Medina

Understand

Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina, where he was welcomed, and taught there for some years before his triumphant return to Mecca. He died in Medina in AD 632 and was buried there, the location on which the Prophet's Mosque now stands. His house where he passed away is still part of that mosque.

Municipal information Medina Regional Municipality website

Getting there

Unlike Mecca, Medina is open to everyone, including non-Muslims. Non-Muslims were once banned from entering Al-Haram Al-Madani, where the Prophet's Mosque is located, but this was gradually relaxed in 2021 and 2023 as part of Vision 2030. Muslims planning to visit during the Hajj season must apply for a Hajj visa. Non-Muslims may not visit during the Hajj season.

By plane For pilgrims, the most common route is to arrive in Jeddah by plane, and get on a special pilgrims' bus to Mecca and Medina, and come back to fly home in a couple of weeks.

1 Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport (MED IATA). This airport receives direct flights from around the Middle East, and is accessible to non-Muslims. It is very small, and not really designed to cope with the large numbers now passing through it, so expect a crush at the baggage carousels, and a free-for-all in the check-in areas, where queuing seems to be a foreign concept. Also, beware of scammers (see "Stay safe" below). To get from the airport to the city, use taxis, Uber, or the public bus. The bus is the cheapest option, and is perfectly serviceable. The bus stop for route 400 is outside and to the rightmost edge after you exit the building from baggage claims. You can pay by credit card (the driver comes around with a card reader before departing), although there are ATMs and currency exchange booths inside the terminal, if you'd like cash. The downside of the bus is that it only has one stop, which is a 10-minute walk to the north of the Prophet's Mosque. From there, you can either hail a taxi to your hotel or walk. If your hotel is to the south of the Prophet's Mosque, you may have to walk around the western perimeter of it, as baggage is not allowed inside the area. You cannot easily walk around the east side of the mosque; it is a busy road with no walking paths. (updated Nov 2023)

By bus The Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) runs luxurious buses several times daily to and from most parts of the country at cheap rates. There are also privately run buses. The SAPTCO terminal is off-limits to non-Muslims.

By train Medina is linked with Jeddah and Mecca via high-speed railway. Services are frequent, with up to 15 departures per day in each direction. Journey time is just under two hours from Jeddah and 2½ hours from Mecca.

2 Medina railway station, King Abdul Aziz Rd (East of the centre). (updated Dec 2023)

Getting around

By bus A new bus network debuted in mid-2025 in Medina. The routes of the buses are available on the official App or on Google Maps. You can tap your card to pay, but as of June 2025, it seems not to work very well. So drivers usually let you in without paying.

By taxi If you are on the side of the road, you might find locals willing to pick you up and take you to your destination for a fee, even though they are not officially taxis, but beware of con artists from among both official and unofficial taxi drivers (see "Stay safe" below). If you take an unofficial taxi ride, negotiate the price up front. You can use Uber to establish your baseline (maximum) price. People will often ask for prices well in excess of the Uber price.

By shuttle There is a shuttle (looks like a train of golf carts) that runs along Qiba Road between the Prophet's Mosque and the Quba Mosque. Payment is done in cash to the driver, and you can hop on anywhere along the way (although payment is the same regardless).

By bicycle or scooter Careem operates bicycles or scooters you can rent through the App.

See

Whether you are a practising Muslim or simply curious about Islam, Medina is the perfect place to deepen your curiosity about one of the world's largest religions.

Religious sites 1 The Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, المسجد النبوي). The Masjid Nabawi, or the Prophet's Mosque, is the second most important pilgrimage site in Islam, where devout Muslims offer prayers. Men are allowed to visit the burial site of the Prophet and pay respects throughout the opening hours of the mosque, which used to close for the night at around 10PM but has since become 24/7. Women may visit only after the Fajr or dawn and Duhr or afternoon prayers, when they are taken there in groups according to their countries. Non-Muslims may enter the mosque compound and may be able to enter the mosque with a guard's permission. But the Prophet Muhammad's burial site that lies inside the mosque is off-limits to non-Muslims. (updated Jan 2026) 2 Al-Baqi' (Jannat al-Baqī, ٱلْبَقِيْع) (adjacent to the Prophet's Mosque). A huge graveyard, where most family members and companions of the Prophet are buried. It is only open for a few hours each day. The entrance is at the western side of the graveyard; non Muslims can enter as it's not part of the fenced Prophet's Mosque complex. You walk along a linear path that winds through the graveyard, and guards are stationed at various points along the path. For religious reasons (discouraging ritual veneration of the dead), the graves are largely unmarked, and taking photographs or lingering along the path is discouraged (albeit not explicitly prohibited) by the guards. (updated Dec 2023) 3 Mount Uhud. Other things to be seen, a little away from the city, are the plains and mountain of Uhud where the battle took place. There is also the burial ground of the 70 martyrs of this battle including the Prophet's uncle Hamza who is considered one of the greatest martyrs of all time. (updated Apr 2021) Apart from the main Prophet's Mosque, there are numerous historic mosques scattered around the city. Almost all are working mosques, meaning that visits might be limited.

