Ramadan runs between one and a half and two and a half times the off-peak price. Here is the number that puts that in perspective.
The comparison
A Kaaba view room in January, under two hundred metres from the Haram, is £1,149 per person for seven nights.
A three star room in the last ten nights of Ramadan is £1,199.
The Kaaba view is fifty pounds cheaper.
What that reframes
The decision is not Ramadan against a lesser trip. It is Ramadan a long way out against January right at the door, for the same money.
That does not make Ramadan wrong. It makes it a choice with a real price attached, and it is worth seeing the price clearly.
What this page does
Sets out the full price map across every window, gives you an honest ledger of what improves in Ramadan and what gets harder, and shows you what the same money buys outside it.
The short version
Ramadan runs 1.5x to 2.4x the off-peak price depending on which part of the month.
It is almost entirely hotels. The flight moves about a hundred pounds on a package that has risen by seven hundred.
What improves: the atmosphere, iftar at the Haram, Taraweeh, and the reward.
What gets harder: crowds, cost, availability, sleep, and everything about travelling with children or elderly parents.
The same £1,199 buys twenty-one nights in January, or a Kaaba view room, or two separate trips. |
Ask us to price both and compare
The full price map
Seven nights, three star, per person, quad sharing. Every window in the year against the off-peak floor.
Window | From | Multiple of floor |
|---|
January, November, early December, October | £499 | 1.0x |
Early September, early February | £529 | 1.1x |
Mid to late June | £549 | 1.1x |
July | £649 | 1.3x |
August | £699 | 1.4x |
Ramadan, first ten nights | £749 | 1.5x |
Christmas and New Year | £799 | 1.6x |
Ramadan, middle ten nights | £825 | 1.7x |
Eid and the fortnight after | £849 | 1.7x |
Ramadan, last ten nights | £1,199 | 2.4x |
What the map shows
Ramadan is not one price. The first ten nights at 1.5x sit below Christmas. The last ten at 2.4x sit above everything else in the calendar.
The gap inside the month
£450 per person between the first ten nights and the last ten, or £1,800 across a family of four, for a fortnight of the same month.
And the comparison people do not expect
The first ten nights of Ramadan cost less than Christmas. £749 against £799, for a window most people assume is the expensive one.
Where the money goes
Hotels, almost entirely. The flight moves from around £240 to around £340 on a package that has risen by seven hundred.
Why the hotel supply behaves this way is set out in a separate post and it is the mechanism rather than the maths.
The honest ledger
What actually changes when you pay the premium. Three columns, and the middle one is the one nobody writes.
What genuinely improves
| | What it means |
|---|
The reward | Widely understood to be greater for Umrah performed in Ramadan |
Iftar at the Haram | Food laid across the mosque floor daily, free, shared with strangers |
Taraweeh and Qiyam | Long night prayers behind the imams of the Haram |
The atmosphere | An entire city on one rhythm, which people describe for years |
The company | Pilgrims from every Muslim country, all at once |
What genuinely gets harder
| | What it means |
|---|
Cost | 1.5x to 2.4x, and it is the hotel |
Crowds | The densest the Haram gets at any point in the year |
Availability | Close-in properties committed nine to twelve months out |
Sleep | Your day inverts. You sleep in daylight |
Tawaf | Ground floor impassable at peak times in the last ten |
Ziyarat | Standing outside at unshaded sites while fasting |
With children | Considerably harder on every measure |
With elderly parents | Genuinely demanding rather than merely tiring |
What is identical
| | Why it does not change |
|---|
The rites themselves | Tawaf and Sa’i are the same in any month |
The flight | Around a hundred pounds difference on a seven hundred pound gap |
The visa | Same process, same cost, same 30 day entry window |
The transfers | Same three journeys, same coaches |
The Ziyarat itinerary | Same sites, harder conditions |
Madinah | Busier than usual and nothing like Makkah in the same window |
How to read that
The improvements are real and they are almost entirely about atmosphere and reward. The costs are real and they are almost entirely practical.
