Best time for Umrah: weather, crowds and prices, month by month

What is the best month for Umrah?

The best month for Umrah depends on your priority. For comfortable weather, choose December, January or February. For the greatest reward, Ramadan, which in 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February. For fewer crowds and lower prices, the months straight after the season reopens following Hajj are usually quietest, but they are also the hottest.

Most first time pilgrims, families with children and older parents are best served by the cooler months between November and February, avoiding the December school holidays if they can. Those who can handle heat and want the quietest Haram should look at the summer weeks after Hajj, outside the school holidays of their home country.

Makkah weather by month

Makkah is hot all year. The coolest months, December to February, have average highs of about 31 to 33°C and nights around 19 to 21°C, according to the 1991 to 2020 climate normals from NOAA and the Jeddah Regional Climate Center, summarised on Wikipedia's Mecca climate table↗. From May to September average highs reach 42 to 44°C, with nights that rarely fall below 28°C.

Heat matters more for Umrah than for most trips, because the rites involve walking. Tawaf around the Kaaba and Sa'i between Safa and Marwah together cover several kilometres, often in crowds. In summer, many pilgrims perform their rites late at night or before Fajr, when the marble is cooler and the crowds thinner.

Is Umrah in Ramadan worth it?

Umrah in Ramadan is worth it if reward is your priority and you can cope with crowds. In a well known hadith reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said that Umrah in Ramadan is equal in reward to Hajj. That is why Ramadan, and especially its last ten nights, is the busiest time of the year in Makkah and Madinah.

The practical cost is high. Hotels near the Haram fill early and charge their highest rates of the year, flights cost more, and the mataf and the Rawdah are at their most crowded. Ramadan 1448 is expected to begin around 8 February 2027 and end around 9 March, according to IslamicFinder↗, with the exact dates set by moon sighting. In 2027 that means Ramadan Umrah falls in the cool season, which makes it more manageable than the summer Ramadans of the 2010s.

If you want Ramadan but not its peak, the first ten days are noticeably calmer than the last ten. Book hotels and flights several months ahead, and check Rawdah permits in the Nusuk app as soon as your dates are fixed. If you stay for Eid al-Fitr, expect the Eid prayer at Masjid al-Haram to draw one of the largest crowds of the year, and arrive well before sunrise to find a place inside.

When can you not do Umrah? The visa pause before Hajj

You cannot travel for Umrah on an Umrah visa in the weeks around Hajj. Saudi Arabia stops issuing Umrah visas about two months before Hajj, sets a last date for Umrah pilgrims to enter, and requires them to leave before the Hajj season begins. Umrah reopens shortly after Hajj ends.

In 2026, Umrah visa issuance stopped around 19 to 20 March, the last entry date was around 2 to 3 April and pilgrims had to leave by 18 April, according to Wego's 2026 Umrah guide↗. After Hajj, visa issuance for the 1448 season resumed on 31 May 2026, with Nusuk permits from 1 June, as reported by Wego↗. Hajj 1448 is expected around 14 to 19 May 2027, so expect a similar pause from about late March to the end of May 2027. Always confirm the exact cutoff with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah↗ or your Umrah provider before booking.

Is Madinah cooler than Makkah?

Yes, in winter. Madinah sits on a higher plateau, and from December to February its average highs are about 24 to 27°C with nights around 12 to 14°C, several degrees cooler than Makkah, according to the 1991 to 2020 normals on Wikipedia's Medina climate table↗. Pack a light jacket for early mornings at Masjid an-Nabawi in January.

In summer the two cities are equally hot, with Madinah's June to August highs of about 43 to 44°C. Most pilgrims spend three to five days in Madinah, either before or after Makkah, and the timing advice is the same for both cities: the cool months are the most comfortable, Ramadan is the busiest, and the Rawdah needs a permit booked in the Nusuk app whatever the season. Our Madinah Ziyarat guide covers the places most pilgrims visit there, and the best hours to see them.

