Alhamdulillah, only by the will of Allah, I was able to complete Umrah with my mother in the last 10 days of Ramadan.

This was the first time I had traveled myself where I had to organise all the logistics so I thought I’d write a blog to help anyone else that may be looking to do the same.

The reward of completing an Umrah in Ramadan is immense. Al-Bukhari (1782) and Muslim (1256) narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to a woman from among the Ansar – Ibn ‘Abbas mentioned her name but I forgot it – “What kept you from performing Hajj with us?” She said: We only have two camels and the father of her son and her son had gone for Hajj on one camel, and he left us the other camel so that we could carry water on it. He said: “When Ramadan comes, go for ‘Umrah , for ‘Umrah in (that month) is equivalent to Hajj.”

Flights

This is the first thing I did and I’d do it again. There is a sweet spot to booking flights, you don’t want to be too early but you also don’t want to be late. For reference, this year, the last 10 nights began at the end of March. I used Skyscanner to search and book flights.

Not too long ago Wizz Air started flying to Jeddah, just not directly from London. This is one of the cheapest flights you can get – however, be weary because Wizz are known to change their flight timings (to a different date). This happened with me this year, and a friend a year ago who was unfortunately left out of pocket.

To be fair, Wizz offered a full refund and cancellation which I took so it wasn’t too bad Alhamdulillah but the later they make these changes, the more expensive alternative flights become & changes to the rest of your itinerary. I booked this first flight on July 15th, so 8 months before.

After the Wizz flight changes on August 31st and choosing to cancel, I booked another flight immediately after. This was with Pegasus (subsidiary of Turkish Airlines), but had a 15hr layover in Istanbul. It was either that or a 2-3hr layover with Ryan Air. I chose the former, having not flown with Pegasus before and knowing it’s standard would’ve been better than Ryan Air, plus this gave us the opportunity to explore Istanbul for a day. This outbound flight cost £256 p/p and included cabin and 20kg checked-in luggage.

One thing to note, with cheaper airlines (including Pegasus), when you land in Jeddah, you will likely land in Terminal North (N). This is the older terminal which means if you are planning on using the Haramain High Speed Railway (HHR), you have got to catch a taxi from the airport to drive round to the station, where the newer terminals also are.

On the flight back, which I booked on July 16th, this was with Aegean Airlines and had a 2hr stopover in Athens flying from the new Jeddah terminal. This is an airline I would highly recommend. This inbound flight cost £215 p/p and included cabin, 30kg checked-in luggage, and meals.

Hotels

It was very difficult to do this first, reason being is most hotels have not listed their available dates 8 months prior. The ones that have are the big ones that charge extortionate rates starting from £1000+ per night.

For that reason, you have to check for availability regularly. I’d recommend 2 times a week minimum. Pay attention to Google reviews because pictures can be misleading, and once you find a decent one, book fast. Also try booking cancellable/flexible accommodation if possible. I used a mix of Skyscanner and Booking.com

This will be your biggest expense. If you’re trying to book the last 10 nights, just know that they aren’t cheap. You want to make sure your hotel is in walking distance of the harram, despite distant hotels offering shuttle services, this will be mostly useless in Ramadan, if not entirely paused due to roads being closed before prayers.

Where this may work is if you plan on doing Itikaaf, just double check that the hotels still run their shuttle services during off-peak hours.

When it comes to choosing Makkah or Madinah first, this is your choice. But for us, Makkah worked out better since our flight landed in the early hours of the morning where the HHR service wasn’t running – Makkah is just over an hour drive whereas Madinah would’ve been a 4-7+ hour drive (otherwise 2hrs by train).

Also to note, Madinah is less busy, therefore relatively more peaceful so perhaps you want to end your trip on this note.

Makkah hotels were a lot more expensive. It worked out around £317 p/n for a 3 star hotel but Alhamdulillah because I didn’t see any cockroaches and it was only around 12 mins walk from the Harram. By the time I found this, it was October 25th. If I had to stay here again I wouldn’t mind but I’d try look elsewhere – this was Sama al Amani.

Madinah hotels were so much cheaper. £169 p/n and it was one of the cleanest hotels I’ve ever stayed at. Le Bosphorus for reference, apparently there are two but ours was on As Salam Road, only a 7 min walk away from Masjid An-Nawawi. Highly recommend this one. This was booked on October 8th.

Visa

If you have a British Passport, you can get a visa waiver. To do this, head to https://ksavisa.sa around a month before your flight and apply. At the time, it was around £50 and allows you to visit one-off within a 90-day window. I’ve heard for around £100 you can get a 12 months visa that allows multiple entries so if you plan on doing another Umrah or visiting other parts of Saudi then this is a good option.

Make sure to have this printed and keep them next to your passport as you will likely need it.

