If you looking to book an Umrah trip then read on to find how you can find the best budget Umrah packages. You do not have to spend a lot of money to perform Umrah. InShaAllah, you can find the most affordable Umrah through the guidance provided here. Recently, I booked a Umrah for someone I know. The price they were quoted by the travel agents for Flights and 4 start Hotel for 14 night Umrah with 4 weeks in Pakistan was £1095 per person. I was able find the package for £830 per person. Which is a saving of over £500 in total for two people.
Let me clear a misconception here, if you are going for an Umrah, you don’t have to go through a travel agent. If you are looking for cheapest Umrah prices, then you can only get these if you book the Umrah yourself. There are a few steps involved in booking Umrah yourself which are all straight forward. These are not any different or complex than booking any other holiday.
Finding Budget Umrah Packages – Steps Involved
- Find and Book Flights
- Find and Book Makkah & Medina Hotels
- Apply for e-visa or e-visa waiver (or you can get visa on arrival which costs same as an e-visa)
- Arrange transport or use Al Haramin Railway
- BONUS: Complete Umrah Checklist
Budget Umrah Package – Find and Book Flights
The first step is to find and book flights. You can use different platforms to find flights. What I recommend is to be flexible with your dates if you are looking for budget Umrah deals. Try to avoid days of the week that may be more expensive, such as Fridays and Saturdays. Another tip is to book well in advance but avoid booking flights on weekends, as prices tend to fluctuate. From my experience, flight prices are often higher when booking on weekends.
For example, when I was recently booking an international flight, I checked the price on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and it was quite reasonable. However, due to other commitments, I was unable to book the flight the same day and waited until the weekend, thinking I had time since I was booking well in advance. Unfortunately, by the weekend, the price had risen by over £50 for the same flight. If this happens to you, don’t worry—wait a few days, as in most cases, the price will decrease. As expected, when I checked the price midweek the following week, it had dropped again.
Additionally, avoid school holiday dates, as this is when many people fly from the UK to other countries. Flight prices can typically be 50%–100% higher during school holidays, especially on Friday and Saturday of the last week of school before holidays.
So, points to consider here are:
- Try to book flights well in advance
- Try to avoid busy days of the week such as Fridays or Saturdays for flight dates
- Do not book flights on weekends – try to book it during the midweek
- Try to avoid school holidays- the flight are most expensive during this time especially on Friday or Saturday of last school week before the holidays begin
Budget Umrah Package – Find and Book Hotels
Once you have booked your flights, the next step is to book hotels. You can use different platforms for this. If you are looking for competitive prices, avoid booking hotels that are less than a 5-minute walk from Al Haram, as these are often more expensive. Hotels within a 5-10 minute walking distance usually provide better value for money.
Alternatively, there are good hotels located 2-4 kilometers from Al Haram. These tend to be the cheapest options. However, these hotels are not within walking distance, and you will need to rely on a hotel shuttle bus for transportation. If you don’t mind staying farther from Al Haram, this can be a cost-effective choice. That said, I generally recommend booking a hotel within walking distance of the Holy Mosque for the best balance of convenience and value.
Budget Umrah Package: Obtain an e-visa or visa on arrival
The visa process has become more streamlined, and it is now easier than ever to obtain a Saudi visa. There are a few different types of visas, such as the e-visa, e-visa waiver, and visa on arrival. The cheapest option is the e-visa waiver, which is available to UK passport holders. The visa waiver costs SAR 150, approximately £35 per person, and allows a single entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In contrast, the e-visa is valid for 365 days, allows multiple entries, and costs a bit more at SAR 395, which is around £85 per person. See full guide here.
Budget Umrah Package: Arrange transport
Once you have booked your flight, hotels and obtained an e-visa, the next step is to arrange transport. You can either do this in advance or when you arrive there. As with other steps mentioned above, this part of the Umrah booking process is also easy and straightforward. When it comes to booking transport you will need transport from:
- Jeddah to Makkah
- Makkah to Medina
- Medina to Jeddah
You have several options when it comes to booking transport:
- High-Speed Al Haramain Railway: A fast and comfortable option for traveling between Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah
- Taxis: You can book a taxi on the day for short or long-distance travel. Make sure to agree on a price before the journey
- Private Transport: Book in advance for convenience- may cost more.
- Coaches: Budget-friendly coaches are available for travel between Makkah and Madinah.
Al Haramain High Speed Railway:
Al Haramain railway will take you from Jeddah to Makkah, Makkah to Medina and Medina to Jeddah. You can either book the ticket online in advance or you can book a ticket when you arrive at the station. Booking in advance will provide you better value for money. If you book business class ticket then you can make changes to the booking for free when there are at least 24 hours left before departure time, otherwise you will have to pay a small fee. On economy booking there is 10% fee for any changes when there are more than 24 hours left before the departure time, if there is less time left then there is 20% fee for any changes. Economy class ticket from Jeddah to Makkah start from £10 per person. You will then have to take a taxi from Makkah HHR station to your hotel, which costs around SAR 50 or £10. You can find more information on fare prices for HHR high speed railway here.
Book a Taxi
You can easily find taxis everywhere in Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah. A taxi from Makkah to Madinah will cost around SAR 500, which is approximately £100. A taxi from Jeddah to Madinah will cost around SAR 150 to 200, which is approximately £30 to £40. Make sure to take a licensed taxi. Sometimes, you may also find locals offering rides in their private cars, which might be cheaper than a normal taxi. However, we recommend taking a licensed taxi for safety and reliability.
Book A Private Transfer
You can also book a private transfer with companies in Saudi Arabia. However, it may cost more than a taxi or Haramain railway.
Budget Umrah Packages: Summary
In summary, if you are looking to book a budget Umrah, then booking it yourself then going through a travel agent may be a cheaper option. We recommend before getting a quote from a travel agent check the prices online, then you will have better idea of what price you should be offered. Try to get a quote from more than one travel agents. If you feel comfortable then we recommend booking the whole trip yourself. However, if you are unsure then we recommend to go through a travel agent, which may cost a bit more as they will be sorting out all the above things for you themselves.
