Saudi Arabia
Medina
The Prophet's city: the mosque he built, the place he is buried, and the calmer of Islam's two holy cities.
Medina is Islam's second holiest city, the oasis where the Prophet Muhammad settled after the Hijra in 622, built his mosque and was buried. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque beneath its Green Dome, is the reason nearly everyone comes, most often as part of an Umrah or on the days before or after the Hajj. The Prophet's Mosque and the central area around it are open to Muslims only. Pilgrims describe Medina as the calmer of the two holy cities, a place for prayer and visiting the sites of early Islam.
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Language
Arabic
Currency
SAR
Timezone
UTC+3
Why you'll love Medina
The Prophet's Mosque vast marble courtyards under giant retractable umbrellas, open around the clock, with the Green Dome over the Prophet's tomb
The Rawdah the small carpeted space between the Prophet's pulpit and his house, which many pilgrims count the high point of their journey
Early Islam on the ground Quba, the two-qibla mosque, the Trench and the slopes of Uhud where the city's history was made
Calm after the intensity of Mecca, pilgrims describe Medina as gentler and slower, a city that runs to the rhythm of the five prayers
Best time to visit
Nov-Mar
24-31° days
24.471° N, 39.611° E
UTC+3 · Asia/Riyadh
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Weather & when to go to Medina
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Nov-Mar
Watch for Apr-Oct extreme heat risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Medina
May to September is the season to avoid: fierce dry heat that makes the open courtyards and outdoor sites hard going by day. Crowds follow the lunar calendar, not the weather: Ramadan, especially its last ten nights, and the weeks around the Hajj are the busiest times, and both move about 11 days earlier each year.
Top things to do in Medina
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Al-Masjid an-Nabawi - pray in the Prophet's Mosque
history culture arts 👍 PopularFounded by the Prophet in 622 and expanded many times since, it now holds hundreds of thousands of worshippers. The marble courtyards stay cool underfoot, and the giant umbrellas open by day for shade and fold away at night. Men's and women's areas have separate entrances.
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The Rawdah - pray between the pulpit and the Prophet's house
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedThe area marked by green carpet inside the oldest part of the mosque, beside the Prophet's tomb. Entry is by a timed permit booked through the official Nusuk app, with separate slots for men and women; the rules on how often you may book change, so check before you travel.
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Quba Mosque - the first mosque in Islam
history culture arts 👍 PopularBuilt where the Prophet stopped on arriving from Mecca, its white domes and minarets sit a few kilometres south of the centre. Tradition holds that praying here equals the reward of an Umrah, and the Prophet visited on Saturdays, so many pilgrims go then.
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Mount Uhud and the Martyrs' Cemetery - where the battle of 625 was fought
history scenic ⭐ Highly recommendedThe long red-brown ridge north of the city, the graves of the martyrs of Uhud including the Prophet's uncle Hamza, and the low Archers' Hill whose abandoned post turned the battle. Best early in the morning before the heat.
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Masjid al-Qiblatayn - the mosque of the two qiblas
history 👍 PopularWhere, by tradition, the direction of prayer was changed mid-prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca. Today a modern white mosque with twin minarets, and a standard stop on the ziyarah tours of the city's sites.
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Al-Baqi - the cemetery beside the Prophet's Mosque
historyThe city's oldest cemetery, just east of the mosque, where many of the Prophet's family and companions are buried. The graves are plain and unmarked by domes. Visiting is limited to set hours, usually after the dawn and afternoon prayers, and access for women is restricted.
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The Seven Mosques - the site of the Battle of the Trench
historyA cluster of small mosques below Mount Sala, on the line of the trench the Muslims dug to defend Medina in 627. Several of the old mosques have been replaced by one larger mosque, but the site still anchors the story of the siege.
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Hejaz Railway Museum - the end of the line from Damascus
historyThe Ottoman stone station at Al-Anbariyah, terminus of the railway that brought pilgrims south from Damascus from 1908, now a museum with a restored locomotive and carriages and the line's story.
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Dar Al Madinah Museum - the city as it was
history culture artsDetailed models of the Prophet's Mosque through its expansions and of old Medina's walls, houses and wells, with displays on the city's early history. A useful hour before visiting the sites themselves.
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Ajwa dates - the fruit of the Medina oasis
food shoppingMedina's palm groves are famous for their dates, above all the small dark Ajwa, which carries a special place in the Prophet's sayings. The date markets near the centre sell dozens of varieties, and a box is the classic gift to carry home.
Best areas to stay in Medina
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Central Area North
Walk to every prayer $$$Hotel towers on the northern plazas
Explore hotels in Central Area North →
Central Area South
Close to the Rawdah $$Older blocks on the Qiblah side
Explore hotels in Central Area South →
Quba
Calm, longer stays $Quiet district around the first mosque
Explore hotels in Quba →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Medina
Getting to & around Medina
Getting there
Fly into Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International (MED), or ride the Haramain high-speed train from Mecca or Jeddah
Flight
Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International (MED)
About 15 km east of the Prophet's Mosque with no rail link: taxis and ride-hailing reach the central area in around 20-30 minutes, and many Umrah and Hajj groups are met by coach.
