View from the Al-Faisaliah (Globe) tower, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Getty Images

Globe Experience

Riyadh

LoginSave

The Globe Experience is a spectacular viewing platform inside an enormous glass ball that's 24m in diameter, made of 655 glass panels and suspended just below the top of Al Faisaliah Tower. The panoramic views of Riyadh from inside the Globe are most magical at sunset and early evening. Designed by British architect Norman Foster and built in 2000 by the Saudi Bin Laden construction company, the Al Faisaliah was the first of Riyadh’s major skyscrapers.

The needlepoint pinnacle (with a crescent on the tip) sits 267m above the ground. The tower is off Olaya St.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Masmak fort in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Masmak Fortress

    4.43 MILES

    Surrounded by sand, this squat fortification was built around 1865 and is like a scene out of the movies: a big fortress representing an empire. It was…

  • Students in square at National Museum, Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia

    National Museum

    3.35 MILES

    This state-of-the-art museum is one of the finest in the Middle East. Encased within modernist architecture, its two floors contain eight well-designed…

  • Sky Bridge

    Sky Bridge

    1.6 MILES

    Not for the faint-hearted or sufferers of vertigo, here high-speed lifts fly you at 180km/h to the 99th-floor Sky Bridge, inside the Kingdom Centre. The…

  • Riyadh Zoo

    Riyadh Zoo

    3.5 MILES

    Accessible only for children and those accompanying them, this is the largest zoo in Saudi Arabia and began life in 1957 as a small-scale menagerie…

  • Kingdom Centre

    Kingdom Centre

    1.59 MILES

    Riyadh’s landmark tower, rising 302m high, is a stunning piece of modern architecture – it’s particularly conspicuous at night, when the upper sweep is…

  • Antiquities Museum

    Antiquities Museum

    4.6 MILES

    This museum is home to objects found during the Faw and Rabdha excavations (sites in the south and north of Saudi Arabia) by King Saud University in the…

  • Wadi Namar

    Wadi Namar

    8.14 MILES

    After visiting the umpteenth mall and restaurant, head a little further out towards Wadi Namar for a pleasant change. The 2km-long dam is surrounded by…

  • Addiriyah Park

    Addiriyah Park

    7.62 MILES

    Addiriyah Park is a favourite oasis in Riyadh, and its verdant terraced seating areas offer stunning views of Al Turaif, a historic district of Al…

View more attractions

Nearby Riyadh attractions

1. Kingdom Centre

1.59 MILES

Riyadh’s landmark tower, rising 302m high, is a stunning piece of modern architecture – it’s particularly conspicuous at night, when the upper sweep is…

2. Sky Bridge

1.6 MILES

Not for the faint-hearted or sufferers of vertigo, here high-speed lifts fly you at 180km/h to the 99th-floor Sky Bridge, inside the Kingdom Centre. The…

3. National Museum

3.35 MILES

This state-of-the-art museum is one of the finest in the Middle East. Encased within modernist architecture, its two floors contain eight well-designed…

4. Riyadh Zoo

3.5 MILES

Accessible only for children and those accompanying them, this is the largest zoo in Saudi Arabia and began life in 1957 as a small-scale menagerie…

5. Riyadh Water Tower

3.53 MILES

Until the year 2000, when the Al Faisaliah Tower was built, this was Riyadh's tallest landmark. It remains prominent today, and you can climb to the top…

6. King Abdullah Park

3.64 MILES

One of Riyadh’s cleanest and best maintained parks, here there are several green lawns that you can picnic on, wide pathways for jogging and cycling, a…

7. Masmak Fortress

4.43 MILES

Surrounded by sand, this squat fortification was built around 1865 and is like a scene out of the movies: a big fortress representing an empire. It was…

8. Clock Tower

4.46 MILES

This unusual green and white clock tower in the shape of an Egyptian needle sits at the western end of Al Thumairi St in the old Riyadh neighbourhood of…