Best Time to Visit Makkah and Madinah: Weather, Crowds, Prices

There is no single best month for Makkah and Madinah. The weather, the crowds and the hotel prices pull in different directions, and the Islamic calendar moves about eleven days earlier each year, so the same month can be quiet one year and packed the next.

Judged by weather and price together, the calmer windows are late September to November and mid-January to early February. May to September is very hot, and Ramadan, above all its last ten days, is the most crowded and expensive time. This guide shows the data behind that answer so you can weigh it against your own dates.

The short answer

If you can choose freely, the most comfortable months are December to February for temperature and late September to mid-November for price. Mid-January to the start of Ramadan 2027 (expected on 8 February) combines mild weather, lower prices than Ramadan and no extreme heat.

Avoid May to September if you are elderly, travelling with small children or sensitive to heat: daytime highs in both cities are above 40 °C. Ramadan is a good choice only if the atmosphere matters more to you than comfort and price, and then it is best to book early and avoid the last ten days.

For the 2026–2027 season note one hard limit: the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s calendar for 1448 AH says the last Umrah visa is issued on 9 March 2027, the last entry is on 23 March 2027 and the last exit on 7 April 2027. See the dates below and check Nusuk for the current rules.

Climate by month

The figures below are long-term averages for 1991–2020 from NOAA and the Jeddah Regional Climate Center for Makkah, and from the Climates to Travel site for Madinah. They are normals, not a forecast: a single day can be several degrees hotter or cooler.

Madinah is clearly cooler than Makkah in winter, with night lows of 12–14 °C in December and January, and much drier in summer, with relative humidity of 10–15 %. Makkah is warmer all year and more humid.

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall, 1991–2020

Month	Makkah max / min °C	Makkah rain mm	Madinah max / min °C	Madinah rain mm
January	30.9 / 19.2	20.7	24.4 / 12.0	9
February	32.6 / 19.9	2.5	27.0 / 14.0	3
March	35.4 / 21.8	5.2	30.8 / 17.3	5
April	39.0 / 25.1	8.3	35.5 / 21.6	6
May	42.4 / 28.1	2.6	39.7 / 25.8	4
June	43.9 / 29.3	0.0	43.0 / 28.9	0
July	43.2 / 29.8	1.4	43.0 / 29.8	1
August	42.9 / 30.1	5.8	43.8 / 30.5	4
September	42.9 / 29.2	6.3	42.4 / 28.6	0
October	40.4 / 26.5	14.1	37.3 / 23.4	5
November	35.6 / 23.4	23.2	30.5 / 18.0	14
December	32.5 / 20.7	24.7	26.0 / 13.9	7

Key dates for 2026–2027

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah published the Umrah season calendar for 1448 AH. Visas and entry opened on 14 Dhul Hijjah 1447 (31 May 2026), and entry to Makkah with a Nusuk permit began on 15 Dhul Hijjah (1 June 2026). Your personal deadline depends on your visa, so use the dates below as outer limits.

The religious dates for 2027 are calculated and are confirmed by moon sighting, so they can move by a day. The Hajj dates for 1448 have not been officially announced, and the Ministry has not published the rules for the Hajj period of 2027 or the opening date of the 1449 season. In earlier years, Umrah visas were not issued during the Hajj period, so plan Umrah well before mid-May 2027 and check Nusuk.

Dates for 2027 (religious dates are expected, not official)

Event	Date	Source
Ramadan 1448 begins (expected)	8 February 2027	Khaleej Times, Astronomy Centre calculation
Eid al-Fitr (expected)	9 or 10 March 2027	Khaleej Times
Last Umrah visa issue (1 Shawwal 1448)	9 March 2027	Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
Last entry (15 Shawwal 1448)	23 March 2027	Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
Last exit (30 Shawwal 1448)	7 April 2027	Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
Day of Arafah (expected)	15 or 16 May 2027	Khaleej Times
Eid al-Adha (expected)	16 or 17 May 2027	Khaleej Times

Crowds and prices through the year

No monthly visitor statistics are published, so the picture below comes from news reports and hotel booking data and should be read as a pattern, not a rule.

Wego, a travel platform, reported average nightly prices from offer clicks over the 12 months to August 2026. For Makkah the cheapest month was September, at about 143 USD a night, and the dearest was March, at about 350 USD. For Madinah the cheapest was September, at about 127 USD, and the dearest was January, at about 266 USD. This is a snapshot of one year, and demand follows the Islamic calendar, moving about eleven days earlier each year.

In January 2026 Khaleej Times reported that hotels close to the Haram can cost about twice as much in Ramadan and about three times as much in its last ten days. In 2023 the head of the Hajj and Umrah committee of the Makkah chamber of commerce said occupancy in Ramadan was about 80 %, and Arab News reported that rooms in the centre were fully booked in the last ten days.

School holidays also push demand up. According to Wego, these are mid-May to mid-June and late November to December for Indonesia and Malaysia, mid-June to mid-August for much of South and South-East Asia and the Gulf, and late December to early January. These dates are the platform’s estimate, not an official calendar. Wego’s own conclusion is that late September to mid-November and mid-January to early February are cheaper and calmer, which matches the price and climate data above.

