For most pilgrims, the Makkah to Madinah leg comes after Umrah, when the group is tired and the luggage has grown. The road is about 450 km on the highway known as the Hijrah Road. This page covers how to leave Makkah, plan the day, and arrive in Madinah, with the Ziyarat you may want to add on arrival.
Checking out and leaving Makkah
Plan the day around two things: your hotel checkout time and your Madinah check-in time. Rooms are often not ready until the afternoon, so an early arrival can mean waiting. We can suggest a departure time that gets you there when the room is likely to be ready.
Some pilgrims want to visit the Haram one last time before they leave. If you do, allow for it, and tell us what time you expect to be back at the hotel.
The day on the road
The distance is about 450 km and takes four and a half to five hours without stops. A prayer stop, a meal and a break for children add to that, so a realistic door-to-door time is six hours or more. Leaving early avoids the midday heat on the highway.
Prayer times and Fridays
If a prayer falls during the drive, we stop where there is a mosque or a prayer area. On a Friday we plan around the Jumu'ah prayer, which may mean leaving earlier or later than you first thought.
Older passengers and children
Tell us who is travelling. For older passengers we plan more frequent stops and a vehicle with easy access. For young children, ask us about a child seat.
Send your pickup, destination, date and passengers and we will confirm the vehicle and price.
Arriving in Madinah and adding Ziyarat
Hotels near Al-Masjid an-Nabawi are in a restricted central area, so the car may drop you close but not at the door. Send us the hotel name beforehand. Many pilgrims add Ziyarat to the arrival day or the next morning, for example Quba Mosque, Masjid al-Qiblatain and Mount Uhud. See Ziyarat tours to plan it, or Madinah taxi service for getting around the city.
Private car or the Haramain train
The Haramain railway runs between Makkah and Madinah and some pilgrims prefer it. A private car goes from your hotel to your hotel, carries all your luggage and leaves when you are ready. It also lets you add a stop. Choose what fits your group.
When to leave Makkah for Madinah
Pilgrims usually leave Makkah soon after the farewell tawaf, but the real question is whether to travel by day or at night. A morning departure gives you daylight and cooler temperatures, and lets older passengers sleep in the afternoon. A night departure reaches Madinah around dawn, which suits those who want to pray Fajr at the Prophet's Mosque on arrival. Neither is better in general. Choose according to how rested the group will be.
Whichever you pick, give us your hotel checkout time. If your room is held until midday but the car leaves in the evening, we need to know where to collect you and from which entrance.
A group that will not fit in one car
Large extended families often ask whether two cars can travel together. They can, and we plan them as one booking with matching times. Separate vehicles do not always travel at exactly the same speed, so agree in advance where each car will stop for rest and who will wait for whom, instead of assuming that they will keep each other in sight on a five-hour road.
Arriving at the Prophet's Mosque area
Many Madinah hotels are within walking distance of the mosque, and the streets around it become pedestrian zones at certain times. Your car may stop a few minutes' walk from the hotel entrance, so keep a small bag with essentials and plan for hotel staff or trolleys to help with the rest. Ask the hotel where cars may stop and share it with us beforehand.