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Major city · Saudi Arabia

AlUlaٱلْعُلَا

Go for 2–3 nights between November and March, base in the Old Town or a resort wadi, and book Hegra and Dadan tours before you fly: most sites are gated and ticket-only.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
SAR
Best months
Nov–Mar
avoid Jun–Sep (extreme heat), and midday hours year-round in summer
Airports
ULH · MED
Nights
2–3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 5
  • Saudi Arabia ↗Apply for the tourist eVisa only on the official visa portal (visa.visitsaudi.com); lookalike sites charge extra.
  • Saudi Arabia ↗Dress modestly in public: loose clothing covering shoulders and knees; women are not required to wear an abaya but should cover up.
  • Saudi Arabia ↗Alcohol is banned: do not bring it in, and do not buy it from anyone.
  • Saudi Arabia ↗Shops close for about 20–30 minutes at prayer times; plan around them.
  • Saudi Arabia ↗Makkah is closed to non-Muslims; checkpoints on the approach roads turn cars back.

AlUla is an oasis town in the northern Hejaz with Nabataean tombs at Hegra, the Dadan and Lihyan ruins, sandstone canyons and a rebuilt old town. It is a managed destination: the headline sites are reached on booked tours, hotels are mostly high-end, and the season runs October to April. Two nights covers Hegra plus one heritage tour; three nights adds the oasis, the viewpoints and a slower pace.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about AlUla, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or tea in the Old TownSAR 15–30
  • Street or quick mealLocal rice dish, shawarma or kebab in the New TownSAR 20–60
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi or ride-hailing across towncheckSAR 20–50
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekSAR 40–100
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per personSAR 120
  • Mid-range bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomSAR 700
  • High-end bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomSAR 1,400

A day, not counting the bed: Budget SAR 350 · Mid SAR 650 · High SAR 1,500

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Hegra (Madain Saleh), a Nabataean rock-cut cityOld Town of AlUla and its castleDadan and Jabal Ikhmal rock carvingsDesert canyons and sandstone formations
Airports
ULH AlUla International Airport (Direct regional links including Dubai, Doha, Jeddah and Riyadh; ride-hailing at the airport is unreliable, so pre-book a transfer.) · MED Medina (Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz) (About 300 km away by road; the fallback airport if ULH has no flight for your dates.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

AlUla: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

22°C

6°C

2 rd

Feb

25°C

8°C

2 rd

Mar

29°C

11°C

2 rd

Apr

33°C

15°C

1 rd

May

38°C

20°C

0 rd

Jun

41°C

23°C

0 rd

Jul

42°C

24°C

0 rd

Aug

42°C

24°C

0 rd

Sep

40°C

21°C

0 rd

Oct

35°C

16°C

1 rd

Nov

28°C

11°C

1 rd

Dec

23°C

7°C

2 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Sites are spread over 20–30 km, so you need wheels: a rental car, a taxi, ride-hailing (Uber and Careem work in town but not reliably at the airport) or a booked tour with transport. The Old Town itself is walkable, with park-and-ride car parks at the north and south ends and free shuttles and golf carts into the heritage area. Hegra is about 22 km from town and is reached on official tours.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Hegra (Madain Saleh)

go

Door to door: Half day

Official tour with transport from the Winter Park visitor area, about 22 km

The reason most people come. Ticket-only, timed slots; book ahead.

Dadan and Jabal Ikhmal

go

Door to door: About 2–3 h

Booked two-hour tour from the Dadan Visitor Center, close to town

Lion Tombs are viewed through fixed binoculars at about 170 m; the pair is usually sold as one ticket.

Khaybar

caution

Door to door: Full day

Guided trip north of AlUla; check current access and permits

Access has been restricted and tour-based; confirm before planning.

Medina

overnight

Door to door: 3–4 h by car

Road, about 300 km; fly or drive

Too far for a return day; combine with a Medina stay.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Old Town and Winter Park

Walkable to the Old Town, Market Street and the visitor centre; the practical base if you have no car.

Resort wadis north of town

Tented and villa resorts between town and Hegra, about 10–25 km out; quiet, expensive, and you need a car or hotel transfer.

New Town (2 km south)

Local restaurants, shops and the cheaper end of the market; useful if you are self-driving.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
SAR 250–450 excl. bed
Mid
SAR 450–900 excl. bed
High
SAR 900+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 2 nights × SAR 700SAR 1,400
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × SAR 650SAR 2,600
Hegra tour ticket2 × SAR 95 · checkSAR 190
Dadan and Jabal Ikhmal combined ticket2 × SAR 60SAR 120
Car rental, one day1 × SAR 250 · checkSAR 250
eSIM, about a week of data2 × SAR 60 · checkSAR 120
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeSAR 468
Trip total≈ SAR 1,287 per person per day, bed includedSAR 5,148

2026 estimate in riyals; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or tea in the Old TownSAR 15–30
Tourist restaurant main in the Old TownSAR 60–150
Local rice dish, shawarma or kebab in the New TownSAR 20–60
Bottled water, 1.5 LSAR 2–5
Taxi or ride-hailing across towncheckSAR 20–50
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekSAR 40–100

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

AlUla is a managed tourist destination and is generally safe for visitors; the real risks are summer heat, long unlit desert roads at night and unlicensed tour touts. Book through official operators, keep water in the car and drive only in daylight.
  • Hegra, Dadan and Jabal Ikhmal are ticket-only and mostly tour-only: book on the official Experience AlUla site before arrival, especially in the Nov–Mar peak.
  • Summer daytime heat is dangerous for outdoor sites; shift to early morning and after sunset.
  • Alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia; do not plan around it.
  • Dress modestly and follow public-behaviour rules; this applies across the country.
  • Desert nights get cold in winter: bring a layer for evening tours.
  • Cash is still needed at some small operators; carry riyals.

Emergency numbers

Unified emergency
911
Police
999
Ambulance
997

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

AlUlaٱلْعُلَا

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

إلى هذا العنوان، لو سمحتTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Unified emergency911
  • Police999
  • Ambulance997

Embassy

No embassies in AlUla; most are in Riyadh, with consulates in Jeddah. Check your embassy's site before travel.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • ULH airport → Old Town, taxi: SAR 80–150, about 30 min (check)
  • Hegra tour ticket: about SAR 95 per person (check)
  • Dadan and Jabal Ikhmal combined ticket: about SAR 60 per person

Say or show

  • السلام عليكم — Hello / Peace be upon you (as-salaamu alaykum)
  • شكراً — Thank you (shukran)
  • كم السعر؟ — How much is it? (kam as-si'r?)
  • أين الحمام؟ — Where is the toilet? (ayna al-hammaam?)
  • أحتاج طبيباً — I need a doctor (ahtaaj tabeeban)
  • هل يمكنني الدفع بالبطاقة؟ — Can I pay by card? (hal yumkinuni ad-daf' bil-bitaaqa?)

Alcohol is illegal; dress modestly and follow public-behaviour rules.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for AlUla. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Mar · avoid Jun–Sep (extreme heat), and midday hours year-round in summer · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 6 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for ULH: pre-booked transfer, taxi fallback, late-arrival rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: Old Town and Market Street, Dadan and the heritage trail, Hegra, the resort wadis.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Hegra, Dadan, Jabal Ikhmal, Old Town castle) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Seasonal and hostile-arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Saudi Arabia

Sources