Train
Madinah Haramain station
The Haramain high-speed line from Mecca, via Jeddah, takes roughly 2-2.5 hours; the station is on the city's western side, a short taxi from the centre
Coach
Intercity coaches run from Mecca, Jeddah and Riyadh, and Hajj and Umrah groups usually travel between the holy cities by organised coach
Getting around
Walking
The way to move between central hotels, the mosque and Al-Baqi; plazas are wide but hot by day outside winter
Free
Taxi
The simplest way out to Quba, Qiblatayn and Uhud; agree the fare first if there is no meter
TBC
Ride-hailing
Apps such as Uber and Careem work across the city and are handy to and from the station and airport
TBC
Ziyarah tour
Group coach tours of the historic sites, usually a morning loop of Quba, Qiblatayn, the Seven Mosques and Uhud
TBC
Day trips from Medina
Badr
Full dayBattlefield & martyrs
The wells and plain where the first major battle of Islam was fought in 624, with the graves of the martyrs of Badr. A long, quiet drive through the Hejaz hills.
Getting there
car | tour
About 2 hr by car or tour, southwest towards the coast
Khaybar
Full dayOasis & fortress
An old oasis of palm groves and black lava fields, overlooked by the hilltop fortress of Marhab. The site of the campaign of 628, and a striking volcanic landscape in its own right.
Getting there
car | tour
About 2 hr north by car or tour
Wadi al-Jinn
Half dayDesert valley
A valley of dark volcanic hills known for its gravity-hill illusion, where cars in neutral seem to roll uphill. A popular late-afternoon drive out of the city.
Getting there
car | tour
Under 1 hr northwest by car or tour
AlUla
1-2 daysDesert heritage
Hegra's Nabataean tombs carved into sandstone outcrops, the old mud-brick town and canyon landscapes. Too far for a day, but a natural extension for travellers continuing beyond the holy cities.
Getting there
car | flight
About 4 hr north by car, or a short flight
A little history of Medina
Before Islam the oasis was Yathrib, a farming settlement of palm groves and wells shared by the Arab tribes of Aws and Khazraj and several Jewish tribes. In 622 the Prophet Muhammad migrated here from Mecca, the Hijra that begins the Islamic calendar, and the town became Madinat an-Nabi, the City of the Prophet. He built his mosque beside his house, led the community from here through the battles of Badr, Uhud and the Trench, and was buried here in 632.
Medina was the first capital of the caliphate until the seat of power moved north, and it remained a city of scholars and pilgrims under the Umayyads, Mamluks and from 1517 the Ottomans, who rebuilt the mosque and brought the Hejaz Railway in 1908. The Ottoman garrison held out through a long siege during the First World War. In 1925 the city passed to Ibn Saud, and successive Saudi expansions grew the mosque into one of the largest in the world.
Yathrib appears in the inscriptions of the Babylonian king Nabonidus
The Hijra: the Prophet Muhammad migrates from Mecca and founds the mosques of Quba and Medina
By tradition, the direction of prayer changes from Jerusalem to Mecca; the Battle of Badr
The Battle of Uhud is fought below the mountain north of the city
The Battle of the Trench: a dug trench holds off the siege of Medina
The Prophet dies and is buried in his house beside the mosque
The Ottoman Hejaz Railway from Damascus reaches Medina
Medina passes to Ibn Saud, later part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
King Fahd's expansion is completed, multiplying the Prophet's Mosque's capacity many times over
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type G
230 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+966
Extreme heat risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Medina
▸ When is the best time to visit Medina?
November to March is the most comfortable, with warm days and cool, sometimes chilly nights. May to September brings fierce heat. Crowds follow the lunar calendar rather than the weather: Ramadan and the weeks around the Hajj are the busiest periods, and both move about 11 days earlier each year, so check the Islamic dates for your year.
▸ Can non-Muslims visit Medina?
The Prophet's Mosque and the sacred central area around it are open to Muslims only, and the restriction is enforced. Non-Muslims may enter parts of the wider city, but where the boundary sits has changed over time and is not always obvious on the ground, so check the current rules with official Saudi sources before you travel.
▸ How do I pray in the Rawdah?
Book a timed permit through the official Nusuk app, which sets separate slots for men and women. Permits are in heavy demand in Ramadan and the Hajj season, and the rules on how often you can book have changed before, so check the app well ahead and arrive early for your slot.
▸ Is visiting Medina part of Umrah or the Hajj?
No. Neither rite requires it, but visiting the Prophet's Mosque is a cherished part of most pilgrimages, before or after Mecca. If you go on from Medina to perform Umrah, you enter ihram at the miqat of Dhul Hulayfah, also called Abyar Ali, on the city's southwestern edge.
▸ How do you get from Mecca to Medina?
The Haramain high-speed train is the quickest way, taking roughly 2-2.5 hours with a stop at Jeddah. Coaches take much longer by road, and most Hajj and Umrah groups travel between the two cities on organised coaches arranged by their operator.
▸ How many days do pilgrims spend in Medina?
Three to five days is typical for an Umrah trip, long enough for prayers in the Prophet's Mosque, a Rawdah visit and a tour of Quba, Qiblatayn and Uhud. Hajj groups often stay around a week, before or after the days in Mecca.
▸ What should I wear in Medina?
Modest, loose clothing for everyone. Men should cover from the shoulders to below the knees; women wear a long, loose garment and a headscarf, and an abaya is the norm in the mosque. Comfortable footwear you can slip off matters, since shoes come off at the mosque doors.