Taif

Distillery morning, Al-Hada afternoon

Two days suit Taif. Give the first to the city, from a rose distillery to Bab Al-Rea, Al-Kateb House, Shubra Palace and the Sharif Museum, and the second to the mountains: the Al-Hada road and its cable car in the morning, then the fruit stalls and cool air of Al-Shafa at sunset.

Day one belongs to the city. Visit a rose distillery such as Al Gadhi in the morning; in March or April you will see fresh petals going straight into the stills. Late morning, walk to Bab Al-Rea, the triple-arched gate of the old walled city, and look in at Al-Kateb House with its odd mix of Islamic patterns and Roman-style columns. After lunch, look in at Shubra Palace, a former royal residence turned museum. Spend the late afternoon at the Sharif Museum, a private collection crammed with objects from everywhere, which sometimes runs auctions.

On day two drive up to Al-Hada early, before the weekend traffic. Watch the baboons on the bends, ride the cable car down to Al Kar and back, and take your time at the viewpoints over the lowlands. In the afternoon head south to Al-Shafa for fruit stalls and cool air at sunset. If the festival is on, Souq Okaz is worth a detour north-east on the way back.

Roses, fruit and Koshary

Rose water, mountain fruit and Hejazi cooking define Taif's food. Distilleries sell rose water beside their oil, summer stalls on the Al-Hada and Al-Shafa roads pile up grapes, pomegranates and figs, and city kitchens serve saleeg, evening mutabbaq and Egyptian koshary. Cafes and juice bars fill the evenings.

The flavours of Taif come from its farms. Rose water from the spring harvest scents sweets, coffee and desserts across the Hejaz, and the distilleries sell it alongside the oil. In summer the roadside stalls on the way to Al-Hada and Al-Shafa are stacked with local grapes, pomegranates and figs, grown on the same cool slopes that once fed a wine trade. Buy from the growers, who are often happy to let you taste first.

For a hot meal, Taif shares the Hejazi table with Jeddah and Mecca. Look for saleeg, rice slow-cooked in milk and broth until creamy and served with chicken or lamb, and mutabbaq, a griddled pastry folded round egg and minced meat, sold from street counters in the evening. The city also has a strong Egyptian thread: its Egyptian canteens serve koshary, lentils, rice and pasta under tomato sauce and crisp onions. Alcohol is banned.

Rose harvest, spring storms and holiday crowds

March and April are the best months for Taif, when the rose farms distil and highs run 28 to 34C; October is a quiet alternative at about 31C. Summer is the busy season, because the altitude holds July and August highs near 36C and Saudi families fill the hotels. Pack a layer for January nights of about 9C.

Altitude sets the calendar here. Even in July and August average highs stop at about 36C, with nights near 24C, while the coast below is far hotter and stickier. That is why Saudi families pour in from June to September, and why hotels at Al-Hada and in the city fill up during the school holidays.

Spring brings the roses. In March and April the farms pick at dawn and distil the same day, and the hills smell of them. It is also the wettest stretch: April and May each average around 35 mm, often in short afternoon storms, so carry a light jacket. Highs then run from about 28 to 34C. Autumn is pleasant and quiet, with October around 31C by day. Winter is mild by day, about 23 to 25C, but January nights fall to around 9C, and Al-Hada and Al-Shafa feel colder still. Souq Okaz stages its festival of poetry and crafts at the old market ground; check the dates before planning around it.