Holy Cities
Madinah
Quieter, greener and slower than Makkah, and the part of the trip most pilgrims tell us they wish they had booked longer.
Overview
Madinah is built around the Prophet's Mosque and the city keeps a gentler rhythm than Makkah. The central area is flat, walkable and lined with date shops, and the marble courtyards around the mosque are cool enough to sit on well past midnight.
Our standard itinerary gives Madinah three to four nights, which is enough for the main ziyarah circuit and a morning at the date farms in Quba. Hotels in the central zone are all within a ten-minute walk of the Haram, so we rarely need to arrange transport once a group has checked in.
Things to see and do
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
The Prophet's Mosque, with the Rawdah at its heart. Rawdah visits are booked through the Nusuk app and slots open roughly ten days ahead, so plan for it before you fly.
Quba Mosque
The first mosque built in Islam, about five kilometres south of the centre. Two rakah here carries the reward of an Umrah, and the morning crowd is light.
Mount Uhud
The battlefield and the martyrs' cemetery on the northern edge of the city. Most groups visit at sunrise, before the heat and the tour coaches arrive.
Dates market at Al-Ajwa
The date souq near the Haram sells ajwa, sukkari and safawi by the kilo. Ask for a vacuum-sealed pack if you are carrying them home in hold luggage.
Good to know
- Book the Rawdah permit in the Nusuk app as soon as your visa is issued. Slots for the group are easier to align when everyone applies on the same day.
- Women's visiting hours for the Rawdah are separate and change during Ramadan. Our Madinah coordinator confirms the current timetable on arrival.
- The city centre is genuinely walkable, so you can skip taxi budgets and spend the difference on a closer hotel.
- Friday prayer fills the courtyards by 11am. Leave the hotel an hour earlier than you would on a weekday.