Which means the decision comes down to how much the first column matters to you, and whether the people travelling with you can handle the second.
What the same money buys outside Ramadan
The section that changes people’s minds, and every figure comes from our own price list.
Take £1,199, which is seven nights at three star in the last ten nights
The same money buys | Price | You keep |
|---|
7 nights, Kaaba view, under 200 m, January | £1,149 | £50 |
10 nights in October and 10 nights in January | £1,090 | £109 |
7 nights, Haram facing under 200 m, January | £879 | £320 |
14 nights, five star, January | £825 | £374 |
21 days, three star, January | £789 | £410 |
The one worth sitting with
A room with a view of the Kaaba, under two hundred metres from the Haram, in the coolest and quietest month of the year, is fifty pounds cheaper than a three star room in the last ten nights of Ramadan.
And in the last ten nights, three star at that price may well be four hundred metres out rather than at the door.
The one that suits most people
Two separate trips. Ten nights in October and ten nights in January, for £1,090, which is less than one week in the last ten nights.
Twenty nights of Umrah across two seasons, against seven nights in the hardest conditions of the year.
The one for a long trip
Twenty-one days in January at £789, which is £39 a night against £171. Three weeks in the best conditions the calendar offers, with £410 left over.
What we are not saying
That Ramadan is a bad choice. The reward is widely understood to be greater and no amount of nights in January substitutes for that if it is what you want.
What we are saying is that the price of it is more than most people picture, and it is worth seeing the alternatives before you decide rather than afterwards.
And the middle path
The first ten nights of Ramadan at £749. A full Ramadan Umrah, £450 less than the last ten, with a hotel you can actually use.
That is the booking we recommend most often and there is a section on it below.
Who should pay the premium
Anyone for whom Ramadan itself is the point
If you have wanted to perform Umrah in Ramadan and the reward is what draws you, that is a complete answer and no price comparison changes it.
What we would say is take the first ten nights rather than the last, unless those specific nights are the reason.
Fit adults on a short trip
The physical demand is real and it is manageable over seven nights for somebody in good health.
Anyone who has been before
A second or third Umrah in Ramadan is a very different experience to a first one, because you are not learning the rites in the most crowded conditions of the year.
Anyone travelling alone or as a couple
The logistics are far simpler without children or elderly parents to plan around, and the flexibility to move at odd hours makes a real difference in that window.
Anyone in the right part of the calendar
A February Ramadan means around eleven and a half hours of fasting at 22 to 30 degrees. A summer one means over thirteen hours at 40 plus.
If the heat has put you off before, the current part of the cycle is the mild version. Detail in our February guide.
And anyone booking nine to twelve months out
Because that is the only route to a close-in hotel in the last ten nights, and without one the premium buys you a worse trip rather than a better one.
Who should not
Anyone doing a first Umrah
Learning the rites in the most crowded conditions of the year is considerably harder than learning them in a manageable crowd.
A first Umrah in November or January, and Ramadan on a later trip, is the better sequence for most people.
Families with young children
Harder on every measure. Crowds, sleep, fasting parents, road closures limiting the room-return option, and a schedule that removes the children’s rest.
October half term at £499 is a genuinely better family trip and it costs £700 less.
Anyone travelling with elderly parents
Crowd density at that level combined with fasting and inverted sleep is demanding rather than merely tiring. January at £499 is comfortable walking, long nights and a quiet Haram.
Anyone on a fixed budget who wants time
Seven nights in the last ten against twenty-one days in January for £410 less. If what you want is time at the Haram, the arithmetic is not close.
Anyone who cannot book far enough ahead
If the close-in properties have gone and what remains is a kilometre out, you are paying the highest price in the calendar for the worst version of the window.
That is the one booking we would actively talk you out of.
