Having recently gone on Umrah again I found it useful to remind myself of the specific rituals needed to complete one successfully. I attach it here as a PDF, feel free to download and use from your preferred electronic device:
Generic Travel/Planning advice
Some advice and food for thought for those who might take this route to plan an Umrah trip themselves – this is correct as of October 2023
Zamzam Allowance
You only get a Zamzam allowance of 5 litres per person performing Umrah. You collect your 5L at Jeddah Airport on your return journey, it’s outside Departures – just present your passport & Umrah visa to the desk there (you’ll see piles and piles of Zamzam water boxes!). Write your Name/place a mark on it, there will be lots of Zamzam boxes and they will all look identical coming out the baggage belt at your destination!
Onwards Travel from Jeddah Airport
To get from Jeddah Airport to Makkah you can use the high speed Haramain Railway (see details in section below) line or you can use a private Uber/Careem – both right from Jeddah Airport itself. Ignore the fake taxi drivers at the Arrivals hall as they will harass you, follow you, bargain with you and overcharge. Once out at Arrivals go to your left and take the lifts down 1 floor to the official green/black taxi area – the Careem/Uber pick-up zone is on your right. Around 230-250SAR is what I paid in 2023 for 1 way trip Jeddah Airport to Makkah at midnight – this was for the entire taxi so could be up to 4 people.
Mobile Data Access in Saudi
In order to book your Careem/Uber you need a working SIM, get an e-sim from Airalo or WorldSIM (assuming your phone supports e-sims, check this first) and add it to your existing phone as an extra SIM. Buy the Saudi or Global e-sim (global might make more sense as will work in Cyprus too!), install the Airalo app and other apps you need BEFORE you leave home/UK. Activate the e-sim and switch your phone data usage over to it just before you land and voila – u have data as soon as you land!
If your phone does not support the use of e-sims then simply get an international SIM from WorldSIM or similar before you depart. Otherwise the only option you are then left with is to try to get a local SIM at the Airport of which I have no experience.
The Haramain High Speed Railway (HHR)
There are 9 trains per day from Jeddah Airport to Makkah, they take 54 minutes and the first one is at 08:05/8:05AM and the last one at 22:35/10:35PM – there is no night service currently.
Also on the Haramain railway there is a restriction on luggage size you can bring on-board with you. Cabin/carry-on luggage is fine but larger checked-in suitcases may not be permitted (you might be lucky), you have to instead book these in with the Saudi Railway (SPL) courier service at the train station and they ship it over to you within 24 hours to your destination train station
Nusuk App
I didn’t need to use the Nusuk App for Umrah in Makkah, nobody asks and if you are in Ihram they let you in to do Tawaaf without any issues. But you do need it in Madinah to book your visit to the Rawdah (burial chamber of the last Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) so you must have your slot booked beforehand.
I wish you safe travels.
Things to see in Jeddah
With Vision 2030, Riyadh Season and other modernisation programmes progressing in the country there are some sights worth seeing in Jeddah if you have the time:
- Al Balad – historic part of Jeddah
- Jeddah Corniche
- Fakieh Aquarium
King Abdul Aziz Economic City (KAEC)
About an hours drive north of Jeddah is the KAEC.
- Jeddah Kingdom Tower (finally under construction again)
- Juman Park
NEOM
The next major ‘Wonder of the World’? for $500 billion it damn well better be.
With the LINE, OXAGON, TROJENA, SINDALAH and ZARDUN to explore.
It’s only 500 miles north of Jeddah, a flight takes about 1h 45mins.