Before we go through the steps to booking your own Umrah, I need to put out a disclaimer. I would only advise this to be done by someone who is or is going to be accompanied by a person of experience and most importantly knowledge. If they’ve been before, they’ll know the little nuances having them with you will help with the experience immensely. But most importantly, you’re looking to have someone who has the knowledge with you. Knowledge of how to perform the umrah and then of course a little more than the basics of Islam. It will not only enhance your experience, but it will make or break it.
This post is not a religious post detailing the steps to performing the Umrah itself, but more the practical side to getting there. I would strongly advise you to study and learn how to perform the Umrah, do not go there blindly. And study it from reliable a source. Here is my recommendation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzo4HD_r414
Prices true as of November 2022
Step 1: Visa
The first step is to of course apply for your visa. And this is the single step that actually allows you to now book your own DIY Umrah. The good thing is that it is extremely easy and you get it within minutes. So, there’s no waiting around! Compare this to a few years ago when it was impossible to even get a visa yourself. What a turnaround! I’ve done a full blog post detailing the steps needed to take to apply for a visa (click here), but here are some summarised key points.
- Website: https://visa.visitsaudi.com/
- Price: £128.35 (534.98 SAR) pp
- Image needs to be 200 x 200 px and size must be from 5 to 100 Kb (i.e. passport photo). Use this website to get the right size: https://safeimagekit.com/resize-image-to-200×200#
- Umrah possible under tourist visa (CONFIRMED)
- Medical insurance needed and is done as part of the visa application process (180 SAR) – included in total price
- Approved and got the visa within 2 minutes
- Multiple entry visa
- Valid for a year from date of application/ acceptance
- 90 days duration of stay
Step 2: Flights
Now that you’ve got your visa, you want to book your flights. The best place to look for flights and what we use for all our flights is SkyScanner.com: a flight comparison search engine giving you the best ticket prices from everywhere. The price will of course depend on the time of the year you’re flying out and how close to your expected departure you book your ticket, but our flights to Jeddah from London cost us £450 pp return and it was with Saudi Airlines (perfect!). Typically, this used to cost around £300 not too long ago, but post-Covid plane tickets have notoriously gone up.
To fly to Jeddah or Madinah?
I love the Madinah airport because it is always quiet and it resembles the vibe of the city so much (calm and tranquil), so it is comfortable. In the past I have preferred to fly to Madinah first and then go to Makkah after. If you do this then you will observe the Ihram at Dhul Hulaifa (outskirts of Madinah) before you head out to Makkah. However, I think I now prefer doing Makkah first and then Madinah. You are going there for Umrah and that is the main task, the toughest task, so to get that done first will allow you to relax and “enjoy” the rest of the experience. So, if you plan to do Makkah first, then you’re flying to Jeddah. If you do this, then you’re observing the Ihram in the air and the plane should announce the moment you pass the Meeqat.
Step 3: Hotel
This step is the one where it depends on you and your budget. How much do you have to spend on hotels? How much do you want to spend? How far away do you want to stay from the Masjid? How much are you willing to walk? My personal recommendation and preference is to be as close to the Masjid as possible even if it means to spend a little over my budget. It is worth it and it truly enhances the experience many folds. The Umrah experience is tough in and of itself, so if my hotel can make my experience a little easier, then so be it! Our hotels were booked on Booking.com and the prices have been listed below.
Makkah:
1 room – 3 adults – breakfast included
£921
Pullman
Madinah:
1 room – 3 adults
£727
Al Aqeeq
The Clock Tower is the best option
I have expressed my preference for being close to the Masjid and if the hotels are luxury then even better. Having luxurious or comfortable hotels to go back to aids in the experience so much. You are able to get a good night sleep, you get good service, you have bathrooms nearby to come back to if you really need to even in between prayers (for those who know Makkah, they know it’s disastrous to break your wudhu there, so to have this option it is borderline a necessity) and there are many more pros. In Makkah you have a few “luxury” options, but my personal favourite is the Clock Tower. Why? It is literally at the doorstep of the Masjid (so it ticks the nearness box); they have numerous big lifts (anyone who’s been will know the value of this as in smaller hotels people literally fight to get in the lifts); there is a 3 floor mall full of clothing, perfume, touristy stores and much much more shops – you can get your gifts, souvenirs, medication and exchange your money all under one roof. Oh and there’s a whole food court and a half with numerous delicious options that will be open to serve you during breakfast, lunch, dinner and a cheeky late night snack too. Oh oh and there’s a HYPERmarket too! Where you can shop for snacks for days – it’s so big you’ll get lost! Yeah, to summarise, I love the Clock Tower. You literally will not have to venture out anywhere else if you didn’t want to. In the Clock Tower, you have 3 hotels: Swissôtel, Raffles and Pullman. Pullman happens to be the most affordable one and so that’s the one we opted for.
