, air-conditioned.
Metro vs taxi vs Uber in Riyadh — price & time
| Option | Typical in-town cost | Typical time (Olaya–KAFD) | When it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro | SAR 4 (2-h window) | ~25–35 min incl. walking | Cheap, no traffic, if stations are at your doors |
| Metered taxi | ~SR 6.40–13 base + 2.10–2.70/km (~SR 17–26 for 5 km) | ~20–30 min | Door to door, no walking |
| Uber etc. | metered-like; surges at peaks/rains — never book blind on a deadline | ~20–30 min | When it’s quiet and the price is sane |
| Private fixed fare (ours) | one flat price, quoted up front — no meter, no surge | ~20–30 min | Airport runs, desert trips, any fixed plan |
The honest verdict: if both your hotel and your sight are at stations, the metro is the unbeatable cheap move. The moment there’s a walk in the heat, luggage, a transfer, or any destination off the 6 lines, a fixed-price private taxi wins on comfort, time and predictability — and unlike a surge, our price doesn’t move with the clock.
FAQs about the Riyadh metro
Is the Riyadh metro fully open? Yes — all six lines are in service (opened Dec 2024; the last, Line 3, on 5 Jan 2025), covering 83 stations over 176 km.
How much does the Riyadh metro cost? SAR 4 for a regular 2-hour single ride (SAR 10 First class). Passes: ~SAR 20/3-day, ~SAR 40/7-day, SAR 140/30-day. Children under 6 ride free.
Which metro line goes to Riyadh airport? Line 4 (Yellow) runs from KAFD to Airport stations T1–2 — about 35–40 minutes. You usually transfer to Line 4 at KAFD, and T3+ arrivals still need a short taxi from the airport station.
Does the metro reach Edge of the World or the desert? No. It’s a city-corridor system; the desert trips (Edge of the World ~90–120 km, red dunes 40–80 km) are private-taxi/4WD territory. See Riyadh day trips.
How do I pay for the metro? Buy a Darb card (~SAR 10) or use the Darb app to load passes and tap at the gates. The network is driverless; gates are automatic.
Is Uber or the metro cheaper in Riyadh? Metro is cheaper on pure fare (SAR 4 vs ~SR 17–26 for a typical 5 km metered ride) — but only when stations match your doors. The minute you need a walk in the heat, a transfer, or off-line destinations, a fixed-price taxi is the better value. Compare our fixed fares.
- Desert trips (no metro there — 4WD day): Edge of the World · Riyadh day trips
- Heritage: Diriyah · Seasons &the heat factor: Riyadh weather
- Book your transfers: Riyadh taxi service