Hotel price pattern (Wego, 12 months to August 2026, average per night)

City	Cheapest month	Dearest month
Makkah	September, about 143 USD	March, about 350 USD
Madinah	September, about 127 USD	January, about 266 USD

Ramadan: what to expect

Ramadan is the most crowded time. In 2026 the authorities introduced digital entry indicators at the Grand Mosque, separate zones and paths, and electric carts for older and disabled visitors, and they advised families not to take children into dense crowds at peak prayer times.

For the last ten days of Ramadan 2026 the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, using traffic data from the first two weeks, reported that the busiest hours were 16:00–22:00 and 05:00–08:00, moderate hours 23:00–04:00 and the quietest 08:00–15:00. A permit through the Nusuk app is required for Umrah, and the Ministry has recommended performing Umrah once during the last ten days.

For planning, see our guides Ramadan 2027 in Makkah: where to stay and when to book, Ramadan 2027 in Madinah and Umrah in Ramadan 2027: visa, Nusuk and deadlines.

Summer heat and how to cope

From May to September the highs are 42–44 °C in Makkah and up to 44 °C in Madinah, and in the hottest days they can pass 45 °C. In May 2026, before Hajj, up to 47 °C was expected in Makkah, and the Ministry of Health urged visitors to use umbrellas, which officials said can lower the felt temperature by up to 10 °C, while the National Center for Meteorology urged drinking enough fluids.

In the Grand Mosque area the official quietest hours, published by the authority for the Two Holy Mosques in August 2026, are 22:00–04:00 and 09:00–16:00, moderate 05:00–08:00 and busiest 17:00–21:00. In summer, plan walking for the night and early morning and rest in the afternoon.

Practical advice that is not an official rule: wear light, loose clothing that covers your arms and legs, carry water, wear comfortable shoes for long walks and use shade and indoor routes. We found no official clothing requirements from Nusuk in the sources we checked.

Winter, rain and flash floods

December to February is the mildest period in Makkah (highs of 31–33 °C) and a pleasant one in Madinah (highs of 24–27 °C, cool nights). It is also when most of the rain falls: in Makkah, November to January, and in Madinah mainly November to May. Rain is rare overall, but showers are short and heavy, and the dry, hilly ground can produce flash floods.

In December 2022 Umrah visitors in Makkah were caught in storms and flooding, and the National Center for Meteorology regularly issues red warnings for the Makkah region for heavy rain, hail and flash floods. The Civil Defense advises staying out of wadis and valley beds while a warning is in force. Thunderstorms in Makkah are most frequent from September to November.

If rain is forecast, check the National Center for Meteorology warnings before you leave the hotel and follow the Civil Defense instructions.

Best time for each type of traveller

The table below is our own reading of the data above, not an official recommendation. Dates change every year with the Islamic calendar, so check them against the calendar for your travel year.

Which window suits whom

Traveller	Better months	Why	Avoid
First visit	Late September to November, or January	Lowest prices in the Wego data and milder weather in November and January	Ramadan, especially the last ten days
Families with children	Mid-January to early February	Mild weather and lower prices than Ramadan, before school holidays	June to August and late December, when holidays and heat or high demand coincide
Older travellers	December to February	Highs of 31–33 °C in Makkah and 24–27 °C in Madinah	May to September, when highs are above 40 °C
Quiet prayer and walking	Outside Ramadan and school holidays	Fewer visitors; the quietest hours are 22:00–04:00 and 09:00–16:00	Peak evening hours, 17:00–21:00

Permits and booking timing

Umrah for foreign visitors needs a booking and a permit in the Nusuk app for each trip, and visits to the Rawdah in the Prophet’s Mosque are booked free of charge through Nusuk or the Ministry’s website, with separate slots for men and women. The Ministry said in December 2023 that a repeat Rawdah permit is available after 365 days, and later reports mentioned exceptions, so check the current rule in Nusuk; the official page does not state the interval.

Book flights and hotels early for Ramadan and the weeks before the Hajj period, and book the Rawdah slot as soon as your dates are fixed. For hotel areas and walking times, see our guides to hotels near the Haram and the Prophet’s Mosque, and Hajj 2027: preparation guide, permit, health and heat if you are planning the pilgrimage itself.

How we chose

We built this guide from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s Umrah season calendar, reports of Gulf News, Khaleej Times, Arab News and Wego, and climate tables from NOAA and the Jeddah Regional Climate Center as published on Wikipedia and from the Climates to Travel site, and we wrote everything in our own words. Each figure carries its source and date. We did not use data we could not open, and where official data is missing, for example monthly visitor numbers and the Hajj dates of 1448, we say so.

Tips

• For the best balance of weather and price, aim for late September to November or mid-January to early February.
• Avoid May to September if you are elderly, travelling with small children or sensitive to heat; if you must go then, walk at night and early morning.
• Check the Umrah season dates for 1448 and the Nusuk rules before you buy tickets; the last Umrah visa is issued on 9 March 2027.
• Book hotels near the Haram early for Ramadan, when prices can double and rise further in the last ten days.
• Use the quietest hours at the Grand Mosque, 22:00–04:00 and 09:00–16:00, and avoid 17:00–21:00.
• Check weather warnings from the National Center for Meteorology in the rainy months, and stay out of valley beds during a warning.

Questions and answers