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The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah at sunrise

Saudi Arabia

Madinah

A calm city of visits: the Prophet's Mosque, Quba Mosque and the palm farms around it.

  • Typical stay: 2–3 days

Why ⁨Madinah⁩?

  1. The Prophet's Mosque

    The calm of the Prophet's Mosque at the heart of the city.

  2. Quba Mosque

    A visit to Quba Mosque, south of the centre.

  3. Plain of palms

    A high plain of date palms ringed by black volcanic hills.

Before you go

  • Currency

    Saudi Riyal

  • Language

    Arabic

  • Time difference

    GMT+3

  • Getting around

    Walking

  • Driving

    On the right

  • Airports

    MED

Best time to visit ⁨Madinah⁩

November to March

  • January

    Average high: 25°C

    Average low 11°C

    Coldest month

    2 days of rain

    Wettest month

    Best time to go

  • February

    Average high: 27°C

    Average low 12°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • March

    Average high: 31°C

    Average low 16°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • April

    Average high: 35°C

    Average low 19°C

    2 days of rain

    Good time to go

  • May

    Average high: 40°C

    Average low 24°C

    0 days of rain

  • June

    Average high: 44°C

    Average low 28°C

    Warmest month

    0 days of rain

  • July

    Average high: 43°C

    Average low 28°C

    0 days of rain

  • August

    Average high: 43°C

    Average low 28°C

    0 days of rain

  • September

    Average high: 42°C

    Average low 27°C

    0 days of rain

  • October

    Average high: 37°C

    Average low 22°C

    1 day of rain

    Good time to go

  • November

    Average high: 31°C

    Average low 18°C

    1 day of rain

    Best time to go

  • December

    Average high: 26°C

    Average low 13°C

    2 days of rain

    Best time to go

Places in ⁨Madinah⁩

Compare flight tickets to ⁨Madinah⁩

Trip plans for ⁨Madinah⁩

Local tips

  • Insider tips

    1. Stay within walking distance of the centre: almost everything is there, and outer districts mean a car for everything.

    2. Take the high-speed train to or from Jeddah, not a flight: the one intercity route where the train is better.

  • Customs and safety

    1. Shops and restaurants close briefly and predictably at each of the five prayers; plan the day around it.

    2. Dress is visibly more conservative than in Riyadh or Jeddah: loose clothing covering shoulders, arms and legs.

    3. People come to Madinah for a reason; photographing people, loud groups and street noise sit badly in the central area.

  • Food and prayer

    1. All food sold in the country is halal. Pork and alcohol are not sold at all, hotels included.

    2. Mosques are in every district, and the five prayers set the city's rhythm, more visibly than anywhere else.

Getting around ⁨Madinah⁩

  • Walking

    The central area is laid out to be walked and is the part of the city most visitors spend their time in.

    Recommended

  • Ride-hailing

    Ride-hailing reaches the outer districts and the airport, with the fare settled in the app.

  • Train

    The high-speed railway runs to Jeddah along the Hejaz, which is the one intercity journey here that needs no flight.

From the airport

  • MED

    Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport

    Taxi and Ride-hailing

Things to do in ⁨Madinah⁩

Tours, tickets and experiences.

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eSIM plans in ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩

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Continue your ⁨Saudi Arabia⁩ trip

About ⁨Madinah⁩

Madinah has a single centre and everything is measured from it. The mosque and the open ground around it are the city's plan, and the districts spread outwards in rings; the further out you go, the more ordinary a Saudi city it becomes.

The setting is a high plain ringed by black volcanic hills and basalt fields, with date palms on the flat ground between. It is a very different landscape from the Red Sea coast a few hours west.

Photo credits

Photographs on this page, with their licences.

Data sources