If you are in Riyadh and thinking in shopping, you would probably be guided to the two most famous shopping malls, Kingdom Mall and Faisaliah Mall.

Both of them are fancy and classy. The time interval between the openings of the two malls was short due to the skyscrapers race between Kingdom Group and Faisaliah Group, which you may also call it the “royal race” between Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal and the sons of King Faisal, to build Riyadh’s most recognizable landmark.

When it comes to shopping experience, I would recommend Faisaliah Mall over Kingdom Mall. Even though it has more brands and shops, Faisaliah feels much cozier than Kingdom. The restaurants arena at Faisaliah is bigger and it offers more choices. Moreover, if you feel like eating in the sky, you can try the 360° Restaurant inside the golden ball at the top of the tower.

Kingdom also offers a nice view to the capital through its bridge. It will cost you SR 25 (US$ 6.66) to buy a ticket for going up there. However, you are not allowed to take food or camera with you.

Finally, here’s a little secret tip. There is a little gift shop at Faisaliah mall which offers a special service. Buy your gift, and then go to this shop to wrap it and keep it in its “saves.” Take the number of the save and tell the salesman the name and phone number of the person that you want to give the gift. Tell the person the number of the save or just SMS it, and he can go there, tells the salesman his name, phone number, and number of save, and the salesman will give him the gift. Most boys in Riyadh use this way to give gifts to their secret girlfriends. “Just leave it there, and anytime she comes to the mall, she can pick it up!”