4 Masjid al-Qiblatayn. Further away is the Masjid al-Qiblatayn where the Quran recounts that the Prophet was ordered by Allah to turn his face from Jerusalem to the Kaaba in Makkah while offering prayers. (updated Jan 2022) 5 Masjid Jumua. Masjid Jumua where the Prophet prayed the first Jumua or Friday prayers. (updated Dec 2018) 6 Masjid Al Ghamamah. Masjid Gamama where once he had prayed for rain. (updated Dec 2018) 7 Masjid Quba, 3493 Al Hijrah Rd, Al Khatim. This is either the

Buy

The streets leading to and around the Prophet's Mosque are lined with shops selling goods of every variety. Visitors to Medina usually buy prayer rugs (some with magnets pointing towards the Kaaba), caps, Tasveeh or rosary beads, Abayas, pictures of the holy city and mosques, religious CDs, copies of the Holy Quran, clocks sounding Azan or the call to prayer as souvenirs. The best of them to take back are dates. There are also huge glittering shopping complexes and malls selling goods from all over the world. Credit cards are largely unaccepted in smaller businesses. Few banks will exchange travelers' checks. Many larger businesses, chains, and convenience stores will accept credit card and Apple Pay.

Eat

There are restaurants selling diverse foods, largely from across the Muslim world. There are Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants in abundance. Many of these restaurants will serve favourites such as shawarmas and falafel. There is also Chinese, Indonesian, Turkish, Egyptian, and local food. The Western fast-food chains 1 McDonald's, KFC, and Hardee's have outlets in the city, as do Saudi chains such as Al Baik and Kudu. The cheapest local specialities are shawarma, taamiyya (a type of vegetable sandwich), foul (cooked beans) with tameez (bread), and Broasted chicken which refers to pressure fried chicken cooked and seasoned similarly to KFC. There are always dates. To the north of King Fahd gate, there is a street with numerous street food stalls. The food comes from various countries with significant Muslim populations, including Indonesia, China, India, Pakistan, and other countries in the Middle East.

Drink & nightlife

As it is everywhere else in the country, alcohol is prohibited. Drinking any kind of beverage during daylight hours during Ramadan is subject to punishment by the religious police and thus should not be done in the open.

Sleep

Medina has many hotels, most of which are very close to the mosque. Numerous 5 star hotels have been and are being constructed all around the Prophet's mosque within a radius of 500 m. Beyond these are many budget hotels extending miles from the Masjid Nabavi. The tariff depends on a hotel's distance from the mosque, the nearer the more expensive. Even these low cost hotels have facilities like proper beds with clean linen, carpeted floors, air conditioning, refrigerator in every room, tiled bathrooms fitted with either eastern or western type WCs (sometimes both), 24 hours running hot and cold water. Kitchens with LPG and burners and sinks are also available for those pilgrims who would like to cook their own meals. But now all of these small old hotels are being demolished on a large scale to make way for starred hotels.

City center 1 Al-Majeedi ARAC Suites, Northern Central Zone, ☏ +966 4 820 0000 ext 5100. It offers spacious and air-conditioned serviced apartments, all of which has a telephone, cable TV and bathroom. Amenities Include currency exchange, dry cleaning/laundry, and safe deposit boxes. While staying here you can visit some tourist spots like Masjid Al Nabawi, Qiblatayn Mosque, and Masjid Musallah. Best rates on official website start at SR 400. (updated Oct 2025) 2 Taiba ARAC Suites, Northern Central Zone, ☏ +966 4 820 0000 ext 1005. It offers air-conditioned suites with bathroom, cable TV and phone. Amenities include currency exchange, dry cleaning/laundry, and safe deposit boxes. While staying here you can visit some tourist spots like Masjid Al Nabawi Al Sharief, Qibalatin Mosque, and Baqi ‘Al-Gharqad. Best rates on official website start at SR 2300. (updated Oct 2025) 3 Hotel Pullman Zamzam Madina, Amr Bin Al Gmoh Street, ☏ +966 14 821 0500. (updated Jan 2017) 4 Madinah Hilton, King Fahd Rd, ☏ +966 14 821 9100. Has 357 rooms with free Wi-Fi and a TV. There is a cafe that works from 10AM to 11:45PM and two restaurants on-site. Parking is free of charge. (updated Jan 2017) 5 The Oberoi, Madina (فندق اوبروي المدينة المنورة x), 1880, Abizar Road, ☏ +966 14 828 2222. (updated Jan 2017) 6 Al Andalous Suites. (updated May 2023) 7 Dar Al Hijra Intercontinental, ☏ +966 14 8207777, [email protected]. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 12:00. (updated May 2023) 8 Anwar Al Madinah Hotel, ☏ +966 14 8181000, [email protected]. (updated May 2023) 9 Al Muna Kareem Hotel. (updated May 2023)

Outside city center zone The following hotels are open to all.

10 Le Méridien Medina, Khaled Bin El Waleed Road, ☏ +966

Go next

Mecca is the other holy city visited by people taking part in the Umrah (minor pilgrimage) or the Hajj. You can hire a taxi to take you to Mecca, which will cost about SR 500 for up to four passengers. A much cheaper way to get there is to use the SAPTCO (Saudi Arabia Public Transport Company) bus services instead. There are two versions: regular and VIP. The regular service is reasonably comfortable and will cost SR 55 per person. The VIP version (which you can catch from the Crowne Plaza hotel) is slightly more luxurious and will cost SR 100 per person. The fastest way between the cities is the high-speed trains, which cover the distance in about 2 hours. The trains operate between Medina and Mecca, with stations at King Abdullah Economic City, Jeddah (Naseem) and King Abdulaziz International Airport.