Transfers

You will most likely want to book the HHR service from Madinah back to Jeddah Airport (or Makkah) to save 2+ hrs of your time, money, and be in comfort. You can only book seats about a month before so don’t stress about this.

Plan ahead and take a hoodie with you. Me and my mum found the AC in the trains are a bit too chilly once you’ve been sitting for over an hour. When you do book this, make sure to download the QR codes ASAP as I forgot to do this once and lost all access to it (no confirmation email/SMS). Thankfully their ticket office can print these out for you if you give them your passport, provided you entered the correct details when booking.

The policy is you are allowed per person, one hand baggage and a luggage measured at a maximum of 65 x 55 x 35cm, weighing no more than 25kg but we saw bigger luggages being allowed through and no one seemed to weigh them. We also had a third, but very small side bag so it’s definitely more on the lenient side at least when we went so bear this in mind. They also sell snacks and drinks similar to an airline service.

Unfortunately even with the HHR service, you will still be a fair distance away from Madinah and Makkah, so a taxi is necessary. You will find these waiting outside airports, stations and on the road you just need to stick your hand out calling for it.

I’m certain we got bumped because our taxi from the airport charged us 400 riyal (~£100) for an hour drive and after that, we had to walk 30 mins to the hotel due to road closures, since Qiyaamul Layl had started. I am also certain, had our driver asked the police officer, we could’ve been let through (very few taxis were allowed through). It seems that the taxis with “Taxi” printed on them and with green accents were more likely to be allowed through, although I could be wrong.

From the hotel to Makkah station, we paid 40 riyal (~£8.50) for a 10 minute drive. Bear in mind however, taxis cannot stop anywhere near the Harram which is why I’d suggest making use of traffic jams if you see an empty taxi why we saw many drivers getting you to hop in whilst they were driving (at low speeds). If you don’t adhere, the driver will be slapped a 100 riyaal fine (as we learnt the hard way).

From Madinah station to the hotel, it took about 20 minutes and we paid 80 riyal (~£17). We arrived during taraweeh where the roads close to the Masjid were also closed but it was a lot less busy, once we got to the road closure, the police officer was nice enough to let us go through. You can use the Careem app to book taxis which is basically Uber, I don’t think this works in Makkah although I’ve not tried.

Whatever you do, leave plenty of time to catch the train back. Do NOT leave it til the last minute, and if it clashes with salah, especially Qiyaam then leave a bit more. That’s because all the roads around are closed. Leave a minimum of 1 hour, maybe 1.5hrs to be safe.

Food

In terms of choice, there is a lot of fast food which is terrible for a fasting stomach. If you’re anything like me and despise grease, then staying healthy can be tough. There is a lot of rice whether that be with roast chicken, lamb, curries or biryani and if you want something light, you can get their ‘sandwiches’ which are actually wraps. This ranges from 25 riyaal for a sandwich to about 50 riyaal.

In the airport on the way back, we came across Hijazi Goodies which was probably the healthiest place throughout the trip. A shame I didn’t come across it sooner.

To be fair though, dates can be pretty filling. The government hand out these bags for free to everyone which include 7 dates. In Makkah, the bags also had a thyme croissant and some sort of cake – both ultra processed. So I’d recommend grabbing something extra before you sit down for iftar.

From our experience, people were a lot more generous and hospitable in Makkah handing out assorted bags of food and loads of dates, so it’s probably possible to fill yourself up on them.

In Madinah you get the same 7 dates, but you also get a bun, full fat yogurt, a sachet with spices and herbs, a spoon and wipes – how thoughtful. What you’re meant to do is pour the sachet into the yogurt, stir it with the spoon and eat it with the bread. It actually tastes great and is so much better than what they had in the Makkah bag.

There are also a lot of people handing out Arabian tea and coffee – their coffee has got an interesting taste and in the tea my mum tasted the equivalent of 3 spoons of sugar.

For food in Makkah, I’d recommend the food court along the popular gate with the escalators and palm trees. This is found to the left of the clock tower, if you were stepping out of it and is in between the Rolex and KFC – you have to go up to the second floor and then turn right to go inside the mall. There are quite a few options here but bear in mind it gets busy, luckily it’s mainly the fast food which does.

In Madinah, the food places are scattered. There is no one place I can recommend but don’t leave it too close to Fajr because a lot of food places run out of food.

In Salah, I talk about the best times to get food.

Other expenses

If you’re from the UK, you know we pay too much for Islamic clothing. It’s why you may decide to shop whilst you’re in Saudi as it’s a lot cheaper.

The closer you are to the Masjid/Harram, the more expensive. It’s that simple.

I found Makkah to be a lot cheaper, and it had a lot more thobe shops (and range to choose), these ranged from 35 riyaal (near our hotel) all the way to 150-200 riyaal. The quality does vary, and you’ll find Saudi, Indonesian and Moroccan styles. Perhaps the reason why Makkah was cheaper was because our hotel was a bit of a distance from the Harram.

