After Umrah most pilgrims travel on to Madinah to pray in Masjid an-Nabawi. The distance is about 450 km. You have three main choices.
Private car
- Time: about 4½ hours, plus any stops you choose.
- Door to door: from your Makkah hotel to your Madinah hotel — no stations, no carrying luggage.
- Flexible: stop to eat, rest or pray whenever you want. Leave at a time that suits you.
- Best for: families, elderly pilgrims, people with lots of luggage and groups (one Hiace or Coaster carries everyone together).
Haramain High-Speed Train
- Time: roughly 2¼–2½ hours station to station.
- But: you need a car to Makkah station and another from Madinah station to your hotel, and luggage allowances apply. Seats sell out during Ramadan and peak seasons.
- Best for: solo travellers or couples with light luggage.
Bus
The cheapest option, but the slowest — usually 6 hours or more with fixed departure times.
Our recommendation
If you are travelling as a family or group, a private car or van usually works out simplest — and when you divide the cost between passengers it is often close to the train. Many pilgrims also combine the trip with Ziyarat: for example, visiting Masjid Quba and Uhud on arrival in Madinah.