Going from Taif to Jeddah usually has a purpose at the end: a flight, a business meeting, a hotel on the coast. This page is about the descent, planning the journey around that purpose, and what changes if you are flying. For the way up, see Jeddah to Taif.
Connecting to a flight
Start with your flight and your airline's check-in closing time. Then add the two to two and a half hours of driving, and a buffer. Leaving Taif in the early morning for a flight in the late morning is common. Tell us your flight number and we will suggest a pickup time and agree it with you. Arrival and departure information is on the Jeddah Airport page.
Send your pickup, destination, date and passengers and we will confirm the vehicle and price.
Choosing a vehicle
A weekend in Taif often means more bags than the outward trip. A Premium SUV takes five passengers and four bags and a Luxury Van takes eight passengers and six bags. If you also have a pram or gifts from the rose farms, mention them. See the fleet.
Down the mountain
The first part of the road descends through steep, winding sections. In winter or after rain there can be mist. Then the road runs onto the coastal plain towards Jeddah. If it has been a busy weekend, the road can be congested as people return from Taif, so leave earlier on Fridays and Saturdays.
If you are staying in Jeddah
Give us the hotel or the address. Jeddah is a long city, so a hotel on the north Corniche is a much longer drive than one near the centre. We will plan the drop-off.
Visiting Makkah on the way
Some people break the trip in Makkah. That is a different route, so plan it as two journeys: Taif to Makkah, then Makkah to Jeddah.
Leaving the highlands for a flight or a meeting
If you are catching a flight from Jeddah, work back from the airport time, adding the two-to-two-and-a-half-hour drive, then adding the margin for the descent. Mountain roads are slower when wet, and traffic from Makkah often joins the highway near the bottom. For airport departures, Jeddah Airport has more on terminals and arrival times.
For a business meeting, treat the road time as a minimum and leave a buffer. Arriving early is easy to fill. Arriving late is not.
Buying things in Taif
Taif is known for its roses, honey, fruit and dried produce, and many visitors leave with more than they came with. Fragile jars and boxes of fruit travel better on the seat beside you than in a boot full of suitcases. If you expect to buy a lot, mention it so that we can send a vehicle with space.
Weather on the way down
Taif is often wrapped in cloud when the coast below is clear, and the drive down can pass through fog, drizzle and then hard sunlight within an hour. Visibility and road surface change with it. On days when the forecast is poor, tell us whether your timing is flexible, because leaving a little earlier or later can be better than driving through the worst of it.
If you have a flight to catch, treat weather as one more reason to leave the extra margin rather than the minimum. A missed flight costs far more than an hour waiting at the airport.
Sharing the ride with family
Large families often travel to Taif in two cars and come back in one, or the other way round. If the group is splitting on the way down, say which vehicle each person is in and where each will end up in Jeddah. It is easy to assume everyone is going to the same place and discover at the first junction that they are not.
A calm last hour before the airport
If your departure from Jeddah is in the evening, resist the urge to squeeze in one more outing in Taif that morning. The extra stop costs less than the worry it creates once you are on the road. Set the pickup, load the car, and spend the first part of the journey on a proper rest. It is easier to relax in the car with an hour to spare than to watch the clock with none.