In Makkah, you’re more likely to find yourself praying on the hard tiled floor. If this is a problem for you, you’re going to want to get a decent carpet. The most popular type is the folding prayer mat which serves as a backrest, quite useful if you’re waiting between prayers. We grabbed one at the lower end in Madinah for 35 riyaal.

There happens to be a lot more abaya shops, lol. The ratio in Madinah is a bit of a joke. Children’s abayas were around 20 riyaal women’s ranged from 30-200+

If you want to bring back dates, get them from Madinah. We paid 40 riyaal for one kg of Ajwa and 35 riyaal/kg for another type. Fresh miswaak are also easily found in Madinah, they have these stalls scattered around where they cut them fresh in front of you, you’ll know they’re fresh when you bite them and it feels spicy – I paid 25 riyaal for 10 standard sized pieces. I found one man selling them fresh in Makkah beside the clock tower but I couldn’t find him after that.

If you are travelling with a friend, family or just need data then you need a SIM card. They usually have these at the airport but we landed in the early hours so didn’t find any, they will have small stalls near some of the hotels in Makkah and Madinah.

I went with Mobily as it was the first one I saw. It was 60 riyaal for a tourist package which gave me 20GB, 1000 mins & texts lasting 14 days. I can’t complain, most of the time there was good service and it was quick, I’ve heard STC is even better. Just remember to bring your passport, visa waiver or have it on your phone at least as they will need it and likely also need your fingerprint…

Umrah

The reason you have decided to embark on this trip. This will not be a guide on how to do Umrah, however what I will say is learn how to do it, have a list of bullet points in case you forget and also create a du’a list because you will be spending a lot of time asking Allah for things. Remember the ummah, remember me, and remember to ask for things beneficial to us in this life and the next.

The main thing I will say is don’t be afraid to put on your ihram at the airport. It is highly unlikely you’ll be the only one wearing it if you’re flying to Jeddah.

Secondly, an extra emphasis to learn the different circumstances on how to perform it if you are a woman.

Although you can book your Umrah on the Nusuk app, no one was ever asked it. Maybe in less busier times they may ask or they may choose to soon, but both this year and last Ramadan, they haven’t. You can also use this app to check the Imaam schedule for Taraweeh, Qiyaam and book an electric cart for Tawaaf/Sa’i.

There is a pilgrim entrance which you should enter from, unfortunately I forgot the gate number but it was to the left of 66. This is located to the left side of the Clock Tower if you were to step out of it and walked around the Harram.

The best time to do Umrah is after Fajr as it’s when most people take a nap after a long Qiyaam. I was able to do tawaaf on the ground floor which is usually quite hard to do in Ramadan. Halfway through my tawaaf though it did become packed.

You have to be in ihraam to do tawaaf on the ground floor. I’ve done tawaaf on the second floor, where you can just about see the Kaaba if you’re short – that’s because they have a 2 meter spacing with barriers around the railings for health & safety reasons. I found it almost impossible to see the Kaaba on the rooftop because of the barriers.

When it comes to getting a haircut, don’t bother waiting in the queue next to the shops just outside Safa & Marwa, there are plenty of other barbers around. The basement of the clock tower has many.

Although not required for Umrah, visiting the Rawdah and praying there is highly rewarding. To do this, you need to book a slot on Nusuk. I’ve heard people say to try checking for a slot every half hour but honestly just check whenever because the least popular times will be best for you.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it on this occasion but I had family with us that did. I’d recommend to begin looking two weeks before and then non-stop from there, even on the day of your departure. Even with an access code though bear in mind you will still likely have to queue (a while). Men and women also have separate timings.

Salah

Makkah is very busy. If you want to pray indoors, you should come a minimum of an hour before the Adhan goes off. I bought an Al-Fajr watch (my favourite purchase) and the timings were very accurate, telling me each prayer time but Nusuk also tells you these prayer times.

Salah tends to start 5-10 minutes after the adhaan, Maghrib is closer to 10-15 minutes. We started Isha around 8pm, by the time we finished (10 rakat) taraweeh it was between 10-10:20pm.

I would highly recommend an Itikaaf by arriving for Asr and staying until after Taraweeh. Not only is it highly beneficial to you as narrated in Sahih Muslim:

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Shall I not tell you of a deed by which Allah expiates your sins and raises your status?” They said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet said, “Thorough ablution despite difficulty, taking many steps to the mosque, and waiting for one prayer after another. That is like guarding the frontier.”

But, it also allows you to do Ibadah inside the Harram closer to the Kaabah, or closer to the front row in Madinah. Between each prayer you’ll see people leave, giving you a good opportunity to grab a better spot.