And anyone with a heart or respiratory condition
Speak to your GP before booking. Getting out of a dense crowd quickly is not always possible.
The middle options
Because it is not a binary between the last ten nights and January.
The first ten nights, £749
A full Ramadan Umrah at 1.5x rather than 2.4x. Manageable crowds, close-in hotels still available at six to nine months out, and £450 less than the last ten.
The reward is widely understood to apply across the whole month rather than only the final third, which is what makes this the recommendation rather than a compromise.
The middle ten nights, £825
Consistently underbooked because people default to one end of the month or the other. Busier than the first ten, considerably cheaper than the last.
Eid and the fortnight after, £849
Eid morning at the Haram, then a city that empties within seventy-two hours. Fourteen nights spanning both is £969, which works out at £69 a night.
Almost nobody books it. Detail on the Eid page.
The fortnight before Ramadan
Early February at £529, in winter conditions with a quiet Haram, and it is the last cheap week before the month begins.
Two trips instead of one
Ten nights in January and ten in October for £1,090 total, which is less than one week in the last ten nights.
What we would suggest to most people
The first ten nights of Ramadan if the month is what you want, or two off-peak trips if what you want is time at the Haram.
Both are better value than the last ten nights and both are better trips for most travellers.
Why the flight barely moves
A short section because it corrects a common assumption.
What people expect
That Ramadan flights are the reason the package costs more. They are not.
The actual figures
Component | January | Last ten nights | Change |
|---|
Return flights | Around £240 | Around £340 | Up about £100 |
Hotels, both cities | Around £112 | Around £650 | Up about £540 |
Visa | Around £75 | Around £75 | No change |
Transfers and Ziyarat | Around £30 | Around £30 | No change |
Package price | £499 | £1,199 | Up £700 |
Indicative figures to show the shape. The gap between the components and the package price is our margin, which runs at roughly eight to thirteen per cent and does not change between windows.
Why flights move less than you would think
Because aircraft can be redeployed and hotel rooms cannot. Airlines add capacity on the Jeddah and Madinah routes for Ramadan, which caps how far fares can run.
A hotel two hundred metres from the Haram cannot add a single room, ever.
What that means practically
Shopping around on flights will not solve a Ramadan budget problem. The hotel is the whole question and the answer to it is when you booked.
And why assembling it yourself does not help
You face the same hotel market at the same rates, without the block allocation an operator committed to a year earlier. In peak windows, doing it yourself is usually more expensive rather than less.
Full comparison in a separate post.
Prices side by side
Window | 3 Star | 4 Star | 5 Star |
|---|
January, November, October | From £499 | From £629 | From £690 |
Christmas and New Year | From £799 | From £949 | From £1,049 |
Ramadan, first ten nights | From £749 | From £899 | From £1,049 |
Ramadan, middle ten nights | From £825 | From £999 | From £1,175 |
Ramadan, last ten nights | From £1,199 | From £1,449 | From £1,749 |
Eid and after, 7 nights | From £849 | From £999 | From £1,149 |
Seven nights, per person, quad sharing. All Ramadan dates subject to moon sighting. Includes return flights, both hotels named in writing with the distance in metres and the nearest gate, the Saudi Umrah visa, all three transfers and guided Ziyarat in both cities. Held with a £99 deposit.
The three comparisons worth remembering
The first ten nights at £749 is cheaper than Christmas at £799.
The last ten nights at £1,199 is more than a Kaaba view room in January at £1,149.
And the gap inside Ramadan, £749 to £1,199, is £450 per person for a fortnight of the same month.
How we price
We check comparable UK packages every month and sit £20 under the lowest we can find for the same nights and the same hotel tier.
The summary
Ramadan is 1.5x to 2.4x, not one number
The first ten nights sit below Christmas. The last ten sit above everything else in the calendar.
It is hotels, not flights
The flight moves about a hundred pounds on a package that has risen by seven hundred. Shopping around on flights will not solve it.
