Winter gives you the best conditions of the year for Umrah. And one thing catches almost everybody, every single year.
The weather
Makkah at 20 to 32 degrees depending on the month. Comfortable for walking at every hour including the middle of the day, which is true of no other season.
The longest nights of the year, so sleep stops being a constraint. And the quietest Haram in the calendar, in November and January especially.
The thing that catches people
Madinah gets genuinely cold at night. Down toward ten degrees or below in December and January.
People pack for Arabia, arrive with thin clothes and sandals, and then sit on marble at Fajr in an open courtyard at five in the morning. It happens every year and it is entirely avoidable.
And the confusion worth clearing up
That cold is not an Ihram problem. Ihram is for Umrah, which you perform in Makkah. In Madinah you wear ordinary clothes and you can wear a coat.
The real Ihram cold problem is somewhere else entirely, and there is a section on it below.
The short version
Makkah 20 to 32 degrees, the best walking weather of the year.
Madinah nights drop toward ten degrees. Pack a proper fleece, socks and a large shawl.
You can wear a coat in Madinah. Ihram applies to Umrah in Makkah, not to Madinah.
The Ihram cold problem is the aircraft, because you enter Ihram before the Miqat.
Winter is the wettest season and wet marble is genuinely slippery. Bring shoes with grip. |
Ask us to price a winter departure
The weather, month by month
Month | Makkah by day | Madinah at night | Rain |
|---|
November | 24 to 32 | Cool | Possible |
December | 20 to 28 | Coldest of the year | Most likely |
January | 20 to 28 | Very cold | Likely |
February | 22 to 30 | Cold, easing | Possible |
Makkah
The best walking weather in the calendar. At 24 degrees you can walk a kilometre at midday without thinking about it, which is why the distance premium that dominates the summer simply lifts in winter.
What that means for your hotel
Three star at seven hundred metres to a kilometre is comfortable rather than a compromise. Spend the money on nights instead.
Madinah
Further inland and higher, so the days are similar and the nights are considerably colder. December and January are the peak of it.
How cold, exactly
Toward ten degrees or below on the coldest nights. That is a British autumn evening, and you will be sitting on marble in it at Fajr.
The prayer window
The winter solstice falls around 21 December, so daylight is at its annual minimum and the night at its maximum. Isha to Fajr runs over ten hours.
Which means attending all five prayers at the mosque for a fortnight is genuinely sustainable rather than aspirational, and it is the reverse of June where it is not.
Rain
Winter is the wet season and December is the wettest month. It does not rain often, and when it does it can be heavy.
What that causes
Makkah sits in a valley, so short intense downpours produce localised street flooding. And the marble around the Mataf becomes genuinely slippery.
What to do about it
Shoes with grip rather than smooth-soled sandals, and move carefully on ramps and around entrances, particularly with an older traveller.
The Madinah cold, properly
The thing we have mentioned across a dozen pages and never explained fully.
Why it happens
Madinah sits further inland than Makkah and at higher elevation. Desert interiors lose heat quickly after sunset, so the difference between the daytime high and the night-time low is large.
You can have a pleasant twenty-four degree afternoon and a ten degree Fajr in the same twenty-four hours.
Why it catches people
Because nobody packs a fleece for Saudi Arabia. The mental image is heat, and for Makkah in most of the year that is right.
Where you will feel it
- Sitting on marble in the courtyards at Fajr
- Walking back to the hotel after Isha
- The plazas around Masjid an-Nabawi, which are open and exposed
- Early morning Ziyarat, which starts before the sun does
Who feels it most
Older travellers and children. Both lose heat faster than a healthy adult, both are closer to the ground where the marble is, and children in particular do not say they are cold until they are properly miserable.
What to bring
Item | Why |
|---|
A proper fleece or jumper | Not a token layer. A real one |
A light jacket | For early mornings and after Isha |
Several pairs of socks | They help on cold marble as much as in shoes |
A large shawl or blanket | Layers, covers, and gives you something to sit on |
Closed shoes | Rather than sandals, for the Madinah portion |
The one that surprises people
The shawl. It is the single most useful thing in a winter bag because it does four jobs, packs to nothing, and works for men and women alike.
