Jeddah Airport To Madinah Hotel Taxi

Give us your flight number rather than a terminal. Jeddah's arrivals are spread across Terminal 1, the North Terminal and the Hajj and Umrah Complex, and airline allocations shift with the season, so the driver follows the flight and meets you in the correct arrivals hall with your name displayed.

Because this is a five-hour drive, we plan the pickup with a little slack after landing. Immigration in Umrah season can take an hour or more, and starting a long journey rushed is the wrong way to begin it.

The route runs up Highway 5 and Highway 15 past Rabigh and Mastura. Expect four and a half to five and a half hours in total, including at least one stop. It is a straightforward highway drive, but it is long, and it usually follows a long-haul flight.

Night arrivals often make the best time on this road. Daytime crossings in summer mean real heat once you leave the car, so keep water in the cabin rather than in the boot.

Drivers break the journey at a service area with a masjid and toilets — most commonly around Rabigh or Mastura. If a prayer time falls during the drive, tell the driver at the start and he will plan the stop around it.

Families with children usually prefer two shorter breaks. There is no charge for normal rest stops on this route.

There are three realistic ways to get from Jeddah to Madinah. A domestic flight to Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport is quickest in the air but adds a second check-in, baggage wait and airport transfer at both ends. The Haramain train from Jeddah's Sulaimaniyah station reaches Madinah in around two hours, but again station to station.

A private car wins on simplicity when you have just landed with several cases and a tired family: one vehicle, one luggage load, and your hotel entrance as the destination. If you are travelling light and want the shortest total time, the train deserves a look.

Five hours changes the maths on vehicle size. Two or three travellers with two cases are fine in a Camry or Sonata; four or more, or four or more cases, should take a GMC, Staria or Chevrolet seven-seater.

Bigger groups use the Hiace 11-seater or the Coaster 18-seater. Fares here are per vehicle, so splitting a group across two cars is usually more expensive than one larger vehicle.