What improves is atmosphere and reward
What gets harder is crowds, cost, availability, sleep, and everything about travelling with children or elderly parents. Both columns are real.
The same money buys a Kaaba view in January
£1,149 against £1,199, and the January room is under two hundred metres while the Ramadan one may not be.
And the middle path is the first ten nights
£749, a full Ramadan Umrah, £450 less than the last ten, with a hotel you can actually use. It is what we recommend most often.
Ask us to price Ramadan against January
Related reading
Ask for both prices
Tell us your dates and we will quote the Ramadan window you asked about alongside the same trip in January, so you can see the difference rather than assume it.
For a lot of people the answer is still Ramadan, and it should be a decision made with the number in front of you rather than after the deposit is paid.
Packages Umrah
WhatsApp or call: +44 7737 144 335
Office: 7 Huxley Avenue, Manchester, M8 0SJ
English and Urdu. Same-day quotes.
Off-peak from £499pp, Ramadan from £749pp. Held with a £99 deposit.
Trading name of Uraan Travel Ltd. |
Ask us to compare your dates
Ramadan versus off-peak: 56 questions answered
Grouped by topic. Direct answer first. All Ramadan dates subject to moon sighting.
The difference
How much more is Umrah in Ramadan?
Between 1.5x and 2.4x the off-peak price, depending on which part of the month.
Is it one price?
No. The first ten nights are £749, the middle ten £825, and the last ten £1,199, against a £499 floor.
What is the cheapest Ramadan window?
The first ten nights at £749, which is 1.5x.
And the most expensive?
The last ten nights at £1,199, which is 2.4x and the highest figure in the calendar.
How big is the gap inside Ramadan?
£450 per person, or £1,800 across a family of four, for a fortnight of the same month.
Is Ramadan more expensive than Christmas?
The first ten nights are cheaper, at £749 against £799. The middle and last ten are more.
What is the off-peak floor?
£499, which applies in January, November, early December and October.
Where the money goes
Is it the flights?
No. The flight moves about a hundred pounds on a package that has risen by seven hundred.
So what is it?
Hotels, almost entirely. Around £112 off-peak against around £650 in the last ten nights.
Why do flights move less?
Because aircraft can be redeployed and hotel rooms cannot. Airlines add capacity for Ramadan, which caps how far fares run.
Can a hotel add rooms?
A property two hundred metres from the Haram cannot add a single room, ever.
Will shopping around on flights help?
No. The hotel is the whole question and the answer to it is when you booked.
Would booking it myself be cheaper?
Usually more expensive in peak windows. You face the same hotel market without the block allocation an operator committed to a year earlier.
Is the agency margin higher in Ramadan?
No. It runs at roughly eight to thirteen per cent and it does not change between windows.
What improves
What actually gets better in Ramadan?
The reward, iftar at the Haram, Taraweeh and Qiyam, the atmosphere, and the company of pilgrims from every Muslim country at once.
What is iftar at the Haram like?
Food laid across the mosque floor daily, free, and shared with whoever is beside you regardless of language.
Is the reward greater?
It is widely understood to be. Anything beyond that is a question for someone qualified.
Does it apply to the whole month?
The widely understood position is that it applies across the whole month rather than only the final third.
What do people remember most?
The atmosphere. An entire city on one rhythm, which people describe for years afterwards.
What gets harder
How much busier is it?
In the last ten nights, the densest the Haram gets at any point in the year.
What happens to sleep?
Your day inverts. You sleep in daylight and you are awake through most of the night.
Can I perform Tawaf normally?
The ground floor is effectively impassable at peak times in the last ten nights. The upper levels are the realistic option.
What about Ziyarat?
Standing outside at unshaded sites while fasting. Harder rather than impossible.
Is it harder with children?
Considerably, on every measure. Crowds, sleep, fasting parents, and road closures limiting the room-return option.
And with elderly parents?
Genuinely demanding rather than merely tiring.