The rule of thumb
Pack the same amount of warm clothing you would take for a British autumn evening. It feels excessive for Saudi Arabia and it is exactly right for a Madinah Fajr in January.
The Ihram problem is the aircraft
The section that clears up a genuine confusion.
What people think
That the Madinah cold is an Ihram problem, because you cannot wear stitched clothing in Ihram and it is cold.
Why that is wrong
Ihram is for Umrah, which is performed in Makkah. In Madinah you are not in Ihram. You wear ordinary clothes and you can wear a coat, a fleece, whatever you like.
So the Madinah cold is a packing problem, not a religious one.
Where the actual Ihram cold problem is
On the aircraft. You enter Ihram before crossing the Miqat, and for most UK flights that means changing on board somewhere over the Middle East.
Why that is uncomfortable
Aircraft cabins run cool. Two unstitched cloths for the remaining hours of a long flight, then through an airport, then a transfer to Makkah, is a genuinely cold few hours.
What people do about it
Ask the cabin crew for a blanket. Airlines carry them and a blanket used as a covering is a different thing to tailored clothing.
If that distinction matters to you, ask someone qualified before you fly rather than working it out at thirty thousand feet.
The other practical answer
Timing. Perform your Umrah promptly on arrival rather than resting first, so the time in Ihram is short. Then change into warm clothes immediately afterwards.
And the alternative some people take
Changing into Ihram at the airport before boarding rather than on the aircraft, which some find easier logistically and which makes the cold stretch longer.
Both are done. Which suits you depends on your flight and your comfort, and the religious detail is a question for someone qualified.
What we would say
Take a large shawl in your hand luggage. It works as a covering on the aircraft, as a layer in Madinah, and as something to sit on at the Haram.
The winter packing list
In hand luggage, not the hold
- Two sets of Ihram, because bags get delayed
- Your ACWY vaccination certificate, which is a visa requirement
- All medication with the pharmacy label attached
- A power bank, because you need working data for the Nusuk permits
- A large shawl, for the aircraft and everything after
- Copies of your passport, visa and booking confirmation
The warm layer
- A proper fleece or jumper
- A light jacket
- Several pairs of socks
- Closed shoes with grip, rather than smooth sandals
Toiletries
Unscented soap, shampoo and toothpaste, because scented products are avoided in Ihram.
On sizes
Assume the 100ml hand luggage rule unless your specific airport confirms otherwise. The position has changed at different UK airports at different times, so check yours rather than a general article.
The easier route
Put full sized unscented toiletries in the hold and carry only what you need for the flight.
Practical items
- A refillable water bottle
- A prayer mat that folds small, for praying outside
- Wet wipes
- A small padlock for your case
- A pen, for the landing card if one is required
Plugs
Saudi hotels commonly use the UK three-pin, so a UK plug frequently works without an adapter. Not universally, so take a small universal adapter as a backup rather than assuming either way.
Documents
Passport with at least six months validity from your travel date, your visa, your ACWY certificate, your booking confirmation, and travel insurance details.
Photograph all of them and store the images somewhere you can reach without data.
And a spare bag
A foldable holdall in your case. You will come back with more than you took, between Zamzam, dates and gifts, and buying a bag there costs more than bringing one.
What not to bring
Too much clothing
The most common overpacking mistake. Laundry in both cities is cheap and quick, so pack for about a week whatever the length of your trip.
On a fortnight that halves your case, which matters more than people expect when you are moving between two hotels.
Ihram towels beyond two sets
They are widely available in both cities and cheaper there than here. Two sets from home covers you, and buy more if you need them.
Prayer mats
Available everywhere and inexpensive. Bring one small foldable one for praying outside and buy any others there.
Scented anything
Perfume, scented deodorant, scented wipes. Scented products are avoided in Ihram, and it is simpler to travel with unscented throughout than to switch mid-trip.
Large quantities of Zamzam containers
Sold everywhere in Makkah and Madinah. And check your airline’s current position on carrying Zamzam, because allowances vary and change.