Cheapest time for Umrah

The cheapest time for Umrah is usually the off-peak weeks outside Ramadan, the December holidays and your home country's summer school holidays. The quietest period of all tends to be the summer months straight after the season reopens following Hajj, because the heat keeps many pilgrims away, so hotels near the Haram have more rooms and lower rates.

Prices follow demand rather than the calendar. Ramadan, especially its last ten nights, carries the highest hotel prices of the year, and the weeks around Eid and the school holidays are close behind. Our cost guides for pilgrims from the UK and other countries break down package tiers and how much the timing adds. Booking early is usually worth more than chasing a quiet week, because the best placed hotels sell out first.

If you have to travel at a peak time, a few choices keep the cost down. Hotels a little further from the Haram, served by shuttle buses, cost much less than those facing the gates. Spending more of your nights in Madinah, where hotels are usually cheaper, also helps, and refundable bookings let you switch if prices fall. Flying midweek rather than at weekends, and avoiding the first and last days of school holidays, often saves more than changing the month.

Umrah with family, children or elderly parents

For families and older pilgrims, the ideal window is November to February outside the December school holidays. The cooler weather makes long walks in the Haram much safer, and the crowds are manageable. Avoid the last ten nights of Ramadan with young children or anyone who needs a wheelchair, because the mataf can become difficult to move through.

If school holidays are your only option, choose the start or end of the holiday rather than the middle, stay as close to the Haram as your budget allows, and plan rites for the quieter hours after Isha or before Fajr. Wheelchairs and electric carts are available in Masjid al-Haram, and the ground floor mataf is usually reserved for those in ihram, so check the current arrangements on arrival.

Umrah in winter vs Umrah in summer

Umrah in winter is easier on the body, and Umrah in summer is easier on the budget and the crowds. Between December and February, average highs of 31 to 33°C mean you can perform Tawaf and Sa'i at almost any hour. Between June and September, highs above 42°C push most pilgrims into the night, but the Haram is often calmer and hotel rates lower once the season reopens after Hajj.

Summer Umrah is safe for healthy adults who plan around the heat: rest in the hotel at midday, drink water constantly, use the shaded and air conditioned upper floors, and do the rites after Isha or before Fajr. It is a harder choice for older pilgrims or anyone with heart, lung or kidney conditions, who should talk to a doctor before travelling in the hot months.

Umrah timing from the UK, Pakistan and India

The right month from your country is usually just outside its school holidays, because that is when pilgrims from your country travel in the largest numbers and prices from your airports rise. Each country's holidays create its own peak on top of Ramadan.

From the UK, the busiest periods are the summer holidays from late July to early September, Christmas and New Year, and Easter, so November, January and February are good alternatives with cooler weather. From Pakistan, the long summer vacations, which in most provinces run from around June to August, and Ramadan are the peaks; the cooler months outside December are usually better value. From India, school holidays vary by state, but the summer break in April to June and the December holidays are common peaks. Our first Umrah guide walks through the visa and booking steps whichever month you choose, including how to book your Rawdah visit in the Nusuk app as soon as your dates are set.

How the Islamic calendar shifts the best time each year

The Islamic calendar is lunar, so its months move about 11 days earlier each year against the Gregorian calendar. Ramadan, which begins around 8 February in 2027, will begin in late January in 2028 and in mid January in 2029. Over the next few years, Ramadan Umrah therefore stays in the cool season, which is good news for pilgrims who want both reward and comfortable weather.

Hajj moves the same way, from mid May in 2027 to early May in 2028, so the pre-Hajj visa pause moves earlier too. When you plan more than a year ahead, check the expected Islamic dates for your year rather than reusing last year's calendar.

Planning your Umrah dates: a practical checklist

Once you know roughly when you want to go, a few steps lock in the best version of that trip. Start with the Islamic dates, then the visa window, then flights and hotels, and only then the smaller details.

Staying connected matters most in the busiest months, because groups separate easily in a crowded mataf and Rawdah permits are booked in the Nusuk app. A Saudi travel eSIM installed before you fly keeps WhatsApp and Nusuk working from the moment you land; our Saudi Arabia eSIM plans compare prices for a typical Umrah, and our Umrah packing list covers what to bring for each season.