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Voykit pocket guide · Saudi Arabia
AlUla
ٱلْعُلَا
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.
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.
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Local name
- ٱلْعُلَا
- Best months
- Nov–Mar
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (extreme heat), and midday hours year-round in summer
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- SAR
- Money
- SAR (riyal) is pegged to the US dollar at about 3.75.
- Daily spend
- Budget SAR 250–450 excl. bed · Mid SAR 450–900 excl. bed · High SAR 900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- STC, Mobily and Zain sell tourist SIMs at arrivals; passport and fingerprint registration are required.
- Emergency
- Unified emergency 911 · Police 999 · Ambulance 997
- Plugs
- Types G, C, F · 230 V · 60 Hz · UK-style three-pin (G) is the standard; older buildings may have European sockets. Bring a universal adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 10% if no service charge; small change at cafés.; Ride-hailing / taxi: Round up or tip in the app.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: SAR 5–10.; Guide / driver day: SAR 50–100 guide; SAR 30–50 driver.; Fuel station attendant: SAR 2–5 if they clean the windows.
- Water
- Tap water is desalinated and treated; most people drink bottled water, sold everywhere for SAR 1–2.
- Toilets
- Western toilets with a hand shower in malls, hotels and mosques; squat toilets at older fuel stations. Malls and mosques are the free public options.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in the Old Town | SAR 15–30 |
| Tourist restaurant main in the Old Town | SAR 60–150 |
| Local rice dish, shawarma or kebab in the New Town | SAR 20–60 |
| Bottled water, 1.5 L | SAR 2–5 |
| Taxi or ride-hailing across town | SAR 20–50 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | SAR 40–100 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- 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.About 186 mi away by road; the fallback airport if ULH has no flight for your dates.
Typical fares
- 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
Get 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.Sites are spread over 12–19 mi, 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 14 mi from town and is reached on official tours.
See and do
Known for
- Hegra (Madain Saleh), a Nabataean rock-cut city
- Old Town of AlUla and its castle
- Dadan and Jabal Ikhmal rock carvings
- Desert canyons and sandstone formations
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hegra (Madain Saleh) | Official tour with transport from the Winter Park visitor area, about 22 kmOfficial tour with transport from the Winter Park visitor area, about 14 mi | Half day |
| Dadan and Jabal Ikhmal | Booked two-hour tour from the Dadan Visitor Center, close to town | About 2–3 h |
| Khaybar | Guided trip north of AlUla; check current access and permits | Full day |
| Medina | Road, about 300 km; fly or driveRoad, about 186 mi; fly or drive | 3–4 h by car |
Sleep
- 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.Tented and villa resorts between town and Hegra, about 6.2–16 mi 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.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Peace be upon you | السلام عليكمas-salaamu alaykum |
| Thank you | شكراًshukran |
| How much is it? | كم السعر؟kam as-si'r? |
| Where is the toilet? | أين الحمام؟ayna al-hammaam? |
| I need a doctor | أحتاج طبيباًahtaaj tabeeban |
| Can I pay by card? | هل يمكنني الدفع بالبطاقة؟hal yumkinuni ad-daf' bil-bitaaqa? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say as-salamu alaykum; wait for a woman to offer her hand first; avoid: Hugging or touching the opposite sex
- Hospitality: Accept coffee and dates; eat with the right hand; avoid: Refusing all offers or showing the soles of your feet
- Prayer times: Wait quietly when shops close; step aside for people praying; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; loud music near mosques
- Dress: Loose, covering clothes in public; headscarf in mosques; avoid: Shorts, sleeveless tops and swimwear in town
- Photos: Ask before photographing people; avoid: Photographing women, families or official buildings
- Conversation: Talk about family, food, football, travel; avoid: Criticising religion, the royal family or the government
- Queues and sections: Follow signs for family and women's sections where they exist; avoid: Entering women-only areas
Scams and watch-outs
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for AlUla yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hegra (Madain Saleh), a Nabataean rock-cut city
- Old Town of AlUla and its castle
- Dadan and Jabal Ikhmal rock carvings
- Desert canyons and sandstone formations
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Experience AlUla (official destination site and booking): www.experiencealula.com
- Saudi Tourism Authority — Visit Saudi: www.visitsaudi.com
- Wikivoyage: Al-Ula, revision 5314778 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5314778
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
AlUlaٱلْعُلَا
إلى هذا العنوان، لو سمحت
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in AlUla; most are in Riyadh, with consulates in Jeddah. Check your embassy's site before travel.
Alcohol is illegal; dress modestly and follow public-behaviour rules.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/al-ula). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.