Food
Both cities have extensive food options at every price point. The exception is if you are travelling in Ramadan with young children, where snacks for daylight hours are genuinely useful.
A heavy coat
A fleece and a light jacket layered is more useful than one thick coat, because the daytime temperature is pleasant and only the nights are cold.
And an adapter you may not need
A small universal one as backup, not a bag of them. UK plugs frequently work.
What winter costs
Window | 3 Star | 4 Star | 5 Star |
|---|
November | From £499 | From £629 | From £690 |
1 to 17 December | From £499 | From £629 | From £690 |
Christmas and New Year | From £799 | From £949 | From £1,049 |
From around 10 January | From £499 | From £629 | From £690 |
Early February | From £529 | From £659 | From £725 |
Seven nights, per person, quad sharing. 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.
Longer stays at the floor price
Duration | 3 Star | Per night |
|---|
7 nights | From £499 | £71 |
10 nights | From £545 | £55 |
14 nights | From £625 | £45 |
21 days | From £789 | £39 |
Where to spend in winter
Nights rather than the hotel. At 20 to 32 degrees the walk from a three star is comfortable, so the distance premium has lifted.
Ten nights at three star, £545, costs less than seven at four star, £629, and in this season the ten nights is clearly the better trip.
The best winter booking
Fourteen nights at three star in November, early December or mid to late January. £625, at £45 a night, in the best conditions the calendar offers.
The two traps
A December trip crossing the 17th prices at the Christmas rate for the whole booking. And a January departure before the 10th is still at Christmas pricing.
Both are £300 per person and both are avoidable. Detail in our winter booking guide.
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.
What winter is actually like
The Haram
At its quietest in November and January. Ground floor Tawaf at your own pace at most hours, which for a first Umrah is worth more than any hotel upgrade.
The walk
Comfortable at every hour. This is the season where a three star at a kilometre out is a genuine option rather than a compromise, and where the shuttle becomes a convenience rather than a necessity.
Ziyarat
Good, though March and October are better. Most of the Makkah itinerary involves standing outside at unshaded sites, which is fine at 24 degrees.
The Hira climb
Possible in winter and demanding in any season. Over an hour each way on uneven rock, and genuinely steep. March is the better month for it.
The Rawdah
Permits are free through the Nusuk app and competition in winter is the lowest of the year outside the Christmas fortnight.
Book the moment your visa is approved. Detail on the visa page.
The UK side
You are leaving the darkest, wettest part of the British year for somewhere at 24 degrees. That is not a spiritual argument and people mention it more often than they expect to.
The risk
British weather rather than Saudi weather. Fog and ice delay departures, particularly at smaller airports and on early flights.
Book a single ticket with protected connections so the airline reroutes you rather than leaving it as your problem. Detail on the flights and hotel page.
The winter checklist
- Pack a proper fleece, not a token layer. Madinah nights drop toward ten degrees.
- Take a large shawl in your hand luggage. It covers on the aircraft, layers in Madinah, and gives you something to sit on.
- Bring shoes with grip. Winter is the wet season and wet marble is genuinely slippery.
- Two sets of Ihram in hand luggage, because bags get delayed.
- Unscented toiletries, and assume the 100ml rule unless your airport confirms otherwise.
- Book the ACWY vaccine as soon as you pay your deposit. The certificate must be dated at least ten days before you arrive.
- Check the December and January date lines. Both cost £300 per person if you cross them.
The one people get wrong
The first. Every year, and it is the difference between a comfortable fortnight and a cold one.
And the one worth the most
The last. Two dates, £300 per person each, and both are avoidable by mentioning your intended length when you enquire.
The summary
Winter has the best weather of the year
Makkah at 20 to 32 degrees, comfortable at every hour, with the longest nights and the quietest Haram in the calendar.
Madinah gets genuinely cold at night
Toward ten degrees or below in December and January. Pack a proper fleece, socks and a large shawl, and take the same warm clothing you would for a British autumn evening.
You can wear a coat in Madinah
Ihram is for Umrah, which is performed in Makkah. The Madinah cold is a packing problem rather than a religious one.