Holding your wudhu in Ramadan is usually easier but after Iftar it can be difficult. The best time to refresh is straight after Asr or Maghrib jama’ah, otherwise you risk not being able to enter back into the Harram due to the guards blocking it off.

Both Makkah and Madinah toilets weren’t great and almost always packed so try some of the nearby hotels, or your own hotel if it’s close enough.

In the last 10 nights, they do Qiyaam which begins at 12:30am. Between taraweeh and Qiyaam is a good time to get proper food, I would try and be quick enough to get food, eat and refresh my wudhu before 11:30pm so that I can get a good space again.

You definitely do not want to be still walking to the Harram for Maghrib whilst the adhaan is going. Shortly before the adhaan goes for any prayer, some of the entrances are closed so you’ll have to take a longer route to find a spot. Maghrib tends to be the one most people arrive earlier for.

In Makkah, the speakers are a lot louder so we could pray from the street of our hotel and others would join (once the salah has already started).

In Madinah, because it was less busy you could arrive slightly later. Depending on the salah 30-45 minutes before the Adhaan is a good time to get inside the Masjid. For Maghrib however, I’d still recommend an hour.

Best times to nap was probably after Fajr, after sunrise and between Dhuhr and Asr.

There is another sunnah, narrated by Al-Tirmidhi (485) that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation then sits remembering Allaah until the sun rises, then prays two rak’ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and ‘Umrah, complete, complete, complete.”

So napping after Fajr should be avoided unless you are completely knackered. Even then, perhaps nap where you prayed, after doing some dhikr and then wake up to pray duha.

I really enjoyed praying on the rooftop for Fajr in Makkah, it had the best speakers and direct view of the sky whilst still being close to the Kaabah. On some of the days though, these small locust-like insects started appearing around sunrise which put me off.

There were a lot more bigger locusts and beetles flying in Madinah moments after Maghrib, strangely enough they only seemed to fly in and around the gates of the Masjid but no further. Masjid An Nabawi also has a rooftop, some of which is shaded from the sun – I personally found the weather here to be a bit more extreme than what was faced in Makkah.

A trick you can try in both Makkah and Madinah when paths are closed off is using the toilets to get from one side to another as they have two entrances (and are underground).

Zamzam

Both Makkah and Madinah have Zamzam. In Makkah you will find purpose built taps which can be located outside – if you are coming out the clock tower you would need to go around the right side of the Harram – it is near the gate where the deceased bodies come in/out from.

Also inside on the ground, first, second and Safa & Marwa floors they have these taps. If you are trying to fill up water bottles try and look for these ones as it will make life a lot easier.

Everywhere else around the Harram they will have these refillable tanks of Zamzam which only seem to come out before Maghrib and get taken away after Fajr. If you have a small/squashable plastic bottle you may be able to fill it up but otherwise it is meant for the small plastic cups they give you.

A lot of people buy these blue refillable water bags. We got one and the lid opened by itself, and even when closed the bag leaked. It’s definitely not for bringing water back to the UK, probably just for keeping at the hotel and drinking there.

In Madinah, they also have purpose built taps outside of the Masjid but these are not for Zamzam. It is just normal water. Inside the Masjid, they had the same refillable tanks, just make sure it reads Zamzam in arabic and you’ll know if it is.

Also in Madinah, they have a Zamzam filling station. To find this go to the gate closest to the front right, if you were facing the Qibla. I found people queuing outside 30 mins after Sunrise so I think this is when it opened roughly. As a side note, Jannatul Baqi is located on the front left and is open to Men typically after prayers.

Finally at Jeddah airport, you can buy a 5 litre bottle for 12.5 riyaal limited to one per person. Check with your airline if you will have to pay for extra baggage, with Saudia I know this is included, with Aegean I’m not sure – we didn’t pay extra since they told us they had no overhead space left so everything we had, had to be checked-in (for free), although this was a bit strange.

If you come in from the HHR train, you need to go all the way up to the top floor where the entrance is, and cross the road to find the Zamzam stations (to buy & collect). Behind these stations are where you would then check-in to your flight, provided it is in the new terminal. I would strongly suggest you write your name on your box as it would mix up with the others, if you can’t find a pen just make some sort of identifiable mark.

Closing thoughts

All in all my Umrah cost me £1500 not including taxi, food and other purchases. However it is definitely possible to do it cheaper, I’ve heard you can do it for around £600! Although I assume that’s if you do Itikaaf for your trip and include food & taxi.

Download apps like Nusuk, Careem, HHR, and any hotel/flight apps in advance. I would also highly suggest creating a schedule on your calendar app with the CORRECT timezones for all flights, hotel check-in/out times and trains so you don’t miss them like we did.

A quick checklist: Flights, Hotels, Train, Visa, and remember to get some cash out before you fly (mainly for the taxis).

If you have made it this far, I pray Allah grants you the ability to perform Umrah in the month of Ramadan.