How far ahead do I need to book?
Nine to twelve months for the last ten nights. Six to nine for the rest of the month.
What is identical
Do the rites change?
No. Tawaf and Sa’i are the same in any month.
Does the visa cost more?
No. Same process, same cost, same 30 day entry window.
What about transfers?
Same three journeys, same coaches, same cost.
Is the Ziyarat itinerary different?
Same sites, harder conditions.
What about Madinah?
Busier than usual and nothing like Makkah in the same window.
What the same money buys
What else does £1,199 buy?
A Kaaba view room in January at £1,149, two ten night trips at £1,090, or twenty-one days in January at £789.
Is a Kaaba view really cheaper?
By fifty pounds. £1,149 in January against £1,199 for three star in the last ten nights.
And how close is it?
Under two hundred metres. In the last ten nights, three star at that price may be four hundred metres out.
What about two trips?
Ten nights in October and ten in January is £1,090 total, which is less than one week in the last ten nights.
That is twenty nights against seven?
Across two seasons, in comfortable conditions, for less money.
What if I want a long trip?
Twenty-one days in January at £789 is £39 a night against £171, with £410 left over.
Does this mean Ramadan is a bad choice?
No. It means the price is more than most people picture, and it is worth seeing before you decide rather than afterwards.
Who should pay it
Who should book Ramadan?
Anyone for whom Ramadan itself is the point, fit adults on a short trip, anyone who has been before, and anyone travelling alone or as a couple.
Why does having been before matter?
Because you are not learning the rites in the most crowded conditions of the year.
Is now a good part of the cycle?
A February Ramadan means around eleven and a half hours of fasting at 22 to 30 degrees, which is the mild version.
What if the heat has put me off before?
The current part of the cycle is the mildest available, and Ramadan moves eleven days earlier each year.
What is the one condition?
Booking far enough ahead for a close-in hotel. Without one, the premium buys a worse trip rather than a better one.
Who should not
Is Ramadan good for a first Umrah?
We would gently suggest not. November or January first, and Ramadan on a later trip.
What about families with young children?
October half term at £499 is a genuinely better family trip and it costs £700 less.
And with elderly parents?
January at £499 gives comfortable walking, long nights and a quiet Haram.
What if I want time rather than the window?
Twenty-one days in January for £410 less than seven nights in the last ten. The arithmetic is not close.
What if I cannot book far ahead?
Then you are paying the highest price in the calendar for the worst version of the window. That is the one booking we would talk you out of.
Any health considerations?
Speak to your GP if you have a heart or respiratory condition. Getting out of a dense crowd quickly is not always possible.
The middle options
What do you recommend most often?
The first ten nights at £749. A full Ramadan Umrah, £450 less than the last ten, with a hotel you can use.
Why is that not a compromise?
Because the reward is widely understood to apply across the whole month rather than only the final third.
What about the middle ten?
£825, and consistently underbooked because people default to one end of the month or the other.
And Eid?
From £849 for seven nights, or £969 for fourteen spanning Eid and the emptying city. That is £69 a night.
What about just before Ramadan?
Early February at £529, in winter conditions with a quiet Haram. The last cheap week before the month begins.
What is the deposit?
£99 per person, and it fixes your price in writing.
Will you quote both for me?
Yes. Tell us your dates and we will price the Ramadan window alongside the same trip in January.
Related reading
Ask for both prices
Tell us your dates and we will quote the Ramadan window you asked about alongside the same trip in January, so you can see the difference rather than assume it.
For a lot of people the answer is still Ramadan, and it should be a decision made with the number in front of you rather than after the deposit is paid.
Packages Umrah
WhatsApp or call: +44 7737 144 335
Office: 7 Huxley Avenue, Manchester, M8 0SJ
English and Urdu. Same-day quotes.
Off-peak from £499pp, Ramadan from £749pp. Held with a £99 deposit. |
Ask us to compare your dates