The Ihram cold problem is the aircraft
Because you enter Ihram before the Miqat and cabins run cool. Ask for a blanket, and perform Umrah promptly on arrival so the stretch is short.
And spend the money on nights
The distance premium lifts in winter, so ten nights at three star beats seven at four star. Fourteen nights at £625 is the best booking in the calendar.
Ask us to price a winter departure
Related reading
Pack for a British autumn evening
It is the simplest way to get winter Umrah packing right, and it is the thing people consistently get wrong because the mental image of Saudi Arabia is heat.
Tell us your dates and we will tell you which months you are travelling across, because a November trip and a January one want different bags even though they cost the same.
Packages Umrah
WhatsApp or call: +44 7737 144 335
Office: 7 Huxley Avenue, Manchester, M8 0SJ
English and Urdu. Same-day quotes.
Winter from £499pp, held with a £99 deposit that fixes your price.
Trading name of Uraan Travel Ltd. |
Send us your winter dates
Winter Umrah: 58 questions answered
Grouped by topic. Direct answer first. Anything requiring a religious ruling is a question for someone qualified.
The weather
What is the weather like in Makkah in winter?
20 to 32 degrees by day depending on the month. Comfortable for walking at every hour including midday.
Which month is coolest?
December and January, both at 20 to 28 degrees.
How cold does Madinah get?
Nights drop toward ten degrees or below in December and January.
Why is Madinah colder?
It sits further inland and at higher elevation, and desert interiors lose heat quickly after sunset.
How big is the daily swing?
You can have a pleasant twenty-four degree afternoon and a ten degree Fajr in the same twenty-four hours.
Does it rain?
Winter is the wet season and December is the wettest month. Not often, and heavy when it comes.
What does the rain cause?
Localised street flooding, because Makkah sits in a valley. And the marble around the Mataf becomes genuinely slippery.
Are the nights long?
At their annual maximum. Isha to Fajr runs over ten hours around the solstice.
Why does that matter?
Attending all five prayers at the mosque for a fortnight becomes genuinely sustainable rather than aspirational.
The Madinah cold
Do I really need warm clothes?
Yes, and it is the thing people most consistently get wrong.
Where will I feel it?
Sitting on marble at Fajr, walking back after Isha, in the open plazas around Masjid an-Nabawi, and on early morning Ziyarat.
Who feels it most?
Older travellers and children. Both lose heat faster and both are closer to the ground where the marble is.
What should I pack?
A proper fleece, a light jacket, several pairs of socks, a large shawl and closed shoes for the Madinah portion.
Why a shawl specifically?
It layers, covers, and gives you something to sit on. It packs to nothing and works for men and women alike.
How much warm clothing?
The same amount you would take for a British autumn evening. It feels excessive for Saudi Arabia and it is exactly right.
Should I bring a heavy coat?
A fleece and a light jacket layered is more useful, because the days are pleasant and only the nights are cold.
Ihram and the cold
Can I wear a coat in Madinah?
Yes. Ihram is for Umrah, which is performed in Makkah. In Madinah you wear ordinary clothes.
So the Madinah cold is not an Ihram problem?
Correct. It is a packing problem.
Where is the actual Ihram cold problem?
The aircraft. You enter Ihram before crossing the Miqat, which for most UK flights means changing on board.
Why is that uncomfortable?
Cabins run cool, and two unstitched cloths for the remaining hours of a long flight is a genuinely cold stretch.
What do people do about it?
Ask the cabin crew for a blanket. A blanket used as a covering is a different thing to tailored clothing.
Is that permissible?
If the detail matters to you, ask someone qualified before you fly rather than working it out on board.
Is there another approach?
Perform Umrah promptly on arrival rather than resting first, so the time in Ihram is short.
Can I change at the airport instead?
Some people do, and it makes the cold stretch longer. Which suits you depends on your flight.
What should I keep in hand luggage?
A large shawl. It covers on the aircraft, layers in Madinah, and gives you something to sit on at the Haram.
Packing
What goes in hand luggage?