Madinah hotels
Madinah is a little different. The layout of the Masjid means regardless of where your hotel is (front, back or side) it won’t be far from the Masjid and so that is why most hotels can boast a good location. I have always preferred the back end of the Masjid because for tourists it just seems more the place to be. Most of the shopping, eateries and chill out areas are located at the back end. So, I’d say just take your pick. We chose Al Aqeeq because it was one of the best priced ones and wow we were extremely surprised (pleasantly). Location was perfect (steps away from the Masjid), the hotel was clean, the service was efficient (unlike the 5 star Pullman of Makkah) and yeah we literally had nothing to complain about. Very impressed. Highly recommend this hotel!
Breakfast included?
We had breakfast included in Makkah, but not in Madinah. In hindsight, I’d probably include it for both hotels. Yes, you can go explore the streets for breakfast, but this just isn’t that kind of a holiday and also there aren’t that many great options unless you go out away from the Haram. So, to make to convenient and easy especially if you are travelling with elders or youngers to have a ready made breakfast buffet available for you to choose from after coming back from Fajr is nice.
Step 3.1: Getting from the airport to the hotel
Once you get to the airport (Jeddah or Madinah). You’ll find many taxi drivers fishing for your service. Do not be intimidated, they are all genuine and just doing their jobs. So, taxi is one option and I’d just go with this (or Careem) if you are doing Madinah first, but Jeddah is about an hour away from Makkah, so I’d explore other options. Another option is to pre-arrange a pickup and you’ll find many airport pickup services on websites like TripAdvisor and Viator. A third option is to use the brand new high speed train service that can take you from the Jeddah airport to Makkah (but as of now they don’t have any trains post midnight, so this may or may not be an option for you). A final option is to get a friend to pick you up – this is of course a luxury only some will have.
Update: Apparently there is a free shuttle service now that goes from Jeddah to Masjid al-Haram in Makkah (read more).
Step 4: Getting from Makkah to Madinah
You have a few options. You can get a taxi that will take you from Makkah to Madinah. You can hire a car and drive there yourself. These two options will take you about 4 to 4.5 hours. You can also get on a bus, which will take about 6-8 hours. But quite easily the best option for this journey is the brand new Haramain High Speed Railway. You’ll get from Makkah to Madinah in 2 hours! I would strongly advise this option. This will ensure you miss no prayers in the masjid and the journey is super quick, convenient and effortless. Again, I’ve done a full detailed post on this (click here), but here are some summarised key points to consider:
- Website: https://www.hhr.sa/#
- Our ticket cost 172.50 SAR pp
- The price depends on time but Business class is 362.25 SAR and cheapest economy class is 119.02 SAR
- Taxi from the Haram (Makkah and Madinah) to the train station is about 30-50 SAR
Step 5: Ziyaara / Visiting historical sites
Please be aware that you should not be making an intention to visit any other site with the intention of gaining a reward or as an act of worship other than the 3 mosques: Masjid al-Haram, Masjid an-Nabawi and Masjid al-Aqsa – and this is based on an authentic Hadith. However, when in Makkah and Madinah, if you have time, you should definitely explore and check out the different historical sites and as you do please educate yourselves about them as to what is authentically narrated about them. In Makkah, you will have to arrange a historical sites tour and there are plenty of tours available on websites like TripAdvisor and Viator. How knowledgable the guides will be is questionable, so please educate yourself before going. In Madinah, you also have the guided tour option, but they have an amazingly wonderful service now which is official. They have a red hop on hop off bus!! It takes you to all of the important historical sites including Uhud, Khandak and Quba. It is super convenient and you get an audio guide too giving you authentic information regarding each site. Very insightful and I believe something you definitely should do when in Madinah. More details on the hop on hop off tour here.
Step 6: Rent a car (optional)
Something that might elevate your experience a little bit more and if you feel comfortable and confident in doing so is to rent a car. I wouldn’t advise it for Makkah as it is a very difficult city to navigate, but Madinah is super comfortable and a much easier city overall to drive around. I have done so in the past and it certainly opens up your options as to what you can do, see and eat while in the beautiful city of Madinah, all while never missing a prayer in the Masjid.
You’ll need an international driver’s permit, which costs £5.50 and the cheapest car we found was £31 per day on kayak.com.
