Medina travel guide

Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, also known as al-Madinah an-Nabawiyyah and Taybah, is the capital, administrative centre, and largest city of Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is the second holiest city in Islam after Mecca, and one of the oldest and most important places in Islamic history.

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.

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.

Getting in

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. 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.

Getting around

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 or use the official App to pay onboard. 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.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.