Two sets of Ihram, your ACWY certificate, all medication with pharmacy labels, a power bank, a large shawl and document copies.
Why two sets of Ihram?
Because bags get delayed and arriving without Ihram is a problem you cannot easily solve at the airport.
What toiletries do I need?
Unscented soap, shampoo and toothpaste, because scented products are avoided in Ihram.
What size containers?
Assume the 100ml hand luggage rule unless your specific airport confirms otherwise. The position has changed at different UK airports at different times.
Is there an easier way?
Put full sized unscented toiletries in the hold and carry only what you need for the flight.
Do I need a plug adapter?
Saudi hotels commonly use the UK three-pin, so a UK plug frequently works. Take a small universal adapter as backup rather than assuming.
What documents should I carry?
Passport with six months validity from your travel date, visa, ACWY certificate, booking confirmation and insurance details.
Should I photograph them?
All of them, and store the images somewhere you can reach without data.
What practical items are worth taking?
A refillable water bottle, a small foldable prayer mat, wet wipes, a padlock and a pen.
Anything for the return journey?
A foldable holdall in your case. You will come back with more than you took and buying a bag there costs more.
What not to bring
How much clothing should I pack?
About a week regardless of trip length. Laundry in both cities is cheap and quick.
Should I bring extra Ihram towels?
Two sets covers you. They are widely available in both cities and cheaper there.
What about prayer mats?
One small foldable one for praying outside. Buy any others there, where they are inexpensive.
Can I take perfume?
Scented products are avoided in Ihram, so it is simpler to travel unscented throughout.
What about Zamzam containers?
Sold everywhere in both cities. Check your airline current position on carrying Zamzam, because allowances vary and change.
Should I take food?
Not generally. Both cities have extensive options at every price point.
Is there an exception?
Travelling in Ramadan with young children, where snacks for daylight hours are genuinely useful.
What winter is like
How quiet is the Haram?
At its quietest in November and January. Ground floor Tawaf at your own pace at most hours.
Is it good for a first Umrah?
The best season for it. A quiet Haram is a much better place to learn the rites.
Can I book a three star at a kilometre out?
Comfortably. This is the season where the distance premium lifts entirely.
Is Ziyarat good in winter?
Good, though March and October are better. Standing outside at unshaded sites is fine at 24 degrees.
Can I climb to the Cave of Hira?
Possible and demanding in any season. Over an hour each way on uneven rock, and genuinely steep.
Are Rawdah permits easier?
Competition is the lowest of the year outside the Christmas fortnight.
What is the UK-side risk?
Fog and ice delaying departures, particularly at smaller airports and on early flights.
How do I protect against that?
Book a single ticket with protected connections so the airline reroutes you rather than leaving it as your problem.
Prices
What does winter cost?
From £499 for seven nights at three star in November, early December, mid to late January and into early February.
What about Christmas?
From £799, against £499 for the first fortnight of the same month.
What are the per night figures?
£71 at seven nights, £55 at ten, £45 at fourteen and £39 at twenty-one days.
Should I upgrade the hotel?
Generally not. Ten nights at three star at £545 beats seven at four star at £629 in this season.
What is the best winter booking?
Fourteen nights at three star, £625, at £45 a night.
What are the two date traps?
A December trip crossing the 17th, and a January departure before the 10th. Both price at £799.
How do I avoid them?
Tell us your intended length as well as your departure date, because both are usually crossed on the return leg.
What is the deposit?
£99 per person, and it fixes your price in writing.
Related reading
Pack for a British autumn evening
It is the simplest way to get winter Umrah packing right, and it is the thing people consistently get wrong because the mental image of Saudi Arabia is heat.
Tell us your dates and we will tell you which months you are travelling across, because a November trip and a January one want different bags even though they cost the same.
Packages Umrah
WhatsApp or call: +44 7737 144 335
Office: 7 Huxley Avenue, Manchester, M8 0SJ
English and Urdu. Same-day quotes.
Winter from £499pp, held with a £99 deposit that fixes your price.
Trading name of Uraan Travel Ltd. |
Send us your winter dates
